But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ...riches of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ.
John,
Chapter 16, Verse 27
For
the Father himself loves you, because
you have loved me and have come to
believe that I came from God.
Those who fear the Lord work to not
react to their feelings but act from the principle of God’s unconditional love
to empower others even at personal cost.
They practice the three cardinal virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity. The act of blessing works both ways and
bless’ all; both those who receive and those who give.
St.
Ignatius of Antioch[1]
St. Ignatius is one of
the great bishops of the early Church. He was the successor of St. Peter as
Bishop of Antioch. He was condemned to death by wild beasts during the Emperor
Trajan's persecution. On his way to Rome, he wrote seven magnificent letters,
which we still have today, concerning the Person of Christ, his love for
Christ, his desire for martyrdom and on the constitution of the Church and
Christian life. His sentiments before his approaching martyrdom are summed in
his word in the Communion antiphon, "I am the wheat of Christ, ground by
the teeth of beasts to become pure bread."
Exhortations to Faith and Love
None of these things is hid from you, if ye perfectly
possess that faith and love towards Christ Jesus which are the beginning and
the end of life. For the beginning is faith, and the end is love. Now these
two. being inseparably connected together, are of God, while all other things
which are requisite for a holy life follow after them. No man [truly] making a
profession of faith sinneth; nor does he that possesses love hate any one. The
tree is made manifest by its fruit; so those that profess themselves to be
Christians shall be recognised by their conduct. For there is not now a demand
for mere profession, but that a man be found continuing in the power of faith
to the end. Wherefore none of the devices of the devil shall be hidden from
you, if, like Paul, ye perfectly possess that faith and love towards Christ
which are the beginning and the end of life. The beginning of life is faith,
and the end is love. And these two being inseparably connected together, do
perfect the man of God; while all other things which are requisite to a holy
life follow after them. No man making a profession of faith ought to sin, nor
one possessed of love to hate his brother. For He that said, "Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God," said also, "and thy neighbor as
thyself." Those that profess themselves to be Christ's are known not only
by what they say, but by what they practice. "For the tree is known by its
fruit."
Amoris Lætitia[2] Growing in conjugal love (120-122)
The love between husband and wife is a love sanctified, enriched and illuminated by the grace of the sacrament of marriage. It is an “affective union”, spiritual and sacrificial, which combines the warmth of friendship and erotic passion, and endures long after emotions and passion subsides. Infused by the Holy Spirit, this powerful love is a reflection of the unbroken covenant between Christ and humanity that culminated in his self-sacrifice on the cross. “The Spirit which the Lord pours forth gives a new heart and renders man and woman capable of loving one another as Christ loved us. Conjugal love reaches that fullness to which it is interiorly ordained: conjugal charity.” Marriage is a precious sign, for “when a man and a woman celebrate the sacrament of marriage, God is, as it were, ‘mirrored’ in them; he impresses in them his own features and the indelible character of his love. Marriage is the icon of God’s love for us. Indeed, God is also communion: the three Persons of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit live eternally in perfect unity. And this is precisely the mystery of marriage: God makes of the two spouses one single existence”. This has concrete daily consequences, because the spouses, “in virtue of the sacrament, are invested with a true and proper mission, so that, starting with the simple ordinary things of life they can make visible the love with which Christ loves his Church and continues to give his life for her”.
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