32. The Soul
The annual Proclaim Lismore Staff Porta Fidei retreats have been one of the many events cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 social distancing requirements. Popular since their inception in 2014 these retreats are based on Pope Benedict XVI’s 2012 apostopic letter, Porta Fidei, which begins - “The “door of faith” (Acts 14:27) is always open for us, ushering us into the life of communion with God and offering entry into his Church.... To enter through that door is to set out on a journey that lasts a lifetime.”
Delivered for teachers, by teachers, the Porta Fidei retreats aim to provide formation through a series of teachings and sharings on topics including God’s love, the kerygma and teaching as a vocation. In the absence of an opportunity to gather this year, The Soul will focus on these themes over the coming weeks beginning with God’s love.
Reference: Porta Fidei Vatican document
The human emotion of being ‘in love’ is a great place to start when describing the love that God has for us. We can describe those feelings of wondrous joy, excitement, and the yearning and euphoria that come from being ‘in love’ with one of our fellow human beings. And yet this human love is but a drop in the ocean when compared to the love that God has for us.
To experience the love of God is to experience being nurtured, empowered and full of joy beyond all rational understanding. God’s love extends beyond our emotions into a peace and stillness that surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7). At the Porta Fidei retreat we hear first hand from our colleagues examples of how this love has been experienced in their lives.
For some Christians feeling the love of God is difficult. They may think of God as cold, aloof, harsh and demanding; an all powerful judge ready to punish us for our errors and misdeeds. These thoughts and images may have deep roots and are sometimes difficult to overcome. We find encouragement by praying for ourselves what Paul wrote to the Thessalonians,
We don’t need to ask for God’s love - it is unconditional, so we can regularly seek God’s reassurance, guidance and strength as a reminder of this gift. For God is love.
In this short clip Cardinal Tagle calls on us to show God’s love during this global pandemic by responding with a “pandemic contagion of charity”. “History will judge our generation by the power of selfless love that this common emergency will have generated and spread, or will have failed to do so”.
Never Stop
We are overjoyed to share our new song and video clip. Never Stop is a contemporary song of praise to God. The lyrics tell a story of being filled with God's goodness, love and power - and desiring more.
Follow us on Spotify and listen to Never Stop as soon as it is released later this week.
- How He Loves is a worship song about Jesus' love for us in the difficult and messy times of our lives.
- You may know the Commodores for their classic hits such as Easy, Brickhouse and Three Times a Lady, but did you know in 1980 they also released a worship song? Enjoy praying with this timeless hymn, Jesus is Love.
- The Storehouse Blog by Georgia Hickling - A collection of simple tips for HSC Students clouded with stress.
- The God Who Is Love - In this video Bishop Rob Barron preaches on the God who is love, explaining why this incredibly important fact leads to the conclusion that God is trinitarian in nature.
Click the image above to submit your prayer intentions. Each week the prayer intentions are passed onto the Carmelite Sister's at the Carmelite Convent in Goonellabah.
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Proclaim Lismore Staff
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