Beloved = Us

Michael Perras, OFM

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A voice came from heaven,

“You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

All three of the synoptic gospels speak of the baptism of Jesus, and all three of them have the above noted line in some form. The word beloved has never been my favorite word. I think mostly that comes from it being over used in funeral cards and at funerals, so each time I hear the word beloved I think of an obituary and those nice little cards we are handed when we attend a funeral. However, this week the word beloved stood out for me as I read and contemplated the baptism of Jesus. (Luke 3.15-16, 21-22)

Beloved – dearly loved, dearest, precious, adored, much loved, cherished

The definition of beloved indeed means it is an excellent choice of word when we our honouring a deceased loved one. However, it is also an excellent choice of word for each us to live with in our everyday. For just as in the baptism of Jesus God declares, “He is my beloved” so God does in our baptism. We are God’s beloved children – beloved daughters and sons – members of the God’s great and diverse family.

I am now learning to move beyond the looking back perspective of beloved (funeral) and learning to embrace it in my everyday. Not just when we reflect back on the life lived is the word beloved necessary, it is necessary today. In a world were human value and dignity does not seem to be valued claiming our belovedness only opens our hearts more and more to God’s pure delight over us.

Just as at the baptism of Jesus the voice from heaven says to him “with you I am well pleased,” so it is true for each of us. No matter who we are, where we have been, how good or bad, how rich or poor, how broken or put together we are God is well pleased with us. With you, with me, with our neighbours, with all of creation because God is love (1 John 4). God knows the depths of love within God’s self and within each of us. God knows our yearnings and desires for love; this is what means to be God’s beloved. God is well pleased because God has created us out of an overflowing, life-giving, endless, deep-goodness love. The love between God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit is so rich it overflows into us and all creation; it creates, re-creates, sustains and claims us again and again as PLEASING, as GOOD, as WORTHY and as BELOVED. This may be hard to see in our world today as it feels like it is just one sad story after another, or one agony more or one form of destruction greater, but no matter how bleak it may seem or look or how much we who are created out of love fail to share that love, God DOES NOT. God’s love is endless, forever, with us now, raising us up, and delights in the beauty that defines us at our core… God’s beloved.

This week as I have been pondering the gift of being beloved, I have been working at my desk and as I look up a photo has caught my eye several times. I have now entitled this photo “Beloved” for it was looking at this photo that the word beloved came alive for me and I saw God in pure delight, rejoicing over each one of us and celebrating the depth of love that is pleasing and good. I hope that you too can see God and yourself in the photo. Regardless of who is in this photo it speaks to me about God’s tenderness, closeness and how we are God’s beloved cradled in love and hope. We are indeed pleasing and a delight for God and God desires nothing more than for us to be held close to God’s heart.

As this week unfolds may reminders of how each one of us are beloved penetrate our days, our prayers and our relationships. I leave you with a thought I shared this past week with a classmate of mine who was having a tough week. These words poured out of me as a prayer for her and they seemed to come from the heart of God not only for my classmate but also for me and for everyone.

You are created good.
You are worthy.
You have amazing gifts.
You are loved.
You are God’s Beloved.
Light to fill you and burst through your beautiful cracks.
Peace to be at your core.
God’s love whispered in your quiet prayer and daily living.
Amen.

 

 

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About the author

Friar Michael Perras, OFM was born and raised in rural Saskatchewan, the oldest of four. Along with his siblings he grew up in his parent’s grocery store where he learned about community and service. Brother Michael appreciates quiet moments of prayer, music, Lego, journaling, being creative in the kitchen, lingering meals, socks, collecting quotes and Christmas. One of his greatest joys is being an uncle and a Godfather. His favorite Saints are of course St. Michael, St. Francis and St. Clare. His favorite Bible story is Noah’s Ark and his favorite parable is the Lost Coin in Luke 15. Prior to joining the Franciscans, he served in several communities as a Youth Minister and Pastoral Assistant. Brother Michael holds Certificates in Youth Ministry, Lay Ministry, Liturgical Studies, and Spiritual Direction along with a Bachelor of Theology degree. He is a non-ordained Franciscan Friar (Brother), solemnly professed since August 2019. He is the Guardian (local leader) of the Franciscan community at The Mount, serves as part of the Retreat Team and is on the Canadian Franciscan Provincial Council.

Contact Michael Perras, OFM

Provincial Office
6455, avenue Louis-Riel
Montreal (Quebec)
H1M 1P1

Phone : 514 259-2542
communications@ofmca.com

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Last updated: November 22, 2021

This Privacy Policy describes Our policies and procedures on the collection, use and disclosure of Your information when You use the Service and tells You about Your privacy rights and how the law protects You.

We use Your Personal data to provide and improve the Service. By using the Service, You agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Interpretation and Definitions

Interpretation

The words of which the initial letter is capitalized have meanings defined under the following conditions. The following definitions shall have the same meaning regardless of whether they appear in singular or in plural.

Definitions

For the purposes of this Privacy Policy:

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Collecting and Using Your Personal Data

Types of Data Collected

Personal Data

While using Our Service, We may ask You to provide Us with certain personally identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify You. Personally identifiable information may include, but is not limited to:

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Usage Data

Usage Data is collected automatically when using the Service.

Usage Data may include information such as Your Device’s Internet Protocol address (e.g. IP address), browser type, browser version, the pages of our Service that You visit, the time and date of Your visit, the time spent on those pages, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.

When You access the Service by or through a mobile device, We may collect certain information automatically, including, but not limited to, the type of mobile device You use, Your mobile device unique ID, the IP address of Your mobile device, Your mobile operating system, the type of mobile Internet browser You use, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.

We may also collect information that Your browser sends whenever You visit our Service or when You access the Service by or through a mobile device.

