Reflections of Caritas

“Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him.” – Luke 10:34 

How often do we go out of our way to help someone in need? I have found that I tend to avoid these opportunities when they come to me. There are many examples of times when I have been slow to offer a helping hand.

“As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you…” – Isaiah 66:13

A few months ago my sister gave birth to her first child; my first niece, and the first grandchild for my parents. It has been neat to watch my sister and brother-in-law take on the task of parenting. There are many obvious joys and some definite challenges that come with caring for a newborn baby. All in all, it is a beautiful reflection of God’s love.

“Jesus said, ‘No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.’” – Luke 9:62

One of my favorite summer activities as a child was the game of baseball. I enjoyed playing the sport from the time I was big enough to pick up a glove, all the way through my high school years. There was nothing better than spending a warm summer night or Sunday afternoon out at the ballpark.

“He said, ‘The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.’” – Luke 9:22 

In their 2005 book entitled Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers, sociologists Christian Smith and Melinda Denton described the beliefs of most American youths with the term Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (MTD).