And a voice came from heaven,
"You are my Child, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."




Maybe every baptism is like that; a voice comes from heaven and says, "YOU! You are my beloved and with you I am well pleased!" And maybe every time we renew our Baptismal Covenant (as we will do this Sunday) God is whispering that same sentiment into our hearts and souls.

And yet, in those nights of self-doubt and suffering, do we still believe ourselves beloved? Because we are. All of us have times of doubt and forgetfulness, but we are God's beloved children. When someone among us forgets that, or stops believing that, it is then when we, the Church, spring into action: encouraging all those who have forgotten their own beloved-ness. It is why we are here: to encourage each other in the faith, to lift up the broken-hearted, to sustain those whose faith has been shaken.

This week, ask yourself who near you may have forgotten their own beloved-ness. Who needs a note or a call? Who needs a prayer?
Who needs a smile or a word of encouragement?
They are waiting for us.

This is our calling as people of the Way.