An unexpected gift reveals the mission of the church: to woo the world back to God through the self-giving love revealed in Jesus' Eucharistic sacrifice.
The external witness of vowed religious — habits, cloister, the Opus Dei (the daily round of psalms, hymns, and collects recited in chapel) — are the first things Christians notice about the monastics among them. But, of course, that is not the whole story of the charism and fruit of the religious life
May our reading of John’s Gospel inspire us to write more chapters of the good news of Jesus by sharing the power of his forgiveness and the hope of his resurrection with the world God loves so much.
We may still be attracted to the holy, but disbelief permeates our faith in God because it’s what we “breathe in our times.” Therefore, it’s becoming harder – even for Christians – to view God as believable in today’s age.