Towards the perfection of charity

02-23-2025Pastor's LetterVery Rev. Richard C. Wilson, VF, Pastor

Dear Friends in Christ,

Today, we hear our Lord inviting us to live the life of Christian charity as fully as He did (“Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” Lk 23:34). This has been the example of our brothers and sisters preceding us to the glory of Heaven, the Saints; for they lived a model of Christian charity with perfection, following what Jesus Christ had said: “So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt 5:48)

Charity urges us to love, in the first place, those who love us. It is not possible to abide by what we read in the Gospel if we do not sincerely love our brothers and sisters, those next to us. But, right away, Christ's new commandment calls us to reach the perfection of charity and encourages us to open our arms to all people, including those who do not belong among ourselves or who want to offend or hurt us. Jesus exhorts us to have a heart like His, like His Father's: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Lk 6:36), a heart that knows no borders, that welcomes everybody and invites us to forgive and pray for our enemies.

However, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms, “it is not possible to observe the Commandments of our Lord if we are trying to follow the Divine model only from the outside. It must be a vital participation that comes all the way from deep inside our heart, in sanctity, in mercifulness, and in the love of God.” St. John Henry Cardinal Newman wrote: “O Jesus! Help us to spread your fragrance everywhere we go. Flood our souls with your spirit and life. Penetrate and possess our whole being, so utterly, that our lives may only be a radiance of Yours (...). That every soul we come in contact with may feel Your presence in our soul. The light, O Jesus, will be all from You, none of it will be ours. It will be You shining on others through us.”

We will love, forgive, and embrace others only if our heart is magnified by our love for Christ.

All the best…in Christ,

Father Wilson