THE DELICACY OF LOVE

To live in an intimate relationship with God the Father, as He desires and even asks, carries with it a great responsibility on our part. Let us think of priests, to whom the great treasure of the sacraments has been entrusted. Let us look especially at the greatest of these, the Body of Christ present in the Sacrament of the Altar. How does the priest treat it? With the utmost reverence and respect or with a certain indifference and carelessness? In a way, we could say that the Lord gives Himself into his hands, and he, for his part, must be very delicate in order to respond appropriately to the trust placed in him. In this regard, the Father tells us the following in his Message:

“I would like to see great trust established between man and his heavenly Father, a true spirit of familiarity and delicacy at the same time, so as not to take advantage of My great goodness.”

What we have said with regard to the priest counts also for all of us, because the Lord is not only present in the Blessed Sacrament, but surrounds us always and in all situations. His heart is wide open for us, and precisely because of this great love – which can be rejected – it is necessary to be delicate so as not to abuse it.

This also applies to the petitions we address to the Lord. If we deal with a person who is always ready to do what we ask of him, we do not take advantage of his goodness. We feel that we should not give in to selfishness, so that he, with his kindness, has to serve this selfishness of ours. It is the same with our Heavenly Father. While we can certainly bring our desires, both large and small, confidently before Him, we must be very careful not to hurt this delicate relationship of love.