Dear friends,
On this twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jeremiah’s story constitutes a call to trust and confidence in God. What does it mean for one to be a follower of Christ? First of all, we are reminded that the follower of Christ will have different view and understand of the world. This means that its purpose is the glory of God. In the face of this, the follower of Christ will experience opposition, denial and even persecution from the world. But perseverance and trust in God will allow and permit him/her to overcome every adversity.
Secondly, a follower of Christ has one thing to show: love. But what is love? Love is a way of life, it is our being, our identity as children of God. Finally, it can be experienced as an interior impulse that strengthens an individual to stand up against every act contrary to God’s will. Love becomes therefore, a power that challenges fear. Its foundation is faith; and faith gives us the courage to live our Christian virtues, knowing that nothing could knock us down since we are of Christ.
More than ever, this is what today’s world longs for: love. Not he one understood as hypocritical feeling that makes one say one thing while thinking or meaning its contrary. As we celebrate the love of God, remembering all Fathers, living and deceased on this Father’s Day, let us imitate the love of God our Father who did not spare His beloved Son for our salvation. Our love for God will be meaningful only in so far as we stand for what Jesus himself stood for: truth within us and in every step we take in our life.
Let us continue to pray for one another and for our parish family.
Fr. Emery