A deeper experience of Christ

Christ is the hinge of our lives. In him all the different dimensions of life are brought together – our spiritual life, our moral life, our social life, our work, our intellect, our conscience. History shows us that human consciences have always tended towards what is good. (This is one reason why we can speak about an objective morality.) But the greatest good of all happens when human consciences are open to Christ. For Christ looks with love towards the human person and, in encountering Christ the human person not only experiences goodness, he or she experiences love.

The experience of Christ’s love contains, as it were, the whole self-gift of God to humanity from the very beginning of creation. On the cross Christ’s love reaches a particular depth; he affirms the dignity of every man and woman down through history.

The mission of the Church is to help every man and woman discover the depth of Christ’s love for them. For you this may happen when you need it most; perhaps in suffering, perhaps through the witness of a pure conscience, perhaps in the opposite situation – through remorse of conscience. We need this look of love from Christ – we need to now that we are loved eternally and throughout our lives.

We know that many times in history the humanity of men and women was, as it were, blotted out, insulted and trampled upon, and how, at the same time, the awareness of Christ’s love showed itself more powerful than any evil or destruction. Christ’s look of love is the response to the testimony which we give of our lives to him.