Dear Friends,
This past week Pope Leo put out a statement (actually an Apostolic Exhortation) entitled “I Have Loved You” – “To All Christians on Love for the Poor.” I encourage you to read it. Here is a link:
http://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/apost_exhortations/documents/20251004-dilexi-te.html
It is a moving statement/encouragement/exhortation to Christians to think about the power of our faith, to trust it, to act on it – not for the sake of others, but for the sake of ourselves and the world.
It closes in a moving way: “120. Christian love breaks down every barrier, brings close those who were distant, unites strangers, and reconciles enemies. It spans chasms that are humanly impossible to bridge, and it penetrates to the most hidden crevices of society. By its very nature, Christian love is prophetic: it works miracles and knows no limits. It makes what was apparently impossible happen. Love is above all a way of looking at life and a way of living it. A Church that sets no limits to love, that knows no enemies to fight but only men and women to love, is the Church that the world needs today.
121. Through your work, your efforts to change unjust social structures or your simple, heartfelt gesture of closeness and support, the poor will come to realize that Jesus’ words are addressed personally to each of them: ‘I have loved you’ (Rev3:9).”
Keep tellin’ the Story,
Mike
I invite you to enjoy the late Eva Cassidy’s recording of People Get Ready.
This week’s takeaway: This statement done in concert with Pope Francis and Pope Leo is a striking exhortation to the Christian call to love for the poor. It inspires and challenges us.