Archbishop calls for new ways of witnessing to the love of God for those in need

Nov 6, 2006 / 22:00 pm

Archbishop Agustin Garcia-Gasco of Valencia has called on the faithful to develop “new ways and methods” of making the love of God present to those most in need, with an emphasis on action more than words.

In his weekly letter, the archbishop said, “The life of the Church, throughout history, is made up of an unending chain of gestures and works of love towards neighbor based on the love of God.”  In this sense, he recalled that God expressed his love for man in the most radical of ways: giving the life of his Son, “in order to give life to the human person and to save him.”

Archbishop Garcia-Gasco explained that in his encyclical, “Deus caritas est,” Pope Benedict XVI stressed that, “the Eucharist is the food that strengthens us and drives us to do works of love and to practice charity.”  

Benedict XVI shows how the Eucharist brings together worship and moral values, the archbishop continued.  “In worship itself, in the Eucharistic communion, both being loved and loving others are included. A Communion that does not lead to the practice of charity is incomplete.  And vice versa: the commandment of love is possible only because it is not a mere demand: love can be commanded because beforehand it is given,” he said.
 
Therefore, the archbishop noted, “the love of God lies more in action than in words.  The Christian is one who participates with his life in the initiative of the love of God and puts it into practice.”