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Cultivating Love of Neighbor Our spiritual father, St. Anthony Mary Claret, was entirely consumed with love of neighbor which animated him to take on every kind of apostolate and good work that would lead to their salvation. When he was five years old the idea of the eternity of hell caught hold of him to such an extent that saving souls from eternal condemnation became the motivation of an incredibly zealous life. "The idea of an eternity of torment made such a deep impression on me, either because of the tenderness it evoked in me or because of the many times I thought about it, that it is surely the thing that to this day I remember best. The power of this idea has made me work in the past, still makes me work, and will make me work as long as I live, in converting sinners, in preaching, in hearing confessions, in writing books, in distributing holy cards and pamphlets, and in having familiar conversations...If I saw someone about to fall into a pit or a fire, I would surely run and cry out a warning to save him from falling. Why shouldn't I do the same to save someone from falling into the pit and fire of hell" (Autobiography, 9,12) Our love for neighbor must also motivate us to be tireless in fulfilling our duties as spouses, as parents, as children, as professionals, as working men or women. It must lead us to work better, more efficiently, painstakingly completing the details of our responsibilities. It must also spur us to take on new and challenging enterprises for the salvation of souls. Although the eternal salvation of each created human being is our goal, this does not mean that we neglect the material, emotional, and intellectual needs of our neighbor. From the very beginnings of Miles Jesu, the members of the institute have practiced love of neighbor by caring for the poor, the needy, the homeless, and the destitute. In every community house of Miles Jesu around the world, the poor are especially taken care of. All members should remember the words of Our Lord, "Whatever you did to the least of my brothers, that you did unto me" (Mt. 25:40). Every Miles Jesu member comes into contact with many different types of people. To adapt ourselves to their varying needs, our love of neighbor must be in a spirit that does not get lost in the accidentals. This involves a profound grasping of our ideal and the reasoning behind it. The goal of Miles Jesu is nothing other than the entire world for Christ the King. Every Miles Jesu member "procures by all possible means to inflame the whole world with the fire of divine love" (Constitutions, 9). Our love for neighbor must urge us on in our mission to bring Jesus to the world. It is definitely a virtue we must cultivate. All the saints had this virtue and practiced it in different ways. We must be on fire to reach as many souls as possible with the Gospel – and as quickly as possible. We need to possess a sense of urgency to reach always more souls. If we lack this idealism and are afraid to act in this manner, we need to recognize our smallness and pray for God's help to overcome it. In spreading the Gospel, St. Paul made himself approachable to all men. In Miles Jesu we must all be broad-minded enough for a far-reaching vision, one that overcomes our prejudices and cultural preconceptions. What is this vision? Pope Leo XIII describes it as one in which "the two classes, with hands clasped in friendship, will be united in heart." We must be a brother or sister to everyone and approachable by all. |