When I was teaching catechism to high school students one of my plans was to bring in a plastic bottle with a big hole in the top and right in front of them put in rocks that would fit into the hole. I filled it all up till there was no possibility of putting anymore rocks in and I asked them: AIs this thing now filled?@ And the students said: AYes!@ Then I took out another pail in which there was smaller pebbles and I poured in more small pebbles and shook the bottle and asked, ANow is it filled?@ Now they were a little hesitant. Then I took out some sand and put some sand in and filled it up and asked: ANow is it filled?@ Some were still kind of hesitant. Then I took out water and poured water in then asked, Awhat=s the meaning of this demonstration?@ One student said, Ait means that we can always add something to our life.@ I said, ANo, not quite.@ The real issue is if you don=t put the big rocks in first you will never get them in. We must be sure we place our values in our life because if we don=t as time goes on you will not get them in.

        Today I want to talk about the other dimension that is of value that belongs to the foundation of our life. That is we=re all called to root our heart in the covenant. To root our heart in the covenant of the New Testament simply means that I root my heart in the two-fold commandment: to love God with your whole heart, mind and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself. Since these two loves are not separate it will be done if we fulfill that statement of the Rule that says that we prefer nothing to the love of Christ. This kind of stance unites the two-fold precept of the new covenant. It is an interesting search to go and look at the themes in the Rule on love. What is it that Benedict=s stresses in the Rule about love of each other? He says: AWe must love each other with a pure love of brothers.@ He states that twice and he also talks about the fact that we are to render each other services, even to the point of being obedient to one another. The culminating fruit of a life of humility is that our life is motivated by charity all the time. The problem with knowing something is that it doesn=t always get put into practice. So we have to show what=s the way we actually bring this value that we are concerned about into reality.

        As I was sharing with the Alumni on Sunday, now that I=ve had the heart attack I value my health. I test things, make sure I take my medication, exercise, and I watch what I eat. I=m not a fanatic but with this process you may find me around here for at least 18 more years, after talking to people who have these kinds of problems that I have.

        We have to talk about this question. Fraternity is what our community should really be and if it=s a key value then how do we show it to each other, what=s our approach?

        It=s interesting in the new book the Pope came out with, Rise, let us go on our way. It=s an interesting title, it=s the words Jesus used when leaving the Last Supper to go into the Garden of Gethsemani. In the book the Pope talks about the fact that he consciously made friends of his Curia in Krakrow when he became bishop in Krakow. He talks about the outcome; that he still has those friendships to this day. He also made some other interesting comments about the question of Fraternal charity, he said, Athat he made it a practice to treat each person that came to him as if they were sent by God to him. He would pray for each person. I know one case it wasn=t so easy. He entertained Khrushchev and everything in the conversation Khrushchev twisted. Coming out of that hour conversation he said, Ahe was wore out.@ So he was really making an effort to be there for him but it was very difficult. In another place he mentions that he really makes the effort to treat each person openly and freshly as a new chapter to a book.

        If we are going to root our hearts in the Fraternity of our community as a foundational value we too have to focus on making friends of each other. That means friends share, when they promise something they do it, they don=t cheat on each other, and they certainly don=t criticize each other to outsiders, nor do they undermine the character of others anywhere. They can go to their friends and be totally open and forthright. There=s harmony and peace between friends and there=s mutual help. There=s also joy with their joys and sorrow for their difficulties and failures.

        So we have to root our hearts in the new covenant and we prove it by the way we relate to each other. Yet this is stated rather powerfully in Matthew=s gospel that when the day of judgement will come we will be asked what have I done for Jesus? I was hungry, thirsty, etc., what we do to the least of disciples we do to Jesus. We need to walk with this foundational truth to see whether or not we really are doing what we are called to do.

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