Saturday, March 30, 2013

Easter

Dying He destroyed our death
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who
believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
John 3:16
 
 
Rising He restored our life
I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
John 11:25

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Passover

In the Hebrew Scriptures the Jews celebrated a physical passing over, because they were under the shed blood of a physical lamb. In the Christian Scriptures we read, "For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us" (Corinthians 5:7). Today we can all celebrate a spiritual passing over because as believers, we’re under the shed blood of the Lamb of God.
 
While speaking to his disciples at their Passover feast, Jesus said, “…This cup is the New Covenant in My Blood which is shed for you” (Luke ?). In First Corinthians we read, “…For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death until He come” (1 Cor. 11:26). In Second Corinthians it says, "Now He which established us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us is God; who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts" (2 Corinthians 1:21-22).



Think of this seal as a fingerprint placed on our foreheads in the Blood of Christ at the time of our salvation. At the exact moment, the time that we actually surrender our lives to Christ, God dips His thumb into the shed blood of Jesus Christ and places His fingerprint on our forehead (spiritually) as a mark of security and genuineness. As Christians (a part of the Body of Christ), we must always remember that we have God’s seal (fingerprint) on our foreheads and that this seal is our security and preservation. We must also remember that we leave a mark (fingerprint) on the lives of everyone we come into contact with. Let that mark be the fingerprint of Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

Saturday, March 23, 2013

The Voice of God

Evangelicalism began in the 17th century, and the Evangelical Faith movement came to America during the 18th and 19th century, attracting members from the social upheaval of the 1960s and growing rapidly in the 1970s. The term evangelical has it roots in the Greek word for "gospel" or "good news"; from eu (good) and angelion (message). In this sense, to be evangelical means to be a believer of the Gospel, that is, the message of Christ. People were choosing between many different faiths and ways to believe, and the various church's were trying to offer a faith practice that encouraged people to develop a closer relationship with a loving God. An interesting research project was triggered by a comment from a woman who told a Stanford professor to "go have coffee with God". The professor was at first confused, and then amazed that this woman talked about God as her best friend, which led to the question "How does God become real to people". So for the next several years, the professor immersed herself in the activities of Evangelical Christians; joining a church, attending Sunday services, weekly prayer meetings, lectures, conferences, and retreats.
 
What she discovered was that Evangelicals seek a close, personal relationship with God. He is a God of unconditional love and kindness, and they believe that with some training they can recognize God's presence, even His voice, in their minds. When they pray, they are talking directly to God in their minds, not reciting Scripture or a suggested prayer. They invite congregants to "pretend" that God is present and make believe that he is talking back like their very best buddy. They don't think that God is imaginary, but they do believe that when congregants use their imaginations in prayer, they can experience God more intimately. What she concluded was that their beliefs and their experience may seem pretty startling to onlookers, but they are not crazy. What has developed over time are techniques that involve attending to an imaginative experience and treating that imaginary experience as significant, meaningful, and worthy; basically it's paying more attention to your inner thoughts.

Luckily all Catholics, including those with an Evangelical focus, don't have to pretend that God is present, and we would also agree that a close personal relationship with God is imperative. Other research has confirmed that people who report that they feel God's love directly feel less lonely and less stressed. During the professors study she asked a prayer group to listen to scripture readings, which were followed by questions about the passages that encouraged the participants to use their imagination to take part in what was happening in the Scripture readings. A separate Bible study group listened to lectures about scripture that weren't followed by questions. Her research found that after 30 days of listening to scripture for 30 minutes each day, the prayer group had more vivid imaginations and were more likely to say that they experienced God more as a person. Each of us should be reading scripture and practicing prayer to sharpen our mental imagery, so that like those from the research study we can say we experience God as our best friend.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

New Evangelization

We began tonight by defining what evangelization is: According to Wikipedia “Evangelization is that process in the Christian religion which seeks to spread the Gospel and the knowledge of the Gospel throughout the world. We also defined it as “the announcement of the Good News of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit with the goal of inviting all listeners to trust Him”. In a wider sense, it is used to describe ordinary pastoral work, while the phrase “new evangelization” designates pastoral outreach to those who no longer practice the Christian faith.

