Fr John’s Reflection – Love Made Visible in Our Actions
The Gospel reminds us that faith is revealed not only in what we say, but also in the way we live. Discernment begins when we bring our choices before the Lord and ask: Which path will help me to love more generously? It is natural to think about the cost—in money, time or personal sacrifice—but Jesus gently invites us to look beyond the cost and to notice the person who needs our care.
What We Love Shapes Our Lives
Pedro Arrupe speaks beautifully of this Gospel way of life: “Nothing is more practical than finding God, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, whom you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.” His words invite each of us to ask what truly holds our heart and shapes our daily decisions.
A Rule of Life Shaped by the Heart
God longs for us to become people who listen attentively to his word and allow it to take root within us. A rule of life can help us make room for prayer, compassion and faithful service. It is not simply a list of duties to complete. It is a way of opening our hearts to the Gospel, so that, little by little, Christ forms us into people who are generous, faithful and life-giving.
Seeking the Good of the Other
St Paul speaks directly to us as a Christian community. He calls us to be united in heart and purpose, held together by the love of Christ. We are not asked to ignore our own needs, but neither are we to become so absorbed in them that we fail to see the needs of others. Christian love makes room for both honesty and generosity.
This kind of love asks us to loosen our grip on whatever closes our eyes or hardens our hearts. As we learn to notice the person before us, we become more like Christ, whose love is never distant or withheld, but always seeks the good of the other.
The Vulnerable Face of Christ
On this Migrant and Refugee Sunday, Pope Leo asks us to remember the children and young people who are among the most vulnerable in the experience of migration. They are never merely numbers in a report. Each one is a beloved child of God, with a name, a family, a story and hopes for the future. Their lives call forth our compassion and our prayer.
Each year, millions of children and adolescents are forced to leave their homes because of war, poverty, violence, environmental disasters and other tragedies. Behind every journey is a family facing fear, loss and uncertainty. The scale of this suffering can overwhelm us, but the Gospel asks us not to look away.
For many children, suffering continues long after they have crossed a border or reached a place of safety. Some have lost parents, siblings or friends; others have witnessed terrible violence. Some wait through painful separations while hoping to be reunited with family. Others travel with their parents through exhausting and traumatic conditions. We also hold in prayer those separated from their parents through repatriation. Each of these children deserves to be received with dignity, patience and tenderness.
Solidarity Over Indifference
Even amid such darkness, the light of solidarity continues to shine. Ordinary people choose not to pass by on the other side. Families open their homes and share the warmth of family life. Educators serve in reception centres. Volunteers and aid workers tend the hidden wounds carried by children along migration routes and in our cities. Our own parish community is also invited to ask how we might pray, welcome, listen and offer practical support. Every small act of mercy tells a vulnerable person: you are seen, you are valued and you are not alone.
A Call to Practical Love
Brothers and sisters, our response to migrants and refugees must not be governed by fear alone. The Gospel asks us to bring our concerns honestly before the Lord and then to allow him to enlarge our hearts. Perhaps this week we can begin with one simple step: a prayer, a conversation, an act of welcome or support for those who serve displaced families. In the vulnerable person before us, Christ comes close. May we have the grace to recognise him and the courage to respond with practical love.
Fr. John Armstrong
“The intellectual quest is exquisite, like pearls and coral. But it is not the same as the spiritual quest. The spiritual quest is on another level altogether. Spiritual wine has a subtler taste. The intellect and the senses investigate cause and effect. The spiritual seeker surrenders to wonder.” (Rumi Wisdom; trans. Timothy Freke)
