Treasuring Gifts Are Vital For Authentic Friendship

3 Minute Reflection - Psalm 102 "You (Lord) will arise and have mercy on Zion (substitute Church here): for this is the time to have mercy; yes, the time appointed has come for your servants (us) love her very stones, are moved with pity even for her dust." - Often when someone gives us a gift we are quick to give thanks but soon we forget the gift and the symbol of generosity and love behind the gift.  However, if we learn of the sacrifice behind the gift we then treasure both the gift and the person who gave us the gift...and the larger the sacrifice the more we treasure the very friendship.  We just celebrated Memorial weekend, a gift, a timeless treasure of soldiers who gave their life, killed on the battlefield and defense of freedom in our country and in the whole world. Let us therefore continue to honor with our lives the soldiers and their families who have suffered to bring us America's freedom.  Still, let us love the Church, the gift Christ sacrificed on the cross to give us, to sanctify us, to redeem us, and make us his own.  Not only are we to treasure her stones that are the sacraments and her teachings and the teaching of Christ himself, but even if the dust particles of the Church are shown before us being tossed away by the wind of darkness we are called to lament even this, to take pity on our Church and come to her aid to defend her and make sure she continues to shine in a world darkened by Satan and evil and sin. And when we love the gift of the Church that Christ has given us then we can all be assured that we love the person, Jesus Christ, behind the gift and that are friendship can be assured to be an authentic love; pure, holy, unblemished, and everlasting.