May 20 – Memorial for St. Bernadine of Siena, Priest
St. Bernadine (1381-1444) was a Friar Minor, a priest, an itinerant preacher, and a theological writer. His preaching skills were so great and the conversions so numerous, that he has become associated with all areas of speaking, advertising, public relations, etc.
Bernadine’s charismatic preaching filled the piazze of Italian cities. Thousands of listeners flocked to hear him and to participate in dramatic rituals, which included collective weeping, bonfires of vanities, and exorcisms. He was a renowned peacemaker, in the Franciscan tradition, who tried to calm feuding clans and factions in the turbulent political world of the Renaissance. His preaching visits would often culminate in mass reconciliations, as listeners were persuaded to exchange the bacio di pace, or kiss of peace.
Bernadine was sensitive to the demands of secular life, and tried to negotiate between Christian ethics and a conflicting code of honour that stressed retaining face in a public world. He argued that the catalyst of civil discord in the urban setting was malicious gossip, which led to insults, and, too often, vendetta by aggressive males. His surprising allies in his peacekeeping mission were the women who comprised the majority of his audience.
- Patron Saint Index
Acts 15:22-31
Jn 15:12-17
What I command you is to love one another
Some time ago, if someone were to ask me, “What is love?” I would simply say it is an emotion, a feeling, and a need. Whenever I heard the commandment from Jesus, “to love one another as we love ourselves”, I secretly thought that it was an impossible task. At the best of times, we are selfish creatures and at other times, we don’t even love ourselves to the best of our abilities. If so, where would bad habits come from? (I have plenty of them).
It was not until after I started to listen to the Catholic podcasts, Word on Fire, that it slowly dawned on me what Jesus meant. The love that Jesus speaks of is not the emotion and feeling that I thought. For those are transient and often not something that we can choose or control. The love that Jesus speaks of is a choice. A choice of willing the good of others. Think about it for a minute. Don’t be so quick to dismiss this so quickly. Love is a choice that we make, willing the good of the other.
It is not a casual hug and kiss and saying “I love you”. It is not wanting to spend all your time and attention on the other person. Although these are forms of expressions of love, the love that our Lord talks about is deeper. If you love someone, wouldn’t you want the best for them? Wouldn’t you want to give them the best, for them to achieve the best? Wouldn’t you guide them if they were heading down a wrong path? Wouldn’t you sit with them and share their sorrows and their joys?
If we truly love someone, not only would we want the best for the other, we would pray fervently for them, for their salvation. What is the best thing in this world that is free yet priceless? That is the love of our Lord, the peace and joy that only He can provide. Willing this for others, and expressing this in our hearts, in our words and actions is the true meaning of love. An important note is that we choose to love. Love is not given because the other is deserving or because they are family or related. But because we choose to love as the Lord has loved us.
How do we love others, if not in an emotional way? Simply by not engaging in gossip, not being envious or jealous of the other, and only correcting them justly; these are some of the ways we can love others. The correcting of another is a tricky one. Beware of the feeling of self-righteousness. In correcting others, intentions must come from a place of love and truly wanting the good of the other. It should never come from a place of pride and thinking we are better, smarter and therefore can point out the errors of another. These are but a few suggestions, I am sure you are able to find more ways to love others as you love yourself.
Love, as I understand it now, is not an uncontrollable emotion, but a choice that I make. Even if the other has wronged us or the love is not reciprocated, we can still choose to will the good of the other by praying for them earnestly, by leading them to Christ in everything we do and say. In other words, if Christ truly lives in us, love for others comes naturally.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Winnie Kung)
Prayer: Dear Jesus, grant us the grace to follow Your commandment to love others as we love ourselves, to will the good of the other. Let us remember this as we sing “Christians love one another, as we share the true living bread. Jesus is our God and our brother; with His flesh and blood we are fed. Everyone who loves is born of God. Jesus is our life, God is love.”
Thanksgiving: Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us despite our many transgressions.
OXYGEN 
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