After this we talked about how we are doing evangelization in our Parishes. Before starting the ILM program I imagined evangelization to be a more direct effort, like the door to door canvasing of the Mormon’s or Jehovah Witness’. But today I can accept the idea that it can be less direct, like the Spirituality Tuesday lecture series or the TaizĂ© services I assist my wife with.

In fact, during one of our recent TaizĂ© services we invited some homeless guys in for the service. I was a bit surprised that they didn’t sit together, but while one of them left (noisily) about midway through another one of them sat in a front pew and was so moved by the service that he cried during most it. There are also the RCIA and CCD programs that are designed to reach people’s spiritual needs, and the opportunity provided by baptisms. During a baptism there are often family and friends that are not practicing their faith and this is an opportunity for them to experience the sacraments.

One of the people in my group felt that small group discussions was the best way to evangelize, and of course there is liturgy, welcoming, hospitality, etc. Our instructor told us a story about a talk she was supposed to give. As she began to talk, a homeless guy ran into the church and jumped up on the alter reaching up to the Cross and the body of Jesus. Our instructor thought, “oh my goodness” and tried to talk him into coming down. Then she listened to what he was saying which was,  “Please let me touch Jesus and he will touch my heart”.

From this she learned that we need to try to understand each other, even though there are many languages, many cultures, and many traditions. Not everyone can communicate with a second language but everyone can communicate with their heart. To teach and educate people in another culture we must listen to the other person. In the new evangelization we need to renovate the people who have already heard the Good news of Jesus but are no longer practicing. Sometimes it’s hard for different communities to engage each other because we are all in our own place worshiping God.

Bringing new people to the parish is more work and more budget, but sometimes we stress preparation before God, rather than trusting in God more than preparation. Conversion must be centered on a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. We can’t just talk about Jesus; we must provide an intimate connection to Jesus. The evangelization of different cultures requires an encounter with the gospel as a key to understanding each other. Take advantage of the moment when people ask you _______ (anything) to share your understanding of what you believe.

We may not be able to speak another language but our heart can speak all languages. For immigrants from Mexico evangelization means understanding the catholic church in America. They see the church in the US as very structured, and because of immigration fears it’s difficult for them to trust, "sign here and take these offering envelopes with you". The new evangelization is helping them to understand that they don’t need to worry and that it’s OK to sing up as a member of the community.

The new evangelization is not just observing the other culture but being part of the other culture: We are (all) a gift for each other, to truly be with each other. For instance I find bilingual and trilingual services to be very prayerful, but some people are unhappy attending multilingual services, because they don’t find them prayerful. The fact is the US is the 5th most multicultural country in the world, following countries like Canada and Australia, so we need to make an effort to be inclusive of everyone.

Liberation as a part of the new evangelization is the transformation of social and political understanding in light of gospel values, sharing our lives openly rather than holding on to our confidentiality. It’s very important if we are to understand the social and economic life of the people, especially the youth and young adults. The new evangelization is most effective when you touch the hearts of the people in their own experiences. Jesus will do the rest.

After the break our instructor showed us a video in Spanish with Italian sub-titles, and then asked us “How do you feel seeing the video and not understanding what was said?” Actually many of the students in my class speak Spanish and one even speaks Italian, but I have to admit it was a bit frustrating for me. The new evangelization is simply bringing God to others by talking about something that touches our heart.

It sounds harder than then it actually is. If you listen and observe carefully you can see Jesus telling you when you are doing the right thing and when you’re not. It’s about opening our hearts and seeing with our feelings about how we are doing our ministries. We are not only a bridge but the door to Jesus' heart.

What are the challenges of the new evangelization? Working in collaboration with other cultures is very hard, because we all have different ideas and desires. We have to figure out what is best for the people. Secularism in society is a challenge for all cultures. Individualism (me, them me, them after me comes me) is a strong sense of freedom to choose one’s own life style and profession. Falling asleep and materialism are two others, and understanding the theology of intercultural ministries can be a challenge. When a church includes many cultures it can be difficult to know what each culture understands about God.

