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Living out of our true image and likeness

Mark Dohle

Well-Known Member
reachingouttoothers.jpg

Living out of our true image and likeness

“Go out to others and share the good news that God, our Father,
walks at our side. He frees us from anonymity, from a life of
emptiness and selfishness, and brings us to the school
of encounter. He removes us from the fray of competition
and self-absorption, and he opens before us the path of peace.
That peace which is born of accepting others, that peace
which fills our hearts whenever we look upon those in need
as our brothers and sisters.”--Pope Francis

One day a woman asked me why she was always so happy when she helped someone, anyone, even in small matters. So we talked about being made in the image and likeness of God. If God is truly love that means that he is an infinite fountain of giving. When we minister to others out of love we become part of that loving stream, we are living out of our deepest selves; hence we become happier. That is true even when our reaching out to others encountering them in their everyday life can be frustrating and very arduous. We are often happy and don’t know it, until what we take for granted is lost.

Self-seeking if it is extreme leads to grasping and isolation from others. The fruit of this is manipulation, the reducing of others and all of reality into a project of some sort for ones benefit; which in fact never works for long. It is a foretaste of hell, a place of complete separation from others and God that is embraced out of freedom.

To love and help others is like a flower opening up to the Sun, for it is grace that invites us to be aware of the needs of those around us and to help as much as we are able. If we cannot help in a material way, we can help by listening and supporting anyway we can.

Many downplay prayer. Yet in prayer we truly open ourselves to grace and draw close in union with God. In prayer we embrace all as we are slowly healed from self-absorption that leads to separation from others. We learn over time that our being the center is nothing but a powerful illusion. There is only one center. That center is the true north for all men and woman which is the will of God… wherein we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves and to love God with our whole being. In that we find our true selves, which is much greater than the self-absorbed, fearful and anxious driven soul seeking to be its own axis and god.—Br.MD
 

whirlingmerc

Well-Known Member

Living out of our true image and likeness

“Go out to others and share the good news that God, our Father,
walks at our side. He frees us from anonymity, from a life of
emptiness and selfishness, and brings us to the school
of encounter. He removes us from the fray of competition
and self-absorption, and he opens before us the path of peace.
That peace which is born of accepting others, that peace
which fills our hearts whenever we look upon those in need
as our brothers and sisters.”--Pope Francis

One day a woman asked me why she was always so happy when she helped someone, anyone, even in small matters. So we talked about being made in the image and likeness of God. If God is truly love that means that he is an infinite fountain of giving. When we minister to others out of love we become part of that loving stream, we are living out of our deepest selves; hence we become happier. That is true even when our reaching out to others encountering them in their everyday life can be frustrating and very arduous. We are often happy and don’t know it, until what we take for granted is lost.

Self-seeking if it is extreme leads to grasping and isolation from others. The fruit of this is manipulation, the reducing of others and all of reality into a project of some sort for ones benefit; which in fact never works for long. It is a foretaste of hell, a place of complete separation from others and God that is embraced out of freedom.

To love and help others is like a flower opening up to the Sun, for it is grace that invites us to be aware of the needs of those around us and to help as much as we are able. If we cannot help in a material way, we can help by listening and supporting anyway we can.

Many downplay prayer. Yet in prayer we truly open ourselves to grace and draw close in union with God. In prayer we embrace all as we are slowly healed from self-absorption that leads to separation from others. We learn over time that our being the center is nothing but a powerful illusion. There is only one center. That center is the true north for all men and woman which is the will of God… wherein we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves and to love God with our whole being. In that we find our true selves, which is much greater than the self-absorbed, fearful and anxious driven soul seeking to be its own axis and god.—Br.MD


I think by grace we are made more and more in the image of God.
We are made in the image of God in Adam, but the image was tarnished and needs to be repainted by the original artist anew.
 

pearl

Well-Known Member
To love and help others is like a flower opening up to the Sun, for it is grace that invites us to be aware of the needs of those around us and to help as much as we are able. If we cannot help in a material way, we can help by listening and supporting anyway we can.


From a dialogue with Pope Francis and those on pilgrimage to shrine of San Cayetano;

Sometimes I ask someone; Do you give alms?

And they say "Yes Father."

And when you give alms, do you look at the eyes of the people you give to?

Well, I don't know, I don't really notice.

And so (I say) you did not encounter him. You threw a coin and you went on your way. When you give alms, do you touch his hand, or do you just throw a coin?

No, I throw a coin.

And so you did not touch him, and if you did not touch him, you did not have an encounter with him. What Jesus teaches us is first to encounter one another, and in the encounter, to help. We need to know how to encounter one another. We need to build, to create, to construct a culture of the encounter. So many non-encounters and disagreements among us, so many troubles in the family, always, troubles in the barrio, troubles at work. troubles on all sides. And the failed encounters do not help. (Let us speak of) the culture of the encounter. Let us go out to encounter one another. And the motto says, let us go out to encounter those most in need, that is to say, with those who need more than I do. With those who are passing through a bad time, worse than I am. There is always someone who is going through a worse time the I am. Right? Always! Always there is someone.

And so, (you say to yourself), I think, well I am passing through a bad time, and so I go out to encounter San Cayetano, and to encounter Jesus, and afterwards I go out to encounter others, because there is always someone who is passing through a worse time than I am. It is those whom we ought to go out to encounter.

Jesus love you very much! I only ask you one thing; That you encounter one another! That you go and look, and encounter the one who needs me! But not alone. With Jesus. Am I going to convince another to become Catholic (you ask)? NO, no, no! You go to encounter the other person, he is your brother! That is enough! And you will help him, Jesus does the rest, the Holy Spirit does it.
 

Mark Dohle

Well-Known Member
From a dialogue with Pope Francis and those on pilgrimage to shrine of San Cayetano;

Sometimes I ask someone; Do you give alms?

And they say "Yes Father."

And when you give alms, do you look at the eyes of the people you give to?

Well, I don't know, I don't really notice.

And so (I say) you did not encounter him. You threw a coin and you went on your way. When you give alms, do you touch his hand, or do you just throw a coin?

No, I throw a coin.

And so you did not touch him, and if you did not touch him, you did not have an encounter with him. What Jesus teaches us is first to encounter one another, and in the encounter, to help. We need to know how to encounter one another. We need to build, to create, to construct a culture of the encounter. So many non-encounters and disagreements among us, so many troubles in the family, always, troubles in the barrio, troubles at work. troubles on all sides. And the failed encounters do not help. (Let us speak of) the culture of the encounter. Let us go out to encounter one another. And the motto says, let us go out to encounter those most in need, that is to say, with those who need more than I do. With those who are passing through a bad time, worse than I am. There is always someone who is going through a worse time the I am. Right? Always! Always there is someone.

And so, (you say to yourself), I think, well I am passing through a bad time, and so I go out to encounter San Cayetano, and to encounter Jesus, and afterwards I go out to encounter others, because there is always someone who is passing through a worse time than I am. It is those whom we ought to go out to encounter.

Jesus love you very much! I only ask you one thing; That you encounter one another! That you go and look, and encounter the one who needs me! But not alone. With Jesus. Am I going to convince another to become Catholic (you ask)? NO, no, no! You go to encounter the other person, he is your brother! That is enough! And you will help him, Jesus does the rest, the Holy Spirit does it.
Thanks for sharing, beautiful, and true.

Peace
Mark
 
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