The way of love and service.

A few months ago a friend of mine shared an article with me, asking my opinion. The article was on "The Cupcake Girls", a group of women who in my opinion show an awesome way to live as Christ, and right now, Pope Francis teach us to.

Many Christians today can probably remember being taught the song "Jesus loves me this I know, For the bible tells me so". A great message for a young child just learning about God and creation, but I think it has been taken way too far into the adult world. God loves each of us infinitely, and that does not change, however the way His love becomes manifest in the world is not by that lone factor. Christianity today has been severely watered down with the notion that we can help from a distance, because "Jesus loves them, God loves them, and He will care for them". Yes. But that is the wrong attitude for service. 

WE are the hands and feet of Christ, we are his voice through the Church and its teaching, we are Gods tools. WE were crafted to spread God's love, which we know as Grace.

Looking back through history, I can not recall even one saint who was ever quoted saying: "Jesus loves them" without having been right there to SHOW them that God loves them through their actions.

Saint Francis hugged and kissed leapers! So many saints spent their lives helping people out of gutters where they were dying, and feeding those who could not feed themselves, caring for wounds, healing hurts, and showing love in the 1st person.

Today "Jesus loves you" has been taken and turned into a way to hide ourselves in my opinion. By loving someone unconditionally and in the 1st person, we become vulnerable to being hurt in the process. And so we pass off.

What these girls in the article do is awesome to me! They go where no one else will, they care, they love, and they heal, simply because they are there, and they put themselves out there to show others who may have no concept of their own worth or dignity, that they are beautiful.

Blessed Pope John Paul the Great showed us the meaning of love, being loved, and how to love. Pope Benedict Ameritas showed us the solid teaching of the church in important matters, and now Pope Francis shows us how to live each aspect of our faith.

Like these Cupcake Girls, we should strive to be on the front line. Not all of us can contribute the same way or the same time, or even the same effort. But I think we can and should try to show people that "Jesus loves them" by going, and being the person who puts meaning to the worlds, and God's love, into action.