Love God Love Others

You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself.

Mk.12:30,31

Jesus is answering a question, "Which is the first of all the commandments". His answer summarises all of the Law and the Prophets. Love God and love others.

Jesus' ministry on earth can be summarised in this way. All that he did and said meets these two criteria. Loving God and loving others. It follows that if I call myself a Christian, a follower of The Way, then I must do the same today.

Jesus, loving God and loving others gets difficult in the dust of daily battle. Help me keep one eye fixed firmly on you today so that I may love you and love others in all I say and do.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

 

 

Love My Enemies

The Jews are enemies of God only with regard to the Good News, and enemies only for your sake; but as the chosen people, they are still loved by God, loved for the sake of their ancestors. God never takes back his gifts or revokes his choice.

Rms.11:28,29

Paul reminds the Church that the Jews will always remain loved and chosen by God. Yes, they opposed the Good News of Jesus but only so all pagan people would benefit by hearing and receiving it.

I have been an enemy of the Good News, in my pagan years up to my thirties and even since then, every time I sin. How wonderful that God never takes back the gift given to me at my infant baptism when I was welcomed into the family of God as a beloved son. 

I have family members who are also enemies in the same sense I have been. I am no superior to them. In fact I have a special duty towards them to tell them they are still chosen, still beloved.  

Jesus, help me be Good News to people today, especially my family.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

In Sync

‘Is it against the law’ he asked ‘to cure a man on the sabbath, or not?’ But they remained silent, so he took the man and cured him and sent him away.

Lk.14:3,4

Jesus is in a house on the Sabbath for a meal with the leading Pharisees. He sees a man among them who is ill, possibly with heart disease.  He answers his own question to the Pharisees about when best to cure by healing the man in front of them. 

It seems any time is the right time for acting with compassion. There is no higher law than the law of love. Conversely, it is sinful to delay an act of love when the need is obvious. This is also true for simply doing the right thing. Jesus says it would even be right to haul an ox out of well on the Sabbath.

There's no procrastination when it comes to doing the right thing, the loving thing. Procrastination is a weakness in me, something for me to shake off , now...

Jesus, your timing is always perfect. Help me sync my timing with yours today.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

 

 

No Accident

Jesus went out into the hills to pray; and he spent the whole night in prayer to God. When day came he summoned his disciples and picked out twelve of them; he called them ‘apostles’.

Lk.6:12,13

Jesus is establishing his core team for the ministry he is about to start. After a whole night of prayer, knowing all about their strengths and weaknesses, he chooses the twelve apostles.

There was deliberation in how Jesus picked the twelve. He knew what he was getting, from Peter the sand pile to Judas the traitor. Each would have had a purpose in Jesus' mind. Peter would become a rock, Judas would commit the greatest betrayal in history. There were no accidents, no surprises.

There's no accident in my role in Jesus' apostolic plan. Here I am, in a particular place at a particular time and I'm chosen. The chosen apostles slowly got their plan by hanging out with Jesus over three years. After the Jesus ascended it was the Holy Spirit who continued to guide them. That's where my plan is found, in hanging out with Jesus and with the Holy Spirit as my guide.

Holy Spirit, I know I am chosen. I know you have a plan for me. Help me be in the center of that plan today. 

Saints Simon and Jude, please pray for me. 

Try Your Best

Someone said to Jesus, ‘Sir, will there be only a few saved?’ He said to them, ‘Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed.

Lk.13:24

Jesus is being questioned on what number will enter heaven. He doesn't give a figure but answers with an entreaty to work on entering heaven as it will be difficult and many will not succeed. 

There's a pervading sense in the Church that the door into heaven is open wide and everybody will get there. Not according to Jesus. Time and again he says there will be sheep and goats, cries of joy and grinding of teeth, a difficult path and a narrow door. 

Following Jesus must be intentional, not a matter of drifting along. Yes salvation is easy to understand, a child can grasp it, but obtaining it takes discipline, trying my best according to Jesus. The good news is that the work is a joy. The Catholic life is life giving, a discipline yes, but a joyful discipline. This  morning prayer is an important part of that lifestyle. 

Lord Jesus, this is my best at the moment. Help me fill the rest of today with my best of efforts to gain the narrow door.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

 

The Joy of Hope

For we must be content to hope that we shall be saved – our salvation is not in sight, we should not have to be hoping for it if it were – but, as I say, we must hope to be saved since we are not saved yet – it is something we must wait for with patience.

Rms.8:24

Paul writes to the Church of Rome, placing present sufferings into the context of future glory.  Complete salvation is yet to arrive but we are strengthened in our waiting by hope. 

A Pentecostal asks, "Are you saved brother?" A Catholic replies, "Not yet but I have every hope". Here are the versus on which we base that reply. We are in that waiting period like in World War Two. The war was won on D Day, June 6th 1944. It didn't end for another year while mop up operations had to be completed. 

My salvation has been won on the Cross.  I just have to wait patiently in the firm hope of receiving it. Like in WWII, work still needs to be done as I wait but my hope is in the glory to come. This is my joy today.

Thank you Jesus for the surety of salvation you give me. I place my trust in you.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me. 

Life

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then he who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you.

Rms.8:11

Paul expands on the work of the Holy Spirit. It is to give fullness of life to all who believe. 

Here is the Blessed Trinity at work. He (the Father) who raised Jesus (the Son) will give life through his Spirit (the Holy Spirit). And this life is what is on offer to all who believe. It's pretty compelling when I sit down and take it all in. 

Each day starts with a choice and it's the choice that matters, not how holy or spiritual I am. Today I choose life through the Spirit living in me. The first fruits of peace and joy a starting to grow already. Praise God!

Thank you Jesus for offering me the choice of life this morning. Be glorified in how I live out that choice today.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.