Of Love and Loving

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/010517.cfm) reminds me of the importance of loving in the way God wants us to. 

Love is probably one of the most overused word in this world. We see and hear love almost everywhere. And in the process, sometimes it loses its real meaning. We equate it to just romantic love. Or love for career. But it goes a lot deeper than that. 

The first reading reminds us that we should love one another. Yes, we should. Regardless of the person. No IF’s, no BUT’s. As followers of Christ, this is one of the most important things we should learn and do – love one another, especially those unlovable, just as Christ did. In the first reading, we are reminded that:

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer

and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him

Such strong words. Hate can cause bad actions, evil actions.. like Cain who belonged to the evil one, and killed his own brother. When we hate others, we also are being affected by it. It angers us, stresses us out, ruins our mood. It can move us to sin, thus losing eternal life with God in the process. The best “Revenge” for someone we “hate” is to love him/her back. In the process, we change the person and we are being changed to be more like Christ.

The ultimate demonstration of love Jesus on the cross. 

The way we came to know love
was that he laid down his life for us

Christmas. Christ came as a man to save us… more importantly, he died and rose again to save us from our sins. Pure love. We can't love like that, but we can and should be inspired by that love of Christ for us.

Children, let us love not in word or speech
but in deed and truth.

When we say we love, we should act it out, we should live it out. Lip service is not enough. 

The gospel shows that love brings people to God. As we love others, especially the unlovable, we may not know or feel it, but we are bringing that person to God, and we are bringing God to that person. And this is something that makes it well worth it.

May we be inspired and challenged to love in the way God wants us to, and make God's love more real and more alive in this world. 

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another reminder. Thank you for loving me first. Sorry for the times I ignore that love. Sorry for the times that love is not enough for me. Sorry for keeping that love to myself. I know love because you loved me first. You loved me when I am unlovable. And I ask that you help me love in that way. Help me love those who are not easy to love. Help me love without thinking of myself. As I try to do this, may I make your love more real and more alive in this world. Amen. 

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

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January 5, 2017
Memorial of Saint John Neumann, Bishop
Lectionary: 208

Reading 1 1 Jn 3:11-21

Beloved:
This is the message you have heard from the beginning:
we should love one another,
unlike Cain who belonged to the Evil One
and slaughtered his brother.
Why did he slaughter him?
Because his own works were evil,
and those of his brother righteous.
Do not be amazed, then, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.
We know that we have passed from death to life
because we love our brothers.
Whoever does not love remains in death.
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer,
and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.
The way we came to know love
was that he laid down his life for us;
so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
If someone who has worldly means
sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion,
how can the love of God remain in him?
Children, let us love not in word or speech
but in deed and truth.

Now this is how we shall know that we belong to the truth
and reassure our hearts before him
in whatever our hearts condemn,
for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything.
Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us,
we have confidence in God.

Responsorial Psalm PS 100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5

R. (2a) Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise;
Give thanks to him; bless his name.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
The LORD is good:
the LORD, whose kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A holy day has dawned upon us.
Come, you nations, and adore the Lord.
Today a great light has come upon the earth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Jn 1:43-51

Jesus decided to go to Galilee, and he found Philip.
And Jesus said to him, "Follow me."
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter.
Philip found Nathanael and told him,
"We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law,
and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth."
But Nathanael said to him,
"Can anything good come from Nazareth?"
Philip said to him, "Come and see."
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him,
"Here is a true child of Israel.
There is no duplicity in him."
Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?"
Jesus answered and said to him,
"Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree."
Nathanael answered him,
"Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."
Jesus answered and said to him,
"Do you believe
because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?
You will see greater things than this."
And he said to him, "Amen, amen

, I say to you,
you will see the sky opened and the angels of God

ascending and descending on the Son of Man."