Page 213 - spiritual_accompaniment_montreal_archdiocese

HOMILIES

the other, the love of our neighbour becomes “Love one another, as I have loved you.” And
we know how much He loved us! He loved us by giving up his life for us. Therefore, “Love one
another, as I have loved you. I loved you by giving my life for you. Love one another by giving
your life for another.” But all of this is possible only if God is first. All this is possible only if
Jesus Christ is first. And all this is possible only if we live by the grace of God!

To put God first is to seek the will of God, but it is also to accept our need for God’s grace to
love truthfully all those whom we ought to love! Unassisted, we are left to our own weak-
nesses and limitations. Therefore, putting God first is worth it.

Now we find ourselves at this Eucharistic celebration, at this Mass. After three-and-a-half
months of confinement, our prayer life has become more intense, maybe more intense in
the sense that we have prayed more. Sometimes it was easy to pray perhaps, but at other
times, not as easy. At other times, it required an effort, because we were caught up in
watching television or using our computers, tablets or cell phones. It is hard to quit all this
in order to seek the presence of God. Therefore, the fight becomes more intense! Prayer
becomes a more intense struggle. It is worth it, as putting God first is putting love first.
Putting God first is putting truth first. Putting God first is putting goodness first. Putting
God first is to accept God’s gift of beauty, goodness and truth. To live by God’s grace is to
be transformed to love the people around us with more kindness, with more honesty, and
with more generosity.

Let us learn to pray anew. Let us learn to be silent and listen to God, in all simplicity. Let us
also learn to petition God without ceasing. Let us learn to leave everything behind to rest
in the presence of God alone. Let us be available to seek his will and be open to his grace.



The confinement has literally put us in “pause mode.” Nevertheless, the mission of love
continues. The mission to love never stops. The call to love God never stops. The call to
love each other, beginning with our family, never stops. God’s grace never stops. Service,
the spirit of service never stops. Life continues and love continues. Serving one another
continues. Is it easy? No. It is demanding. It is demanding because being human is being in

(cont’d)

Collection of texts by the Most Rev. Christian Lépine 213