179.
This inseparable bond between our acceptance of
the message of salvation and genuine fraternal love appears in
several scriptural texts which we would do well to meditate upon, in
order to appreciate all their consequences.
The message is one which we often take for granted,
and can repeat almost mechanically, without necessarily ensuring that it
has a real effect on our lives and in our
communities.
How dangerous and harmful this is, for it
makes us lose our amazement, our excitement and our zeal for living the
Gospel of fraternity and justice!
God’s word teaches that our
brothers and sisters are the prolongation of the incarnation for each of
us: “As you did it to one of these, the least of my brethren,
you did it to me”. The way we treat others has a transcendent
dimension: “The measure you give will be the measure you get”.
It corresponds to the
mercy which God has shown us: “Be merciful, just as your Father
is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn,
and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give,
and it will be given to you… For the measure you give will be the
measure you get back”.
What these passages make clear is the absolute
priority of “going forth from ourselves towards our brothers and
sisters” as one of the two great commandments
which ground every moral norm and as the clearest sign for discerning
spiritual growth in response to God’s completely free gift.
For this reason, “the service of charity is
also a constituent element of the Church’s mission and an
indispensable expression of her very being”. By
her very nature the Church is missionary; she abounds in effective
charity and a compassion which understands, assists and promotes.
|
