Bears repeating.
Perhaps this is an outgrowth the graces of this year's Holy Week. The Holy Father, in his Message for Lent, 2007, said the following:
In the Lenten journey, memorial of our Baptism, we are exhorted to come out of ourselves in order to open ourselves in trustful abandonment to the merciful embrace of the Father (cf. St John Chrysostom, Catecheses, 3, 14ff.). Blood, symbol of the love of the Good Shepherd, flows into us especially in the Eucharistic mystery: "The Eucharist draws us into Jesus' act of self-oblation... we enter into the very dynamic of his self-giving" (Encyclical Deus caritas est, n. 13). Let us live Lent, then, as a "Eucharistic" time in which, welcoming the love of Jesus, we learn to spread it around us with every word and deed. Contemplating "him whom they have pierced" moves us in this way to open our hearts to others, recognizing the wounds inflicted upon the dignity of the human person; it moves us in particular to fight every form of contempt for life and human exploitation and to alleviate the tragedies of loneliness and abandonment of so many people. May Lent be for every Christian a renewed experience of God's love given to us in Christ, a love that each day we, in turn, must "re-give" to our neighbour, especially to the one who suffers most and is in need. Only in this way will we be able to participate fully in the joy of Easter.
The FReeper to really thank for this thread (and thus that post to which you refer) is BTL. 'Twas BTL who provided the gentle nudge that hopefully will result in the establishment of a "Christian Caucus."
Will you guys please knock this off?
Here is a confession. I did not start the original 'one another' thread with any kind of altruistic motive or Christian love in my heart. After reading hate filled posts directed at every type of Christian all day, I decided to to start a thread that would show them all how petty they really were. My original intent was to humiliate them with the Word. I had an I'll show them a thing or two attitude. I had the same holier than thou attitude that I preached against.
I never expected that thread to go anywhere, but then God showed up. He sent all of you and others also, to encourage me to help me and to unite to take up His cause of Christian love. It was your posts that softened my heart and made me realize that the "one anothers" I had posted were indeed true and it was you who led me to change.
So you see it was you, more than myself, that is to thank for what is happening. The Holy Spirit working in and through you has changed me. I am humbled by your attitude of Christian love that you chose to share with me. I thank you all for being the salt and the light that I so desperately needed.
If we are going to give credit where credit is due, we must thank God for sending the Holy Spirit to show us all how to interact with one another according to His will. For if it is not a God thing, then it is nothing.
Don't ever think that what you do cannot make a difference. You changed me and you can change others.
Go and do and be blessed all you anothers!
we are exhorted to come out of ourselves in order to open ourselves in trustful abandonment to the merciful embrace of the Father
= = =
I resonate emphatically with that. Thanks.
And, yes, PRAISE GOD FOR Behind the Lines for getting us off and going on this redemptive, fruitful track.