Sep 3 Tue
Why should I live fraternity?
We are all good shepherds to one another. God wants to use our help to sanctify others; He requests our cooperation. This is the best expression of fraternal affection. If the mere fact of coming from the same town is sufficient for many people to be friends, what level of love must there not be among us, who share the same House, the same Table, the same life, the same Head; the same Pastor and King and Judge and Creator and Father?
Nobody should feel alone: we are united by our common destiny to holiness. St. Josemaría: "The constant concern my children should have for one another is a blessed consequence of our unity: nothing, no matter how small it seems, can ever be indifferent to us if it affects any of us in any way. None of you is alone, none of you is an isolated verse; we are verses of the same poem, a divine epic."
Let us examine ourselves courageously, in the presence of God, to see how we can make a better contribution to the sanctification of others.
First of all, we have to be sensitive to the needs of others and be aware of what is on their minds: their concerns, their problems, or their sorrows. If we are too self-centered or engrossed in ourselves and not attentive to those around us, we won't notice when something is bothering them, and as a result, we won't be there to help them when they need us.
"Let's be friends with our co-workers, with everyone around us, even if they are separated from God. We should be even better friends with such people because they need us more. The ones who need us most are the lukewarm Catholics who are not living up to the faith they profess. Let's reach out to them with all our charity and understanding, offering them genuine and sincere friendship that is both natural and supernatural."
No matter the challenges, we should never stop striving to help souls. With great love and careful consideration for people's freedom, we should never let human respect or cowardice prevent us from doing everything we can to obtain God's grace for their conversion.
Fraternal correction contributes strongly to the sanctification of others. But we should be extremely tactful, realizing that we are not above falling into the same fault ourselves if God were to allow us to do so: "Not seeking, says St Augustine, something to reprimand, but what has to be corrected." And likewise, whenever we are corrected, it is a consequence of fraternal affection.
This could be a good time to renew our hearts and to ask God to increase our fraternal affection, and our readiness to show that affection. Our Mother Mary was faithful all her life long, and so we call her Virgin most faithful. Let us make the resolution now to say the Memorare prayer, devoutly many times a day for the person who needs it most.
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