You Are Beloved

Last updated on: September 20, 2013 at 7:25 pm by Kathryn Jean Lopez

You Are Beloved 2013-09-20T19:25:23-05:00 Kathryn Jean Lopez

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

During one Saturday Mass this summer, a priest shared how surprised we might be that at the expensive, renowned institution of higher education where he was chaplain, how many students had deep doubts about their own dignity and worth. This is why Pope Francis pleads with us to know that we are loved children of God, loved sinners, to whom he so passionately wants to grant eternal mercy and peace to.

Magnificat on Thursday, the same day that the pope’s interview first big interview was released, included a meditation from Catherine de Heuck Doherty which complements the Holy Father’s interview quite well. She is a mother who is not afraid to remind us, just like Pope Francis does, that Satan is real. But thanks be to God we have a Savior! From de Heuck Doherty, founder of Madonna House:

When you have an inferiority complex — and who of us hasn’t — you say things like, “I just don’t believe that what God made is good. Look at me, I’m a louse.” Don’t dare to challenge God like this. Everything he made is good, including yourself. Don’t listen to that serpent who is giving you apples that look red on the outside and are full of inferiority complexes on the inside. Don’t eat that apple, or else you are going to go down into a pit prepared by Satan for you for your whole life.

How can you have a wrong image of something or someone that God touched? God touched you and he created you. You passed through his mind and you were begotten. Anyone of us that passes through God’s mind, anyone of us that God touched, cannot be this horrible person we think we are. No! Each one of us is beautiful– we’re beautiful because he touched us.

Sometimes this is very difficult for us to accept. We look at ourselves and say, “He made us in his image, equal to himself in a manner of speaking, heir to his Son? This just can’t be. He hasn’t looked into my heart. He doesn’t know what I’m made of!” We say those silly things because our evaluation of ourselves is very poor.

We haven’t looked at ourselves with the merciful, tender, compassionate eyes of God. So we walk in despair half the time. As a result, the ability to realize that God is both in our midst and in us — a realization that is the fruit of faith — fades and disappears.

This is the main reason, it seems to me, why the Father sent his Son to us, why the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us as one of us. The Father, having given us the fantastic gift of faith, wanted to help us accept this awesome gift. He sent his Son Jesus Christ so that we, unbelieving, might believe. We are like children; we need to touch.

Pope Francis provides a refreshing opportunity to see the love of Christ and the urgency of the Christian call. We’re all meant to be that — visible, concrete manifestations of God’s love, mercy, and truth in the world today.

She concludes:

Every human being is a mystery. The mystery of man enters into the mystery of God, and bursting forth with great joy, comes faith and understanding. When faith is there, all is clear, and a love relation with God enters into your heart. When you have faith, it is such a simple thing to accept his love, even if you do not understand why he loves you.

That’s what Pope Francis is inviting the world into.

From the interview:

“I see clearly,” the pope continues, “that the thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness, proximity. I see the church as a field hospital after battle. It is useless to ask a seriously injured person if he has high cholesterol and about the level of his blood sugars! You have to heal his wounds. Then we can talk about everything else. Heal the wounds, heal the wounds…. And you have to start from the ground up.

We must remember, he said:

God is in every person’s life. God is in everyone’s life. Even if the life of a person has been a disaster, even if it is destroyed by vices, drugs or anything else—God is in this person’s life. You can, you must try to seek God in every human life. Although the life of a person is a land full of thorns and weeds, there is always a space in which the good seed can grow. You have to trust God.”

As the world seems to read the interview in political terms, consider the personal. We won’t get to Heaven without it — without humility and discernment, awareness of the presence of the love and mercy of God in our daily lives.

Uncategorized

Pope Francis

Previous Post

September 14, 2013

Why Would We Ever Long for the Cross?

Next Post

September 21, 2013 Desire Mercy

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category B16 Christian Persecution Christianity Today Culture Good Links/Must Read HHS Mandate Holy Land Must Reads Prayer Religious Liberty Uncategorized

Select a Month July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does Proverbs say about "a soft answer"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

It brings riches It brings rain It makes a fool wise It turns away wrath