How we understand the cultural challenges and how we understand the cultures theology will influence how we do evangelization. The good news is that we are catholic, as in universal father than in belief, and having other cultures in the Parish is not a problem; it is a gift. I must understand the church as communion, as mission, and as catholic because I am catholic and when I understand what this means I will be a true disciple of Christ, ready to bring others to the kingdom of God.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

The Cleaning Lady

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50's I would guess, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before exiting the classroom I heard another student ask if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. “Absolutely” said the professor, "In your careers you will meet many people, and all of them are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello." I've never forgotten that lesson, and I also learned her name was Margret.
 
God has given each of us unique talents and gifts to use in His service. His work for us on earth is to use our gifts and talents in the service of others! Each of us has something to offer to someone in need. We can give our money and our time to charity, be a friend to someone who is sick or lonely, do volunteer work, or be a peacemaker. We may give unselfishly of our time to our spouse, children or parents. We may choose a service-oriented occupation, or we may just do our everyday jobs with integrity and respect for others. It would seem that the more we give to others, the poorer we become, but just the opposite is true! Service to others brings meaning and fulfillment to our lives in a way that wealth, power, possessions and self-centered pursuits can never match.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Ethics in Ministry

Our instructor began tonight’s class by having us introduce ourselves, stating our Parish, our ministry, and whether we worked somewhere with a code of ethics. My Parish is St. Thomas Aquinas, I’m involved in three ministries right now, and I work at a bank in Silicon Valley, so we are familiar with Codes of Ethics. In fact, as an employee I have to pass a quarterly test called Ethics in Banking, and I’m not involved with the financial stuff at all.
 
He pointed out that there are codes of ethics all over the place, in all kinds of professional environments, but they have been slow in coming to the church. He teaches Ethics at Santa Clara University, and his course was created in response to the sexual abuse crisis which he considers to be a profound professional failure. His goal is to contribute to the professional ethics standards of the local Dioceses and Parishes.
 
Essentially, the question he is addressing is what are the primary virtues that ought to govern our ministry work? As usual, handouts were made available to us via the student web site which we downloaded and read prior to class. In Church Leadership, Ethics and the Future James Keenan argues that “a priest is singularly responsible to the bishop’s expectations and judgments ... and there do not seem to be any specific normative standards to guide the bishop in his assessment of his diocesan personnel”. The point he’s trying to make in this article is that whereas vertical accountability is emphasized, horizontal accountability is not emphasized.
 
There was as short discussion that made me wonder if our claim to being ethical assists us or works against us. We are supposed to be governed by a sense of Christian Love, and some in my class seemed to feel that it was obscuring our resistance of accountability to each other. I found that disturbing. Both Law and ethics are found in the application of behavior. My class seemed focused on negative examples regarding ethics in the church and I wondered (aloud) if we could identify any positive examples regarding ethics in the church.
 
Usually, a code of ethics is only necessary if there is some problem that needs to be addressed? Another common element is that little democratic input is found in creating a code of ethics. They are normally just presented to you and require complete agreement in order to keep your job. Everyone is subject to the agreement; the written code of ethics in our Diosces should apply equally to religious staff and lay staff.
 
Each case where things have gone so terribly wrong is an individual case, complex and heartbreaking, but there needs to be a more open environment. For one thing, transparency will be required to rebuild trust in the church. In my work for example, our personal performance is evaluated by others as well as by ourselves. James Keenan says that parishioners must make sure that people are held accountable; but we must remember that while in the professional world failure results in loss (firing) and in the religious world failure should result in loss (trust) with relief (forgiveness).
 
We also discussed a group known as the National Roundtable on Church Management, and I’ll admit I’m not sure what to think about this group. If what they are advocating is a corporate model for accounting in the Parish, arguing for standards and transparency, then I think it’s a good idea. The question is whether corporate business practices are the answer that we should be looking, of if it’s just part of the answer.
 
We all agreed that it’s a step forward in running a parish, but it’s not the answer to accountability. I suggested that it may be the answer to professional accountability but it probably shouldn’t be applied to ministerial activities. In other words the corporate model may be applicable to the functioning of the parish but it would not be applicable to the ministry of the church. After all, we’re all Priest, Prophet, and King and although these must be held together they cannot be compressed into one function.
 
