Tag Archives: love

Blessed and satisfied

A print from the Phillip Medhurst Collection of Bible illustrations in the possession of Revd. Philip De Vere at St. George’s Court, Kidderminster, England. By Philip De Vere (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

A print from the Phillip Medhurst Collection of Bible illustrations in the possession of Revd. Philip De Vere
at St. George’s Court, Kidderminster, England.
By Philip De Vere (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0],
via Wikimedia Commons

Lord, when I want to withhold my possessions, money, energy, time, or creativity from those in need, help me to remember you bless and multiply every loving action I take. With you in charge, there is always enough to go around—and plenty left over.

Then taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, [Jesus] said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. They all ate and were satisfied. And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets. Luke 9:16-17

One

Dibujo de Jesucristo, en acuarela. Parque de la Exposición. Lima, Perú.By Dtarazona (Own work) [GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

Dibujo de Jesucristo, en acuarela. Parque de la Exposición. Lima, Perú.
By Dtarazona (Own work) [GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

One in our intention to love our neighbor as ourselves. One in our desire to do unto others as we would have others do unto us. One in our commitment to the way of love, nonviolence, forgiveness, respect, healing, reconciliation, and peace.

Today I will honor the One in each and every member of our human family.

[Jesus prayed, saying,] “And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one.” John 17:22-23a

A holy reminder

6º DOMINGO DE PASCUAI do my best to keep the word of Jesus: to love my neighbor, pray for my enemies, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, comfort the ill, welcome those I don’t know, forgive those who hurt me.

And when I forget, the Holy Spirit nudges me—a gentle tug at my heart, maybe, or it could be a spotlight shining on my selfishness. The Holy Spirit’s nudges show me the way to holy wholeness where I become a collaborator in the community of Love.

[Jesus said to his disciples:] “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” John 14:26

Being love

MamaTI can practice loving actions—patience, unselfishness, generosity, forgiveness, respect, acceptance, courtesy, encouragement, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, comforting the ill and grieving.

These loving practices help transform me into a new being, a person who is committed to the way of Jesus, a human being who makes the loving choice over the selfish one.

Someday, maybe, I hope, I won’t have to think so hard about the loving choice and I’ll be on my way to being love instead of doing love.

[Jesus said:] “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35

Whose voice

buen_pastor_20How do I discern the voice of Jesus when I am surrounded by a cacophony of voices?

Here’s how: The voice of Jesus  prompts me to love, forgive, let go, help out, be generous. The voice of Jesus calls me to peace, nonviolence, reconciliation, compassion. The voice of Jesus comforts, heals, reassures, encourages.

May I listen to the voice of Jesus. May my voice echo his.

Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.”  John 10:27

Hope in the Way

Rembrandt (1606-1669) Christ Resurrected Oil on canvas, 1661 Munich, Alte Pinakothek

Rembrandt (1606-1669)
Christ Resurrected
Oil on canvas, 1661
Munich, Alte Pinakothek

Like Mary, I am going in search of Jesus. The path is sometimes dark with pain and sorrow, uncertainty and discouragement, suffering and anxiety. What I bring with me—hope, love, faith, compassion, kindness, respect, forgiveness, peace—is what I am searching for. I follow the way, even in darkness, to find the Way.

On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. John 20:1

 

Emptied

Rembrandt (1606-1669) The Three Crosses drypoint and burin on paper, 1653 Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum

Rembrandt (1606-1669)
The Three Crosses (third state)
drypoint and burin on paper (III/IV), 1653
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum

Today I pray for the grace to be emptied of arrogance, fear, and self-seeking, and to be filled with humility, love, and generosity to those in need.

Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself. Phillipians 2:6-7a

Never too late to bloom

James Tissot (1836-1902) Le vigneron et le figuier opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper, between 1886 and 1894 Brooklyn Museum

James Tissot (1836-1902)
Le vigneron et le figuier
opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper, between 1886 and 1894
Brooklyn Museum

Rooting ourselves in prayer, meditation on God’s Word, and conscious awareness of God’s presence in each moment and in all of creation, we allow God, the Master Gardener, to cultivate our hearts and minds to bear the fruits of peace, joy, forgiveness, compassion, justice, acceptance, and love.

[Jesus told them this parable:] “[The gardener] said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.’” Luke 13:8-9

 

 

Working on it

1_Cor_13

Enders Island
December 28, 2015

Love is patient, love is kind.
It is not jealous, it is not pompous,
It is not inflated, it is not rude,
it does not seek its own interests,
it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,
it does not rejoice over wrongdoing
but rejoices with the truth.
It bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

Glad tidings

James Tissot (1836-1902) Jésus dans la synagogue déroule le livre opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper, between 1886 and 1894 Brooklyn Museum

James Tissot (1836-1902)
Jésus dans la synagogue déroule le livre
opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper, between 1886 and 1894
Brooklyn Museum

We, too, have been anointed by God’s Spirit to bring glad tidings to the poor. We bring food to those who are hungry. We bring compassion to those who are grieving. We bring encouragement to those who have low self-esteem. We bring comfort to those who are ill.

Wherever we go, we bring the gift of ourselves, the glad tidings of our loving presence, our hope in the Lord, our willingness to be guided by the Lord as trusted servants.

[Jesus] stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor. Luke 4:16b-18a