Accept One Another … As Christ Accepted You

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God (Romans 15:5-7).

In the Acts of the Apostles, Luke tells us that the Christian community must pray in one accord. Christians are part of the body of Christ, and each member has a different function. It is important to understand that we should never isolate ourselves from the community of believers. How can we aid others, or receive help in our time of need, if we distance ourselves from the Church?

Pray for a world grounded in Truth, and never be afraid to defend what we believe as members of the body of Christ. If you ask, wisdom will make a home in your discerning heart.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world” (Matthew 25:31-34).

Through Christ and the example of saintly people, we have inherited gifts of grace. The apparitions of St. Faustina Kowalska inspired the Catholic devotion of Divine Mercy, which is celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. We need to pray for God’s mercy on the world, and the Divine Mercy Chaplet is a great treasure.

Jesus knows our pain. His death destroyed sin, and his love created the stairway that enables all Christians to climb to heaven. We should contemplate the wounds of Christ every day as a reminder that suffering is redemptive. Politicians pass laws for abortion and assisted suicide to prevent human suffering, but the real action of mercy is the Paschal Mystery of Christ.

It is challenging to be of one accord in our conflicted world. Family is our first community, and more than any other human reality it determines the health of society. The home is where individuals develop the gifts to fulfill God’s plan in their life. The family as a social institution should never be replaced. It is the sanctuary of life and the guardian of human dignity. We teach our children all about life, but our children teach us what life is all about. Our daughter was explaining the Communal Penance Service to her five-year-old, and he replied, “I know, our sins leave a mark on our heart, and Jesus died on the cross so our hearts could be clean again.” The Easter Season continues for 50 days until Pentecost, when the Christian community prays for the gifts of the Holy Spirit. And like the attitude of a child, please accept one another just as Christ has accepted you, in order to bring praise to God! Amen!