God is serious about us. He wants us to know how much he loves us and he never even jokes about that reality. The proof of how much he loves us is he sends his son Jesus to die for our sins. You and I are called to live with the seriousness of that same love.

I received a beautiful cross-stitched gift this past Christmas. In a frame with a blue background was a pretty design with the word "Beloved" in the middle of it. That is who you are, the "Beloved of God". God wants you to know and live in his infinite love - that is what it means to be the "Beloved."" Can you imagine if everyone in the world was serious about knowing the fact of our belovedness in God and sharing that with each other? What love there would be!

Today we have the famous Old Testament story of Joseph. Jealous of Joseph, his brothers sell him off as a slave. They treat him lightly and he is measured out for twenty pieces of silver. That is a far cry from being treated as the Beloved of God.

To curse means "to make light of". Joseph's brothers made light of him, they cursed him by selling him off as a slave. How might I have cursed others? In what ways do I "make light" of others?

The opposite of curse is to bless. To bless means "to speak well of". It is attaching great value to a person by not only speaking great things about them but acting in a way towards that person that only confirms what we said. It is taking God's love for another person seriously in both what we say and do. Things like gossip, slander, negative humor are not the way of the Christian. Christians seek to be very clear about blessing others with the reality of God's love. They never want to curse, to "make light", to joke about the worth of anyone.

A way I have suggested in the past to take the love of God seriously for other, to bless and not curse and "make light of" others is to use "Beloved" before every person's name we address in speaking and writing. For example, if I was writing Jeff a letter, I would address him as, "Beloved Jeff."" Or, if I was talking to him face to face, I would say, "Beloved Jeff, how are you?"" Then, I would remember that everything I said or did to Jeff following me calling him "Beloved" would need to prove he is loved by the serious love that God has for us. In this way of saying "Beloved" before each person's name I think or write or speak, I would remember not to ever curse them, take them lightly or make any kind of joke about them.

If we could communicate how serious God's love is for us, how Christ-like would that be? Seek to bless and not make light of others!

Blessed by the BEST,

+Fr. John