Brothers and Sisters in Christ

Having been baptized into Christ, each of us has been adopted into the household of God. By means of our common baptism, we are brothers or sisters one to another. The bond of love is the underpinning of our Christian life. The more we are conformed to Christ, the more we shall see each other as gifts. This is confirmed by the apostle to the Gentiles in his second letter to the church of Corinth. “We all, with unveiled faces, see the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, for this comes from the Lord Who is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18). Recognizing how gifted we are, we can say with Saint Paul: “We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you” (Col. 1:3). The reason for our gratitude is that we are enriched by our brothers and sisters, as we read in the Constitutions of the Order: “The community forms a single body in Christ. Each brother is to contribute to the up building of fraternal relations especially by sharing with others the spiritual gifts he has received by God's manifold grace” (CST. 14.1).

Family of Jesus

We come to know God more completely as we relate to one another more authentically in love. Saint Paul wants those who read his letter to know that they are the cause of His joy and gratitude. Surrounded by such a cloud of witnesses, such a community of brothers and sisters, he comes to know God as the Father, not only of Christ but also of the entire Body of Christ, the Church. In Christ, God the Father becomes the object of praise and thanksgiving because it is He Who blesses us with every spiritual blessing and boundless mercy. His name alone is our refuge and strength.

In the Gospel, Saint Luke mentions how, at daybreak, Jesus interrupted his ministry to seek out a place of solitude. There, at the beginning of a new day, the Son is embraced by the Father and reaffirms His desire to fulfill all that the Father wills of Him. It is our duty to seek the Lord where He can be found, in the solitude of our hearts. Because He is the giver of all good gifts, we intercede with Him on behalf of those who are afflicted in body, mind or soul. With the eyes of faith, we come to realize that a desert solitude is no threat to us since it is there that we meet the Lord, face-to-face. May we continue to be with Him until that day when He returns in glory to bring us all into everlasting life.

--Father Jerome Machar, OSCO