Nearer to me

Though at times His face may not be clear, I know that my God is always near. Nay, He is nearer to me than I am to myself.

Saying goodbye

Each time we say goodbye, it breaks our heart so that it can open itself wider and wider until it becomes like the heart of God where each person has a place and finally finds a home.

The heart remembers

When I remember someone's special day without the help of modern gadgets such as Birthday Alarm, it means that this person is really special. Gadgets remember the information; the heart remembers what makes it special.

Brothers and sisters

We have watered down the Gospel message that we are all children of God and, therefore, brothers and sisters. We use the more sophisticated and better- accepted term "solidarity".
I am inspired to reflect on this because of our Rector Major's speech two Sundays ago.
We are not called to be in solidarity with others; rather, we are called to be brothers and sisters. The fact that we are all children of the same God, call Him whatever name you want, makes us brothers and sisters. The thing is to put it into practice.
When I choose to be in solidarity I can decide the who, what, when, why, how and how long of this relationship.
Instead, when I take seriously the Gospel message of our universal fraternity in God, I break down all barriers!
We do not choose our brothers and sisters.
They are given to us, or they are "a given" to us.
We do not limit our response to our brothers and sisters to a gesture or a specific period of time. They are our brothers and sisters 24/7.
There is no break or vacation in being brothers and sisters. So there should be no break or vacation in caring for people.
The time to love them is here and now.

Adversity

Just as strong winds test the sturdiness of a tree, so does adversity demonstrate the strength of our character.

Fidelity

Fidelity doesn't mean being in a static and unchanging situation. Fidelity means coming to grips with change and continuing to discover the sense in saying yes to your commitment, in good times and in bad times. Fidelity is to welcome change as the necessary backdrop of growing deeper roots. Fidelity is to have the courage to spread our wings.

Care a lot

What best describes the first Christian community was the way they loved each other. This greatly puzzled their contemporaries. These Christians gave up their personal resources so that the apostles may distribute them to the other members of the Church, so that nobody may be wanting.
This was certainly unusual. It still is, in fact. Our security and the security of those closest to us is always our  top priority. That is why we have all sorts of investments and insurances. It is, therefore, not easy for us to understand when people give up something (material or otherwise) for the sake of others.
The good news is, this is not something that is only history. It still happens everyday, in big and small ways. When we care for others, when we let people's struggles and pains touch us and make us change and have a different perspective, then we are really followers of Jesus.
I once watched a Christmas film and one of the characters said: "the difference between our town and the big city is, here, we care for each other."
I like the word "care." It denotes a certain strength that becomes vulnerability to be touched by others' suffering and pain.
Caring is love that warms the heart.
I remember how my youngest brother, Stephen, used to repeat the Care Bears slogan "we care a lot."