to love God not for what he gives, but what he takes

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touch and communion

Among the five senses at our command, touch is the first to be developed starting even at our mother’s bosom, and it forms the point of origin for all the others. It doesn’t have the richness of some of the other senses, like vision (with all the diversity of images that we can ponder) or hearing (encountering the variety of sounds, melodies). It is the most primordial but the most essential sense in life and in communication. And it possesses an advantage other senses don’t have: reciprocity. We can see without being seen, hear without being heard, but we can’t touch an object without being touched by it at the same time. The contact that comes with touching something is more intimate and immediate than that created by any other sense. It is par excellence, the sense of communion.
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involvement

In our relationships with others, we cannot just be present. We need to be involved. Being present is like being a Scarecrow in the field, useless in preventing the birds from gnawing at the fruits. We need to be involved, actively, protecting and assuring those around us that we are not only just present, but active to help, to walk, to give. 
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keeping our word

When we give our word, in a certain sense we give ourselves. We put ‘on the line’ what is most intimate to ourselves. In spite of his personal failings, a true disciple and follower of Christ will be honest and loyal, a man of his word. In the Church, we Christians are called ‘the faithful’. This term underlines the state acquired by the members of the People of God through Baptism (cf A. del Portillo, Faithful and Laity in the Church, pp15 ff). But a person who inspires confidence, whom we can trust, can also be called faithful. People like this live up to the confidence placed in them, to the demands of love, friendship or duty . This kind of person keeps his word. In Holy Scripture the term ‘faithful’ is applied to God himself because no one is more worthy of trust than He. God is always faithful to his promises; he never fails to keep his word. In Saint Paul’s words: God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength (1 Cor 10:13).
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