As always, baby bro and I have conversations on life when we meet, and I am always stimulated and sometimes challenged by his perspectives on life.
I find words a poor tool to convey what is in my heart for what is most profound is always hardest to articulate, especially when it is to a loved one where communication is invariably coloured by the past.
How do I explain to him my "religious fanatic" bent: my whole-hearted adherence and participation in traditions and rites of the Catholic Church that seem so rigid and ridiculous in the modern world? How do I express the deep peace and ineffable joy I experience from being loved by a man whom I cannot touch and see?
Where do I begin to bridge the inevitable differences in perspectives? What must I do to communicate to him I do not judge him, but instead, love him, and as a natural outpouring of that love, want only the best for him, which also requires me to speak the unpalatable truth at times?
I do not set out to convert him or anyone else in this world because I want to save their souls - that would be insufferable arrogance - but because my faith in Christ has led to me to discover such beauty, goodness and wisdom that gets me all excited, I want passionately to share the treasures I have found.
The gifts of faith, hope, love, peace and joy - all the things we each seek in life as necessary for our physical and spiritual well-being are there for the picking on the tree of Christianity that yields life-giving and delicious fruit.
I long to exclaim, "It doesn't have to be this way!" whenever I encounter timidity, fear, bitterness, despair and hatred of those who think God is a tyrant or a waste of time or that Church is irrelevant.
And to repair the damage done by Christians who behave without love, compassion, generosity and integrity, thereby tarnishing the awesomeness of Christianity.
God is so much more than what our human minds can perceive and grasp but the good news is Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit can help us understand and experience that which brings us life.
As with any relationship, it requires us to do our part. When we value a relationship we nurture it by giving it proper time and attention. We find every mundane detail of a lover fascinating and seek to know more.
If we do the same with Jesus we would be blown away. I am, every day, when I give Him time to tell me how much He loves me. And it is His unconditional love and faith in me that inspires me to reach for the stars, to demand happiness and satisfaction in life, to not settle for second best at all; to live life to the full, to be gloriously free.
The personal revelations I receive convince me that the Tradition and Teaching of the Church hold great wisdom that when applied to my life, point me towards the path of self-fulfilment and fruition.
Even the hard-hitting "rules" when studied and analyzed, uncover that love was their foundation and they actually help guide us to be more human.
So what happens when words fail and we sit at perceived opposite ends of the table and I am tempted to walk away? Here is where I am challenged to put out my hand in love and grasp his. To put aside my pride and to just let God sit with us and do His thing.
It is enough that we, bro and I, know we love each other. In such instances, words are not needed.
I find words a poor tool to convey what is in my heart for what is most profound is always hardest to articulate, especially when it is to a loved one where communication is invariably coloured by the past.
How do I explain to him my "religious fanatic" bent: my whole-hearted adherence and participation in traditions and rites of the Catholic Church that seem so rigid and ridiculous in the modern world? How do I express the deep peace and ineffable joy I experience from being loved by a man whom I cannot touch and see?
Where do I begin to bridge the inevitable differences in perspectives? What must I do to communicate to him I do not judge him, but instead, love him, and as a natural outpouring of that love, want only the best for him, which also requires me to speak the unpalatable truth at times?
I do not set out to convert him or anyone else in this world because I want to save their souls - that would be insufferable arrogance - but because my faith in Christ has led to me to discover such beauty, goodness and wisdom that gets me all excited, I want passionately to share the treasures I have found.
The gifts of faith, hope, love, peace and joy - all the things we each seek in life as necessary for our physical and spiritual well-being are there for the picking on the tree of Christianity that yields life-giving and delicious fruit.
I long to exclaim, "It doesn't have to be this way!" whenever I encounter timidity, fear, bitterness, despair and hatred of those who think God is a tyrant or a waste of time or that Church is irrelevant.
And to repair the damage done by Christians who behave without love, compassion, generosity and integrity, thereby tarnishing the awesomeness of Christianity.
God is so much more than what our human minds can perceive and grasp but the good news is Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit can help us understand and experience that which brings us life.
As with any relationship, it requires us to do our part. When we value a relationship we nurture it by giving it proper time and attention. We find every mundane detail of a lover fascinating and seek to know more.
If we do the same with Jesus we would be blown away. I am, every day, when I give Him time to tell me how much He loves me. And it is His unconditional love and faith in me that inspires me to reach for the stars, to demand happiness and satisfaction in life, to not settle for second best at all; to live life to the full, to be gloriously free.
The personal revelations I receive convince me that the Tradition and Teaching of the Church hold great wisdom that when applied to my life, point me towards the path of self-fulfilment and fruition.
Even the hard-hitting "rules" when studied and analyzed, uncover that love was their foundation and they actually help guide us to be more human.
So what happens when words fail and we sit at perceived opposite ends of the table and I am tempted to walk away? Here is where I am challenged to put out my hand in love and grasp his. To put aside my pride and to just let God sit with us and do His thing.
It is enough that we, bro and I, know we love each other. In such instances, words are not needed.
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