Love Covers a Multitude of Sins

Love Covers a Multitude of Sins

June 1, 2012

Memorial of St. Justin, Martyr

By Melanie Rigney

The end of all things is at hand. Therefore be serious and sober-minded so that you will be able to pray. Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:7-8)

The Lord comes to judge the earth. (Psalms 96:13)

(Jesus said:) “Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours. When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions.” (Mark 11: 24-25)

Piety

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

Study

You can’t say we’re not a community. A community some think is in danger of pulling apart at the seams, but a community nonetheless. Major gatherings of Catholics this month include:

• The Leadership Conference of Women Religious national board today concludes its initial discussion on the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s assessment that the some of the conference members’ comments and actions pose “serious doctrinal problems.”
• Vatican’s The Seventh World Meeting of Families, themed “The Family: Work and Celebration,” wraps up Sunday in Milan.
• The “Fortnight for Freedom,” which the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops called for in light of what the bishops view as threats to religious freedom in the United States and abroad, begins June 21 (the Feasts of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More, both of whom were executed by order of King Henry VIII during the Reformation).

Earlier this week, the bishops from the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America met here to discuss immigration. Separately, many are agog about the ouster of the Vatican bank president and confirmation that the pope’s butler was feeding information to the media about the Vatican’s internal workings.

The news media on all sides of these issues wring their hands and wonder how people can stay with this Church that seems so radical at times yet so or out of step with public opinion, and yet such an institution of venal humans.

The words from Peter’s letter resonate today, much as they must have for those early Christians, during the Crusades, during the Inquisition, at the dawn of Vatican II, and in so many other times in the past nearly two thousand years:

Therefore be serious and sober-minded so that you will be able to pray. Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins.

As laypeople, we can’t be sure anything we say or do will influence the bishops or cardinals or the pope. But we can pray. And we can forgive. And we can love.

Action

The Arlington Cursillo steering committee meets this evening to begin developing an action plan to implement Lay Director Phil Kiko’s vision statement. Please pray that the Holy Spirit may guide Phil and this temporary committee that will help make plans for our movement in the coming months and years.