The mutual love of God and human beings

Welcome to my blog.

God speaks to us each day through the readings from the Holy Bible. These are chosen under the inspiration of God’s Spirit and provided for us by the Church founded and lead by the Spirit of Jesus.

You will find them here. If we take time daily to read, understand and in silence to pray from our heart, Jesus, through his Spirit, will nourish us and our life will be transformed.

Let us ask ourselves: what is God saying to me today through these readings?

May the Spirit of God be with you.

Thursday 11 June 2020

The mutual love of God and human beings

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life; whom should I dread?

When those who do evil draw near, they stumble and fall.

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Prayer

Father in heaven, you are the source of everything good in our life,

grant that we who call out to you in our needs,

may open ourselves to your quiet inspirations and see what is good

and then by the strength you give us do what is good.

We make our prayer through your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.

FIRST READING

 A reading from the first book of the Kings 18: 41-46

Jn order to follow the sequence of the Biblical selections these are the readings for the Thursday of the tenth week and not for the feast of St. Barnabas, which occurs today.

 Elijah prayed and the sky gave rain.

 Elijah said to Ahab, 'Go back, eat and drink; for I hear the sound of rain.' While Ahab went back to eat and drink, Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel and bowed down to the earth, putting his face between his knees. 'Now go up,' he told his servant 'and look out to the sea.' He went up and looked. 'There is nothing at all' he said. 'Go back seven times' Elijah said. The seventh time, the servant said, 'Now there is a cloud, small as a man's hand, rising from the sea.' Elijah said, 'Go and say to Ahab, "Harness the chariot and go down before the rain stops you.''' And with that the sky grew dark with cloud and storm, and rain fell in torrents. Ahab mounted his chariot and made for Jezreel. The hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and tucking up his cloak he ran in front of Ahab as far as the outskirts of Jezreel. THE WORD OF THE LORD.

 Prayerful reflection

In our approach to God, what is the most important belief we should have? It is that as our loving Father he wants only the best for us. He doesn’t just want the good, but the very best. This should be our fundamental attitude.

We don’t know what is best for us. How many times we make a decision wanting and thinking it is the very best for us. Then after some time, we realise it was the worst decision we ever made. If we had known then, what we knew later, we would never have chosen what we did.

When we pray, we should pray for what we feel we need. Jesus did this is the Garden. But we should allow our Father to answer our prayer as he did for Jesus. It will be the best for us and for those we love.  Jesus submitted humbly to his Father’s loving design and now reigns supreme. Life, here, is a life of faith.

Elijah had this faith. He served God with all his heart and strength. The famine and the challenge of the 450 prophets of Baal, brought about the best for the people of Israel. They returned to the Lord, source of all good. Now they have repented, he prays again for them. God answers his prayer.

In your devotion to Jesus, do your follow Elijah in his consuming dedication to God and his trust in God’s love? Is your prayer earnest and trusting? If so, we can learn to relax in the hands of our Father.

Psalm

 Ps 64: 10-13. R. v. 2

To you our praise is due in Zion, O God.

 You care for the earth, give it water, you fill it with riches. Your river in heaven brims over to provide its grain.

To you our praise is due in Zion, O God.

 And thus you provide for the earth; you drench its furrows, you level it, soften it with showers, you bless its growth.

To you our praise is due in Zion, O God.

 You crown the year with your goodness. Abundance flows in your steps, in the pastures of the wilderness it flows. The hills are girded with joy.

To you our praise is due in Zion, O God.

John 13:34

Alleluia, alleluia.

I give you a new commandment:

love one another as I have loved you.

Alleluia, alleluia.

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Gospel

Matthew 5:20-26

Whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. +

Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.

“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD

Prayerful reflection

Jesus had proclaimed, “the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand.” He invites everyone to enter it, by becoming his disciples. In this sermon, he explains what it means in practice to be his disciple. He is speaking only to those who are committed.

We are to be righteous. Joseph was righteous. He always did what God desired him to do. He lived to please God and so he had a true relationship of love with God and with everyone else. So should we. Love, listen, obey, and be blessed.

Law controls our external activity. It doesn’t necessarily control our heart. God loves us and so he sent his Son. Jesus, the Son, loves each of us, even to the point of offering his life on the Cross. This calls for a response in love. Love comes from the heart. Then our actions are the manifestation of the love in our hearts. The more love, the more we will forget ourselves and focus on the beloved. Wholehearted love implies limitless service and sacrifice for the beloved.

God wants us to love him and all his children with this kind of wholehearted love. The two are identical. My love God’s children is the exact measure of my love for God. How much do you love God and Jesus? Then look at how you love your enemies. That is the acid test. How do you fare?

Let us pray for the Spirit of God, to be able to pray “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do”.

1 Jn 4: 16

God is love, and whoever abides in love

abides in God, and God in him.

Prayer

Father in heaven, heal us in body and soul,

that through your mercy, freed

from doing evil, we may become salt to the earth

and light in the darkness.

We make our prayer through your Son,

Christ Jesus our Lord.