Dear friends,

In the recent Annual Priests' retreat at Picture Rocks Redemptorist Spiritual Center, we read, reflected, and shared from the Book, "The Priest: Mystery of Love" by Luis M. Martinez. The place of Love dominated the Spiritual journey. Everything from the Pope, the Bishops, the Priesthood, and indeed the life of every Christian is the fruit of Love. The Love between God the Father and the Son in communion with the Holy Spirit. God is Love.

During the retreat, at my own time, I walked around in the beautiful silence of Our Lady of the Desert grounds. On many occasions, I met/saw wild rabbits at close range, especially in the evening. The frequency of meeting with nature raised one question in my mind: How could my friend the rabbit be able to survive in a desert with nothing but the natural gift of life it has? I prayed about it and came to the conclusion that the Creator (Our God and Father)is so good and Wonderful to all His creatures. He Loves all.

This reminded me of the special Love God has for human beings."For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life" - John 3:16. God is big enough to give existence and sustenance to all beings, both visible and invisible.

To the tiniest ant and to the elephants. To the rainforest and to the desert, God's love is real. There is a lot of life in the desert, and for me, Arizona is the haven of life and a great wonder of God's nature. I am certain a question like, "What is the nature of God?" makes our heads spin and probably prompts some of us to consult Siri, Google, Safari, or Al!

My dear sister and brother, you are wonderfully made by a wonderful God(Genesis 1:26-28). To rely on what human beings have made to become the source of wisdom and a counsel for our lives is making us lose what matters most, our dignity and purpose. God is love, and whoever abides in Love, abides in God and God in him" 1 John 4:16

The nature of God is Love, and each time we choose to live, act, and love unconditionally, we not only share the very essence of God but we reflect our relationship with God. We make real what God intended in Genesis 1:26, "Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild animals, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth." ...

The plurality used by God, "let us ... " already gives us the gist of what we celebrate this week, "The Most Holy Trinity, God; The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is one, united in Love.

We are called to live in Love, Peace, and Unity. True joy and peace do not grow from causing pain, humiliation, or suffering to another person. When someone finds pleasure in putting others down, spreading harm, or taking advantage of another's weakness, it reveals a heart that has forgotten the values of love, mercy, and compassion that God teaches us.

God's presence in a person's life is always reflected through kindness, understanding, and respect for others. A heart that is close to God desires to lift people up rather than tear them down. It seeks to forgive rather than to take revenge, to help rather than to harm, and to bring peace rather than conflict. The love of God moves a person to care for others, especially those who are weak, suffering, or in need of encouragement.

We are created, blessed, and sent to subdue the earth, not to control other fellow humans. We are all created in the Image and likeness of God. As Lucky Dube put it in singing, "different colors, one people" One God, One Redeemer, and One Sanctifier. Your worth is not your color. Your worth is not what you have or earn. Your worth is not your degree. Your worth is not your popularity. Your true worth is this: You are a child of God. Loved. Chosen. Wanted. If only we lived with that confidence, our lives would be very different." We are all called upon to become beacons of God's love and peace.

Peace is not found in restless movement; it is found in sacred stillness. When life becomes unbearable, do not scatter your soul in a thousand directions. Return instead to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Heart that burns with unending mercy, the Heart that was pierced yet continues to pour out love without measure.

Let us see God in every human being on the face of the earth, and together let us echo, God's love is so wonderful: It is so high that you cannot get over it; it is so low that you cannot get under or below it; and it is so wide that you cannot get around it. So wonderful, Love.

God is good all the time, and all the time God is good, and that goodness is God's very nature. Let us live and love one another as Jesus has loved us. May the blessings of the Most Holy Trinity, God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, come upon you and live with you forever. Amen.

Jesus, I trust in you. I LOVE YOU.

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