nlike bodily union where the two eventually separate again, the Lord does not separate from us.
When we remain in a state of grace through prayer and the sacraments, he is eternally present, interiorly with us at every moment. We have become the personal embodiment of the UNION between Christ and the Church, living the experience of St. Paul: “I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20).
In wonder, we recognize that no sorrow, tragedy or death will ever be encountered again without him. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, our lives take on an eternal perspective in every aspect of reality. Daily thoughts and gestures are brought into union with the Triune One who loves us, and we are brought into union with one another in one Body, the Church.
When the needs, desires and destiny of those who have been given to us, of those who have gone before us, and even of those we simply encounter through the day are brought to him, he becomes the substance of our penetration into our world. We become more united to the essence of them through him. Like the authentic union of a Bridegroom and Bride, this “mystical marriage” is the everyday living of a mutual passionate surrender to and for another through uniting with and accomplishing the will of the Father for them.
The fruit of this union is an astonishing experience of personal freedom, security, fulfillment and interior peace.
Faithful stewardship of this new life with him now becomes our most urgent task and mission within our vocation to love.
In union with the Father and Son through the work of the Spirit, we have begun our eternal life within the Communion of Saints here and now.
