Category Archives: Malachi

Persevere with love

Pannai, Jaffna Jesus in Sun, 2019

[Jesus answered,] “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.” Luke 21:9

Persevere in the work of the Lord: love your neighbor, feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, give shelter to the homeless, forgive those who hurt you, love your enemy. Let go of fear. Trust the Lord.

Today I will choose to place my mind, heart, and will into God’s care. I will make a commitment to do the work of compassion, reconciliation, and justice as Jesus has taught me.

Purified in love

Rembrandt (1606-1669)
Simeon and Anna in the Temple
oil on oak wood, 1627
Hamburg, Hamburger Kunsthalle

Because Jesus himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested. Hebrews 2:18

Jesus is no stranger to the personal experience of human suffering. Our Lord knows knows what it is to be a refugee, to be hunted and persecuted, to endure pain and rejection and injustice, to be mocked and humiliated, to be executed.

Like Jesus, we trust that doing the will of God is more important than the challenges of the human condition. Jesus teaches us that the greatest commandments are to love God and our neighbor as ourselves. When we listen to each other, help each other, treat all people with respect, kindness, and compassion, we bring healing to our troubled world by our willingness to be present to all who are suffering.

Today I will ask God to purify my thoughts and actions so that I become a servant to God’s will, a channel of peace and nonviolence, and a conduit for God’s healing love.