An article in the Economist from last week, which was also found in the New York Times, argued that the "Vatican ought to be broken up and run like an international corporation". The trap of course is that bringing in corporate practices may also introduce corporate motivations. I would not support anything like this, but how might best practices be applied to influence the management of the church, and how would you measure results? After all we’re supposed to be "In the world but not of the world".
 
The Roundtable group insists that they are not talking about turning the church into Google. They are arguing the advantages of taking best practices and applying them to leadership roles, "seeking God in all things", by  making discerning choices about the things that would apply and those that would not apply.
 
After the break we moved on to a more general topic, thinking about our own sense of ethics. Each of us is responding to a call, a basic fundamental attitude about life, as a free response to God's call in community to commit ourselves in Love to serve others. But how do we accomplish this? Character at its core is a sense of who we are. It is the sum of our intentions, attitudes, motives, and actions that give our lives a fundamental direction.
 
Our call and our character carries with it various virtues, like behavior towards others. We discussed holiness (how we behave), the practice of discipline, love, humility (lowly but chosen) trustworthiness, altruism (habit of mercy), prudence, reliability (an inner and outer consistency through all parts of our practice). We also added witnessing (the inescapable reality of public action), integrity (acting as a whole in ministry), and compassion (understanding the needs and challenges faced by others).
 
We should all be striving for the kind of love that draws good out of evil, and attention to detail is how we can make a situation better for others. Our professional obligation is theological competence in sharing the ministry of salvation. To serve salvation in word and deed, in what we know, in what we say, and in how we act is to cooperate with our own salvation and the salvation of others.
 
Evangelization is more successful if we’re working towards the others best interest. Putting others first in all things also means being attentive to self-care. Feeding the soul and the body, and not volunteering for absolutely everything that needs to be done. Using power wisely to proclaim the word, giving others credit when possible, and occasionally giving way to others who might want to lead. Striving for ethics in ministry by understanding our call, maintaining our character, and practicing virtues will bring us closer to the role of Priest, Prophet, and King.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Golf Lessons

Last summer my wife and I visited a friend and his wife on the island of Kauai, at the North end of the Hawaiian Islands. His wife has recently taken up golf and was obviously enjoying it a lot, because she talked about it constantly! Not just because of the weather and the beautiful scenery either. She just loved playing golf, even though as she admitted, she wasn't very good at it. She was excited when she hit the ball well, because it went down the fairway like it was supposed to. She was also excited when she didn't hit the ball well, because it meant she could hit it again. When the ball fell into a sand trap, she was excited because it was a chance to practice getting it out. As you might imagine, she especially liked the colored golf balls.
 
I'll admit that I don't like golf, but in a way I think life is a bit like golf: We have to identify short and long term goals, review the various challenges, and then take appropriate action. I also think that like my friends wife, we can't let our abilities get in the way of trying to do our best. I love the fact that she doesn't keep score when she plays golf, and I think most of us would agree that life is not about keeping score. Marsha Sinetar said, "Life’s up and downs provide windows of opportunity to determine your values and goals. Think of using all obstacles as stepping stones to build the life you want". All of life's obstacles have their own lessons to teach, the trick is to identify the challenge to be dealt with.
 
Like a video game, only with the right action can you pass on to the next level. For instance, you don’t want to push-on when you’re not really pursuing your own dream, and you don’t want to redefine your dream until you have the right skill set. If you take the wrong action, you may not necessarily be moving away from your dreams but most of the time life will just keep putting obstacles in your path. So when life decides to pull a trick on you and place an obstacle on your path, be grateful! It’s an opportunity to learn something about yourself, and it gives you an opportunity to identify the challenge and consciously choose how you are going to deal with that obstacle. Remember that life is not the opponent. God wants you to live your dream, and will help you to do just that. It’s good to know that although Life’s favorite trick is to challenge us, we can learn from the experience and know that God is with us.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Gospel of John - Class 8

Our assignment for this class was to contrast the passion narratives found in the Gospel of John ch:18-19 with the Gospel of Mathew ch:26-27. Prior to today’s class our instructor wanted us to write down three differences to discuss in class.
 
