All Are Welcome in this House: Welcoming Others In

By: Dorothea Weingart

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in Him.'"(Lamentations 3:22-24)

I think it’s so easy for us as humans to distort the love of Christ. Sometimes I think how hypocritical it can be of me to say that someone as broken as I, even follow Christ—that’s what everyone thinks! But that’s the thing, we don’t need any qualifications for God to love us. To follow Him. Regardless, this leads us to see how merciful our God is! He trusts us to represent the church, knowing how broken we are. Hence why it can often be misrepresented. Humans get caught up in their own opinions and beliefs that they lose sight of the radical love of God and how big a part we play in the role of salvation. What’s most important is that we look towards God in moments like these and less towards people. There have been many moments that the humanity of the church has challenged my belief. To be so honest with you, even just last week! I’m sure you have had the same experience. We want to take others seriously, but sometimes in doing so, we see their opinions as more of a god than our own God. What has been so beautiful, though, is that in moments of great doubt or concern, God still reaches us. He wants us to follow Him and the people He guides. He doesn’t want us to listen to people who use their power to distort how God truly loves. I worried a lot that if God was trying to tell me something, I wouldn’t hear Him. That He wouldn’t reach me. However, once you ask for the grace to see Him in everything, you will become overwhelmed with gratitude. Don’t be afraid to ask for help! To see His light. He is everywhere and wants you to see that! I do want to add, though, that praying for this is a continuous practice. Just because we can see God uniquely in something one time doesn’t mean that we inherit the gift immediately or ever. That’s what’s beautiful about prayer. You have to continue it, it’s not just a one-time thing where you get something and never talk to Him again. Truly, the point of this message is that just because someone has all the bells and whistles and makes you feel less “holy”, doesn’t mean they are. Let their actions speak. Discern what Christ would do. Don’t let “righteous” people deter you from talking to God. You are enough for Him. He let prostitutes wash His feet, let people who betrayed Him SIT AT HIS TABLE, having access to His most holy body. That's what’s unique about Christ. Why on earth would you not be enough for His love? There IS room for you in this universal (meaning of the word Catholic) church. Room for you to ask for help. Room for you to grow and be intimate with the one who loves you most. Once you do this, God will help lead you into better practices. One final thought. God does miraculously work through us, giving us good intentions and desires with our actions. Often, we try not to sin after we join the church, as we want to stay in communion with Him. However, for anyone to even do that, they have to expose themselves to the love of Christ. Once you open your heart to Him, He will work and help you. We have to remember He is the one doing the transformation of our hearts. Let us pray together,

Dear God, 

Help us to turn to you in times of doubt, frustration, and challenge. Let us not believe lies and hateful words that support us in looking at ourselves negatively. Let us see in humility that there is so much room for God to work in us and not forget to be aware of our weaknesses- Because of this, help us to never boast about things. Reveal your radical love to us in the most simple ways so we can truly know that you welcome us. You support us and deeply desire us. In a world full of endless distractions, help us see this. It is not easy, but it helps us to see that wrestling is endurance and building our faith and relationship with you. Teach us how to love and serve you (your people) in a way that represents your desires and hopes for the church. Help us to never misrepresent your love, and when we do, as we are humans, make us aware of it so we can efficiently grow in deeper communion with you. 

Your beloved,

YOUR NAME