Christ!
- Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.
Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor.
Exultemus, et in ipso iucundemur.
Timeamus, et amemus Deum vivum.
Et ex corde diligamus nos sincero.
Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.
Simul ergo cum in unum congregamur:
Ne nos mente dividamur, caveamus.
Cessent iurgia maligna, cessent lites.
Et in medio nostri sit Christus Deus.
Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.
Simul quoque cum beatis videamus,
Glorianter vultum tuum, Christe Deus:
Gaudium quod est immensum, atque probum,
Saecula per infinita saeculorum. Amen.
"Where Charity and Love are, God is there."
How often do we look at others, see what we want to see, hear what we want to hear, and condemn? Today?
Yesterday? Last week? Always? Mindful of what Christ teaches, and what the Scriptures tell us, this is not the way to lead a Christian life. We are warned to "judge not" however we judge often, condemn often, and by so doing, we sentence our fellow man to a life of ostracism, social inferiority, class discrimination, and worse.
"Christ's love has gathered us into one. Let us rejoice and be pleased in Him."
One? Just look about you. What do you see? Catholic, Protestant, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, and more. All seeking the Word in their own way, true to their own hearts, silent in their meditative lives, listening for the Word in their Silence, and in the working of the Holy Spirit spreading that Word to their neighbors. Or do you see divisiveness, petty squabbling , rumor mongering, and hate? Do you look at a Baptist church and pity what goes on in that place? Do you feel better about yourself saying "thank God I am not like one of them?", forgetting the story Jesus told us of the Penitent in the Temple?
All too often this is what goes on. Catholic says "I don't hate the Jews" but won't do business with a Jew. Protestant or Jew says "I don't hate Blacks" but won't move into a "Black Neighborhood" preferring to view that as either dangerous or somehow "beneath their station." After all, "we know" they are not quite as good as us, don't we? Now we know that this is not "what Jesus would do" but somehow that simple Example just doesn't seem to be in the forefront when we "just know better." Or do we?
"Let us fear and let us love the living God. And may we love each other with a sincere heart."
Nobody ever said that being a Catholic Christian was easy. If you are looking for easy, you are not looking to follow Jesus Christ. Jesus never told us the path was smooth, the burden light, or life was to be without pain. He said "come unto Me" to those who felt the burden heavy, or the moment painful, and "I will refresh you." He didn't say "I'll make it easy" or "you won't have any problems" along the way. The Promise which He gave us was that He would be with us along the way, and also that He would send us the Comforter. Having a mind open to Him and to the Holy Spirit is our responsibility, or "our end of the bargain," so to speak.
Jesus Christ does not hand us salvation. The Church does not give out Keys to the Kingdom. Christ and the Church are the means to salvation. And that salvation is equally dependent on how we comply with the Commandments that Christ mandated we follow:
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul and with thy whole mind. This is the first and great commandment.
- "And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
The first is easy. God is good. God is the Creator. Without God nothing that is would be. It is easy to love God. Fully. With heart, soul, and mind. After all, there's really no effort involved here.
And then there's that second Commandment. The "neighbor as thyself" matter. This is not so easy.
Humans, people like you and I, are not so easy to like. We are selfish; we are arrogant; we are thoughtless, cruel, and usually indifferent to anything that does not involve the moment and individual comfort or convenience.
Oh, there's that "every day should be like Christmas" thought that some like to say they have. You know. Christmas. That time of year when everyone goes around pretending to love everyone else. That is not sincere; that is puffery. It is being caught up in the emotion of the Holiday Season, the freshness of the seasonal weather, and the false fellowship of the Office Party and the Exchange of Gifts. Very little love there - since it is all about making ourselves feel good thinking that we are doing good for others. And in most cases we accomplish neither.
The true "spirit of Christmas" is exactly what Christ told us to do: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
If your neighbor is hungry, feed him. If your neighbor's house burns down, take him and his family in. If your neighbor is in need of financial assistance and you are able, give him some money. And do this until it hurts. Really hurts. Until the act of giving hurts you so badly that it starts feeling good - and it will. And therein you will find the true reward.
"That which you have done unto these, the least of my brethren, so have you done unto Me."
And when someone in need comes to you, or to us, for help, are we to turn him away because we do not like the color of his skin, or where he lives, or what he wears, or with whom he keeps his company? Did Jesus make that distinction when someone approached Him in faith for help and forgiveness?
Such is the true role of the Christian, the Catholic, and the Church. To welcome within our arms those who come to us "in travail and heavy laden", that we may give them refreshment, and share with them the Message of our Lord and Saviour. It is not our prerogative, or our right, to decide who to admit to our fellowship. The message of Redemption is to be spread to all people, throughout all time, and not just for us to hold close to our hearts as a private gift.
And so I say to you that within the provinces of Our jurisdiction, the churches shall be open to all who seek us. The message of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ shall be shared with anyone who comes to us to hear of it. The blessings and ministries of the Church shall be open to all who seek them. And the Sacraments, each in their proper order and circumstance, shall not be denied to anyone because of how we think we perceive "what they are."
The Church is a hospital for sinners; not a hotel for saints. And so shall it be our vigilant and never-ending responsibility and obligation so to minister to those in our charge.
It is always our duty to love the sinner, even though we should never encourage the sin. For we all are sinners. From the most exalted to the most humble. Sinners, all.
But the business of Sin is between the individual and Almighty God. It is not for us to judge, otherwise we ourselves will end up being Judged. It is not for us to condemn, for if we would do so, we will be likewise damned. It is not for us to be chastised, for who among us is so without guilt that we can criticize the supposed guilt of others?
The business of salvation is between God and his child, an individual and very much "one on one" event, borne out of the timeless workings of His Church to define that Path under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Church and the teachings of Christ lead us to Salvation. But it is to each individual that the Choice is given; and through the ultimate expression of Free Will, it is a Choice to be accepted or rejected within the workings of the grace of God.
For any of us to cast ourselves in the role of the Judge and Redeemer, to dare take upon ourselves the mantle of "authority" in an attempt to define the relationship of an individual to our Creator, is the ultimate manifestation of arrogance. Even within the context of proclaimed truth, handed to us through the ages, from Councils and the most ancient of Traditions, it has always been held that the act of Judgment is that of the Divine and not the human. For human we are; human we shall always be. And as such we can only seek toward the wisdom of the Godhead but never presume to possess it.
And so let us go forth in the spirit of Charity and Love. We are assured that we shall find God therein. And where we find Charity and Love, let us not criticize but encourage. Let us promote growth and not stagnation. Let us demand understanding, and tolerate no ignorance. And let us offer Love and not hate.To do anything less is to abandon the Mandate of Jesus Christ, to spread His Word to all peoples, and an ultimate failure to obey his directive to "Love one another as I have loved you." Go forth now and do that.
With the Blessing of Almighty God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, shall this letter be shared with
all the Faithful in all the Churches upon its reception, commencing this Fifteenth day of September in the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand and Eight.
+Leo Augustine I
Old Catholic Province of Our Lady of the Angels
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