Relational Principles

“It is right that I should think this way about all of you, because I hold you in my heart, you who are all partners with me in grace...how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:7-8)

How do we make sense of love and why does it hurt so much? We encounter many people on the journey to heaven. Some may have a small part in our stories and remain just acquaintances. Some may play a significant role and carve a unique place in our hearts.

The amazing part about the Christian journey is that each heart reveals the love of God in a unique way. When our paths cross with a fellow Christian, a unique gift is given because we belong to God and we are made for others. Our path is uniquely crafted to lead us to heaven so each encounter builds the story of how Jesus loved, saved, redeemed, healed, and glorified us into spiritual communion.

God is love and all love is from God. We are able to love because it is God’s love moving through us. What we can do is respond to the gift of love.

We are loved by the Father and given our identity as a son or daughter of God. We receive the gift of dignity and worth which cannot be taken away from us. We can respond to the Father’s gift of love by trusting in his plan for our life, letting our desires mold into his desires, and resting in the truth that we are made beautiful by design - believing that he doesn’t make mistakes. This response allows God to be the Author of our stories and we become witnesses of God’s love by sharing our stories with others.

We are loved by the Son and given in relationship to others. We grow into our life’s vocation and love others according to the kind of union we have with Jesus. We can respond to Jesus’s gift of love by learning the other person's language in the relationship: giving love in the way they will feel loved, speaking in the way they will hear the truth, serving in a way that values their dignity, and working in a way that makes the other shine, etc. Being open to loving others according to their language enables Jesus to love them through our hearts as they need.

We are loved by the Holy Spirit and given the ability to participate in Jesus' mission through his threefold office of priest, prophet, and king. We receive spiritual gifts and charisms that benefit others and feel fulfilling. We become instruments in God’s hand to accomplish his work and build His kingdom. Some may be the vehicle for God to create and bring new life into the world; some may be the vehicle for God to bring his Eucharistic presence and Divine grace into the world; some may be the vehicle for God to heal the wounds of another person; some may be the vehicle for God to enlighten the mind of another person, etc. We can respond to the Holy Spirit’s gift of love by remaining confident in who He’s made us to be and giving the gift of ourselves even in the face of life's trials, tribulations, and disciplines.

We are loved by the Mystical Body of Christ and given companionship on the journey to heaven. We receive a unique place in each other’s hearts, a place that no one else can fill. We can respond to the gift of love from our brothers and sisters in Christ by engaging in the belonging we have to one another: spending time together, speaking words from the Lord to each other, holding each other accountable to what we feel the Lord is calling us to, encouraging each other in the promises of God, etc. Our hearts can rest in the communion of each other’s presence and we enjoy a taste of heaven.

We are loved by having a purpose to live a unique reflection of God. Our purpose is revealed as we grow into the wholeness of ourselves, which is living within the unity of our bodies and souls. We respond to the gift of purpose by loving ourselves and caring for the heart, mind, spirit, and body we have been given. We can respond to the gift of our life by rooting ourselves in God's special love for us, respecting our own immaturity, and avoiding places or activities that could compromise Christian values. We come to Jesus to sanctify the gift of our strengths, heal the wounds of our weaknesses, and fill the needs of our gift of love. We grow to know who we are while maintaining a teachable spirit and embracing the challenges to go beyond what we prefer to do.

God is the source of love and we are a part of his relational system. Each person plays a role according to what our hearts need, which may be to rest, break, heal, fill, or give. God’s love flows through us and others to build the gift of our unique hearts. 

Throughout the journey, Jesus invites us to give him our whole heart. We will need to do so again and again because we have developed attachments elsewhere that we may not have realized. There will come a time when Jesus wants to exchange hearts with ours. If we accept his invitation, our hearts become consumed in the fire of his love and we develop the burning for love of souls. We become aware that each person has their unique place in heaven and we long with the affection of Christ for them to take their unique place in our hearts and into heaven. We, then, can't help but do whatever he asks us to do or endure the injury that will lead us to what is promised: spiritual communion by Divine Love.

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