In the account of the anointing of Jesus in Bethany Matthew names the host but the woman is unnamed, John named the woman but not the host. Matthew doesn’t use the names of those involved when the servant losses an ear during Jesus’ arrest, but John names Peter as the one with the sword. Remember that John isn’t too concerned about the primacy of Peter or the other apostles.
 
In Matthew Jesus has help carrying the cross and in John Jesus carries the cross alone. Although in Matthew Judas is condemned, Jesus says “Let my disciples go” making good His promise to have not lost one of those given to him. In John there is no final judgment of Judas also signifying that He has “not lost one of those you gave me”. Matthew’s Judas is repentant and John makes no mention of money as part of the story line.
 
In Matthew’s account of the betrayal Judas is in charge (kiss and coins), and in John’s account Jesus is in charge (Who are you looking for and I AM). The crucifixion in Matthew is a humiliation and degradation, which is what it was supposed to be under roman rule, in John the crucifixion is a lifting up or glorification of Jesus. At the end of Matthews account Jesus cries out “My God, My God”, and in John he quietly says “It is finished”.  We don’t find the in inauguration of a new community at the base of the cross in Matthew, and in John we see those gathered at the base of the cross as the foundation of the New Israel.
 
During our class discussion she emphasized the difficulty in trying to conflate them into one story. She also wanted us to understand that the Church is made up of saints and sinners. It’s not two separate groups of people; we are both, and she thought maybe this is what Jesus is trying to show. Jesus the Christ, who was and is the Son of God, is the primary message of the Gospel of John.
 
In John chapters 18 and 19 the Passion Narrative brings to a climax the themes found throughout the Gospel: A lifting up or gathering up of Jesus and the destruction of the old physical temple and the raising up of the new Temple in Jesus. Jesus is bound when the Jewish guards take him to Annas, and is then bound again when the guards take him to Caiaphas. This may allude to the story of Abraham and Isaac who was bound. He also carried the bundle of wood to his own sacrifice. It’s interesting to note that the place of Abraham’s sacrifice is the place later called Golgotha, the place of the new Temple, God’s beloved Son.
 
Passover was a very important event of course. God rose up Moses to deliver the people, and He brought the ten plagues to convince Pharaoh to let His people go. God also instructed every family to sacrifice a lamb and place its blood on the lintel so that the Angle of Death would pass over their house. The idea that this was a quick meal with no time for bread to rise continued into the days of Jesus. The Passover celebration brought thousands of people to Jerusalem, to sacrifice and eat the meal which included unleavened bread.
 
In the first three Gospels the Disciples ask where they are to prepare the meal, and that evening they celebrate the meal. Jesus’ death is the day after the Passover meal. In John’s Gospel Jesus’ death occurs on the day prior to the Passover meal, on the afternoon of the day of preparation. John changes the time for theological reasons to identify Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, giving life to all who believe in Him. Jesus’ death represents the salvation of Israel, just like the Passover Lamb protected them from death at the original pass over.
 
In John the soldiers use a hyssop branch to offer Jesus water with the sponge, which was also used to spread the blood on the lintel. The Hyssop branch was a sign of salvation and freedom for the Israel households.
 
For John the freedom from sin and slavery of the world denotes a condition rather than an individual act or infraction of the law. Adam and Eve’s refusal to believe that God was ultimate love and refusal to believe that everything comes from God, was related to their fear of not being in control of their lives. The fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden was original not because it comes first but because wanting to be god like is the source of all sin, and is therefore a condition that affects the whole human race. For John the task of the Disciples was how to deal with the expression of individuals regarding this original human sin.
 
John also saw Jesus’ death as a free laying down of life for those whom Jesus loves: It was a release or liberation from the slavery of sin. The reason for Jesus' death was not the result of hate but was an ultimate act of Love. God’s Love achieved what Israel’s Law was unable to achieve, and their sacrificial acts were no longer necessary. Those who can believe and really understand it can have Eternal Life. What is required of us is to do what Jesus did for us, extend the love of Jesus to all, up to and including laying down our lives.
 