Tracking Technologies and Cookies

We use Cookies and similar tracking technologies to track the activity on Our Service and store certain information. Tracking technologies used are beacons, tags, and scripts to collect and track information and to improve and analyze Our Service. The technologies We use may include:

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Cookies can be “Persistent” or “Session” Cookies. Persistent Cookies remain on Your personal computer or mobile device when You go offline, while Session Cookies are deleted as soon as You close Your web browser. You can learn more about cookies here: Cookies by TermsFeed Generator.

We use both Session and Persistent Cookies for the purposes set out below:

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For more information about the cookies we use and your choices regarding cookies, please visit our Cookies Policy or the Cookies section of our Privacy Policy.

Use of Your Personal Data

The Company may use Personal Data for the following purposes:

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  • For other purposes: We may use Your information for other purposes, such as data analysis, identifying usage trends, determining the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns and to evaluate and improve our Service, products, services, marketing and your experience.

We may share Your personal information in the following situations:

  • With Service Providers: We may share Your personal information with Service Providers to monitor and analyze the use of our Service, to contact You.
  • For business transfers: We may share or transfer Your personal information in connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of Company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of Our business to another company.
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  • With business partners: We may share Your information with Our business partners to offer You certain products, services or promotions.
  • With other users: when You share personal information or otherwise interact in the public areas with other users, such information may be viewed by all users and may be publicly distributed outside.
  • With Your consent: We may disclose Your personal information for any other purpose with Your consent.

Retention of Your Personal Data

The Company will retain Your Personal Data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. We will retain and use Your Personal Data to the extent necessary to comply with our legal obligations (for example, if we are required to retain your data to comply with applicable laws), resolve disputes, and enforce our legal agreements and policies.

The Company will also retain Usage Data for internal analysis purposes. Usage Data is generally retained for a shorter period of time, except when this data is used to strengthen the security or to improve the functionality of Our Service, or We are legally obligated to retain this data for longer time periods.

Transfer of Your Personal Data

Your information, including Personal Data, is processed at the Company’s operating offices and in any other places where the parties involved in the processing are located. It means that this information may be transferred to — and maintained on — computers located outside of Your state, province, country or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ than those from Your jurisdiction.

Your consent to this Privacy Policy followed by Your submission of such information represents Your agreement to that transfer.

The Company will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that Your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy and no transfer of Your Personal Data will take place to an organization or a country unless there are adequate controls in place including the security of Your data and other personal information.

Disclosure of Your Personal Data

Business Transactions

If the Company is involved in a merger, acquisition or asset sale, Your Personal Data may be transferred. We will provide notice before Your Personal Data is transferred and becomes subject to a different Privacy Policy.

Law enforcement

Under certain circumstances, the Company may be required to disclose Your Personal Data if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g. a court or a government agency).

Other legal requirements

The Company may disclose Your Personal Data in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to:

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  • Protect and defend the rights or property of the Company
  • Prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the Service
  • Protect the personal safety of Users of the Service or the public
  • Protect against legal liability

Security of Your Personal Data

The security of Your Personal Data is important to Us, but remember that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While We strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect Your Personal Data, We cannot guarantee its absolute security.

Detailed Information on the Processing of Your Personal Data

The Service Providers We use may have access to Your Personal Data. These third-party vendors collect, store, use, process and transfer information about Your activity on Our Service in accordance with their Privacy Policies.

Analytics

We may use third-party Service providers to monitor and analyze the use of our Service.

  • Google Analytics

    Google Analytics is a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. Google uses the data collected to track and monitor the use of our Service. This data is shared with other Google services. Google may use the collected data to contextualize and personalize the ads of its own advertising network.

    You can opt-out of having made your activity on the Service available to Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. The add-on prevents the Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js, analytics.js and dc.js) from sharing information with Google Analytics about visits activity.

    For more information on the privacy practices of Google, please visit the Google Privacy & Terms web page: https://policies.google.com/privacy

Email Marketing

We may use Your Personal Data to contact You with newsletters, marketing or promotional materials and other information that may be of interest to You. You may opt-out of receiving any, or all, of these communications from Us by following the unsubscribe link or instructions provided in any email We send or by contacting Us.

We may use Email Marketing Service Providers to manage and send emails to You.

  • Mailchimp

    Mailchimp is an email marketing sending service provided by The Rocket Science Group LLC.

    For more information on the privacy practices of Mailchimp, please visit their Privacy policy: https://mailchimp.com/legal/privacy/

Usage, Performance and Miscellaneous

We may use third-party Service Providers to provide better improvement of our Service.

  • Invisible reCAPTCHA

    We use an invisible captcha service named reCAPTCHA. reCAPTCHA is operated by Google.

    The reCAPTCHA service may collect information from You and from Your Device for security purposes.

    The information gathered by reCAPTCHA is held in accordance with the Privacy Policy of Google: https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/

Children’s Privacy

Our Service does not address anyone under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 13. If You are a parent or guardian and You are aware that Your child has provided Us with Personal Data, please contact Us. If We become aware that We have collected Personal Data from anyone under the age of 13 without verification of parental consent, We take steps to remove that information from Our servers.

If We need to rely on consent as a legal basis for processing Your information and Your country requires consent from a parent, We may require Your parent’s consent before We collect and use that information.

Links to Other Websites

Our Service may contain links to other websites that are not operated by Us. If You click on a third party link, You will be directed to that third party’s site. We strongly advise You to review the Privacy Policy of every site You visit.

We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies or practices of any third party sites or services.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update Our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify You of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page.

We will let You know via email and/or a prominent notice on Our Service, prior to the change becoming effective and update the “Last updated” date at the top of this Privacy Policy.

You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

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If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, You can contact us:

Contact Michael Perras, OFM

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