In todays world everyone hunger and longs for mutual loyalty and respect for each other. It is a felt need in the society, church, religious orders and companies. Loyalty is to be with a person in good times and bad times. He will be with him all the time, will never betray the other person's trust to whom he is loyal. It is one of the most noble of virtues and a person who has loyalty usually commands loyalty from the others. Mutual respect is a trait which is desirable and speaks of a person's good culture. It also speaks of a person's intellectual caliber, self-confidence and self-respect. Only a person with self respect will have respect for his fellow human beings and other creatures too.
To say something about our fraternal life which requires not only a
reciprocal welcome but also requires loyalty and respect for each other. We see that happening in our fraternities and provinces. We need to understand what our Father Francis who was
convinced that loyalty and respect were important elements of love and wished
that the friars would demonstrate these characteristics gladly:
Blessed is the servant who loves and
respects his brother as much when he is far away from him as when he is with
him, and who would not say anything behind his back that he would not say with
charity in his presence. (Adm. XXV)
Respect and understanding must never be
less even when a brother has made a mistake. The friars must guard themselves
from the temptation to be disturbed because of the sin of one of their brothers
because anger and frustration impedes love in oneself and in others (cf. LR
VII: 3).
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