PAROQUIA – SANTO ROSÁRIO
Residência Nssa. Sra. de Fátima14 March, 2010 XL:1
Trav. Carlos Portes, 171
62.900-000 Russas, Ceará e-mail: [email protected]
BRASIL
Dear Colleagues, Friends, Benefactors and Family:
Limits abound! All creatures have limits. Even the universe has its limits which is why it can expand. We tend to like limits. They are something we can measure or at least estimate. That implies explanation, something we highly crave, exactitude.
Our patience has limits as does our understanding and even our perception. All of these vary with each individual. As most dedicated instructors and educators can attest, each student is unique in his or her abilities to perceive, grasp and then understand. If they are slower than most others, they are labeled as indolent or dull of mind. If they are especially rapid in that grasp they may be labeled as brilliant. However if they are extraordinary in their ability to grasp, they may also be labeled as “dull of wit” because they perceive more than the lesson-course of instruction and even more than the instructors are prepared to measure. An intellect can reach beyond an academic level and surpass limits, thus raising questions of measure, quite perplexing. Disarming one of intellectual defenses can open an individual more completely to the power of the Almighty; ask any mystic.
Formed by Almighty God in His image and likeness, we have distinct capacities. These are amplified by the totality of blessing, completely available to us but which we cannot measure. This frightens us. We thus impose artificial limits and even close ourselves, through our disobedience to God. We exclude ourselves from the power of Divine blessings, infinite assets originating from Almighty God, which is why He is Almighty and why many people refuse to believe in Him. God´s Infinite Being defies our craving for explanation. The Limitless is conceivable but scientifically unexplainable.
The challenge of limits is that they can vary with person, creature and situation. Human terms define “normal” within some subjective context into which fit the majority of persons, beings or other components of a group. Absolute Normal is defined by the Creator and thus always has a degree of mystery to it. Virtues and Blessings fit in this group. They are complete; but WE, have, limits! Thus we can perceive them but not fully understand them.
However God bends to our cravings to some degree. The Mystical Body of Christ has limits beyond which there is no salvation, however only God Himself knows those limits. This too can be perplexing to us. We do not want to be excluded from that Body but we are tempted to exclude others, thus to quit on ourselves and others.
Yet God never quits on us. His call continues notwithstanding our closure and, at times, our self-exclusion. Historically in fact, through our human fall, that exclusion was complete. The Benevolence and Charity of the Creator, then specified that He became Redeemer raising and defining us into the distinct units of His Mystical Body. He did so in one generation, one life with an intensity of Passion previously unknown; complete Redemption for all; marked in a total conquest of evil.
We celebrate that Passion of Benevolence and Charity in the Lenten-Pascal Season; solemn, profound, limitless in HIS gift of Redemption.
Have a Happy and Blessed Lenten-Pascal tide!
Yours Faithfully in Jesus Christ
Pe. Ed Benya, S.J.