From time to time someone who has ‘issues’ with the Catholic Church will tell me that they will pray for my salvation. I always welcome prayers no matter who says them for me. Any prayer that is true comes from a place of charity, and then I will leave it up to the good Lord.
I believe that all Christians are my brothers and sister, the fact that some don’t think that of me because I am Catholic does not bother me a bit. In Christ is our union, in his grace is our bond, in his mercy is our hope and salvation. All of our petty squabbles show that we as Christians have a ways to grow; of course I am one of them. The more I serve the Lord, the more I understand my need for his grace and mercy to heal my heart so that it can become more loving and understanding. Jesus calls me to die to self, it is a long fight, for I often wrestle with God and then like Jacob he wounds me deeper and the journey continues. Heal and wound over and over again, ever deeper in as his fire heals and transforms all that is within me…..in him is my hope.
All we can do is to seek to grow in love of others and to try to understand them. If not, well love them anyway. If Christians cannot love one another, why do we get upset when there is so much hate in the world? The Body of Christ is torn today and it is being wounded ever deeper by the in-fighting of Christians among themselves. Both Catholics and Non-Catholics do this. It is amazing how easily we condemn each other to an eternal hell of endless agony and can even some quote or another to back us up. Even though we were commanded not to judge, yet we do.
Br. Mark Dohle, OCSO
Holy Spirit Monastery