There was plenty of religious and political chaos present during the Passover event. Usually, when violence increases chaos increases and when the people decide that their violent behavior must stop they search for a common enemy. A scapegoat is blamed for their condition and turned into the common enemy, and Jesus was identified as their common enemy and blamed for causing the social unrest.
 
The people were looking for a scapegoat and it was obvious who the scapegoat should be; who needed a trial. Jesus was from Nazareth, He was a Galilean, despised by the religious authorities because His teachings challenged the Law, and they were threated by His teaching about the temple and His claim to be a king.
 
Once the scapegoat is gone the mission is accomplished and people begin to feel a little more peaceful. They justify their action by saying, “It is better for one person should die than the whole nation should parish.” Jesus was oppressed and afflicted, like a lamb taken to the slaughter. He was a scapegoat whose death was freely given: God let his plan come through despite the chaos that was present. The risen Jesus came to forgive and the peace that he brings is intended to commission us to forgive those who are against us. “Peace be with you. My peace I bring you.”

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Seven Times Seventy

I don't think many of us really understand forgiveness. Just as Jesus loves all His people and is willing to forgive their sins, we must be willing to forgive others who have done wrong to us. Anger can consume us with hatred and block out the love of God. Whether between parent and child, spouses, friends, or nations, expressions of anger divide us and drive us toward open hostility. More often than not, our angry feelings are based on a misinterpretation of what someone said or did. A grudge clouds our judgment and may lead us to an act of revenge that can never be undone. The phrase seventy times seven is synonymous with God's eternal forgiveness. "Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven" (Matthew 18:21-22).
 
Jesus isn't telling us to forgive our brothers more than seven times, or more than seventy times, or up to 490 times. He's telling us we should always forgive our brothers when they have sinned against us. God in heaven has forgiven all of humanity's sins; how wrong it would be for us to deny our brothers and sisters a similar forgiveness for much lesser matters. The book of Matthew goes on to recount one of Jesus' parables about how the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. After the master took pity on a servant and canceled his debt and let him go, the servant failed to do likewise. "You wicked servant," the master said, "I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?" The Heavenly Father will turn us over to the jailers to be tortured (eternal hell) unless we forgive our brother from our heart.
 
“Let me say this, then, speaking for the Lord: Live no longer as the unsaved do, for they are blinded and confused. Their closed hearts are full of darkness: they are far away from the life of God because they have shut their minds against him, and they cannot understand his ways. They don’t care anymore about right and wrong and have given themselves over to impure ways. They stop at nothing, being driven by their evil minds and reckless lusts. But that isn’t the way Christ taught you. If you have really heard his voice and learned from him the truths concerning himself, then throw off your old evil nature; the old you that was a partner in your evil ways, rotten through and through full of lust and shame".
 
"Now your attitudes and thoughts must all be constantly changing for the better. Yes, you must be a new and different person, holy and good. Clothe yourself with this new nature. Stop lying to each other; tell the truth, for we are hurting ourselves. If you are angry, don’t sin by nursing your grudge. Don’t let the sun go down with you still angry, get over it quickly; for when you are angry you give a mighty foothold to the devil. If anyone is stealing, he must stop it and begin using those hands of his for honest work so he can give to others in need. Don’t use bad language. Say only what is good and helpful to those you are talking to, and what will give them a blessing. Don’t cause the Holy Spirit sorrow by the way you live. Remember, he is the one who marks you to be present on that day when salvation from sin will be complete".
 
The need to forgive is not some ideal that we cannot hope to attain. Forgiveness is necessary to free us from the dark cloud of anger and resentment that can literally destroy our own lives. We cannot afford to wait for the other person to repent and apologize. Unless we let go of our anger and the desire to punish or get even, the Love of God cannot enter our lives. We are not meant to live hard-hearted or self-centered lives. We are called to put our faith into practice and truly love our neighbors, especially those less fortunate. Before we were Christians, it was natural for us to hold grudges and be unforgiving, because that was our very nature. As believers we have been set free from our unforgiving past and it no longer has to lead us. Jesus calls us to remember that we are all God's children, so stop being mean, bad-tempered and angry, quarreling with harsh words, and the dislike of others. Instead, "be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God has forgiven you because you belong to Christ” (Ephesians 4:17-32).