I give you a new commandment:
love one another just as I have loved you,
says the Lord. JN 13:34
2 CORINTHIANS 8:1-9
My Soul's Beloved,
When we embrace the Gospel and the grace that is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, our hearts and our whole beings expand with the riches that He pours into us. We desire to imitate You and to lay down our lives as You did, prepared to give all, holding nothing back in the service of God and neighbor. This was the experience of the churches in Macedonia, and St. Paul urges the Corinthians to match the loving, spontaneous generosity of their brothers and sisters in Macedonia.
Lord Jesus, all of us as members of the Church are required to spend our lives for others. All we have received has been a gift of God, not for ourselves but for others, and we will be called to give an account of our stewardship. The beauty of a life lived for others is that we never run out, just as the widow of Zarephath found out when she shared the little she had with the prophet Elijah - the jar of meal and the jug of oil did not run out until the drought ended.
Increase our faith and expand our hearts, Beloved, You have taught that it is better to give than to receive. Grant us this great grace, Lord, to give and not to count the cost, for You love the generous giver.
Now here, brothers, is the news of the grace of God which was given in the churches in Macedonia; and of how, throughout great trials by suffering, their constant cheerfulness and their intense poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity. I can swear that they gave not only as much as they could afford, but far more, and quite spontaneously, begging and begging us for the favour of sharing in this service to the saints and, what was quite unexpected, they offered their own selves first to God and, under God, to us.
Because of this, we have asked Titus, since he has already made a beginning, to bring this work of mercy to the same point of success among you. You always have the most of everything – of faith, of eloquence, of understanding, of keenness for any cause, and the biggest share of our affection – so we expect you to put the most into this work of mercy too. It is not an order that I am giving you; I am just testing the genuineness of your love against the keenness of others. Remember how generous the Lord Jesus was: he was rich, but he became poor for your sake, to make you rich out of his poverty.
PSALM 145(146):2,5-9
My soul, give praise to the Lord.
I will praise the Lord all my days,
make music to my God while I live.
Now here, brothers, is the news of the grace of God which was given in the churches in Macedonia; and of how, throughout great trials by suffering, their constant cheerfulness and their intense poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity. I can swear that they gave not only as much as they could afford, but far more, and quite spontaneously, begging and begging us for the favour of sharing in this service to the saints and, what was quite unexpected, they offered their own selves first to God and, under God, to us.
Because of this, we have asked Titus, since he has already made a beginning, to bring this work of mercy to the same point of success among you. You always have the most of everything – of faith, of eloquence, of understanding, of keenness for any cause, and the biggest share of our affection – so we expect you to put the most into this work of mercy too. It is not an order that I am giving you; I am just testing the genuineness of your love against the keenness of others. Remember how generous the Lord Jesus was: he was rich, but he became poor for your sake, to make you rich out of his poverty.
PSALM 145(146):2,5-9
My soul, give praise to the Lord.
I will praise the Lord all my days,
make music to my God while I live.
He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who alone made heaven and earth,
the seas and all they contain.
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who alone made heaven and earth,
the seas and all they contain.
It is he who keeps faith forever,
who is just to those who are oppressed.
It is he who gives bread to the hungry,
the Lord, who sets prisoners free.
who is just to those who are oppressed.
It is he who gives bread to the hungry,
the Lord, who sets prisoners free.
It is the Lord who gives sight to the blind,
who raises up those who are bowed down,
the Lord, who protects the stranger
and upholds the widow and orphan.
who raises up those who are bowed down,
the Lord, who protects the stranger
and upholds the widow and orphan.
My soul, give praise to the Lord.
MATTHEW 5:43-48
My Soul's Beloved,
MATTHEW 5:43-48
My Soul's Beloved,
If we lived the radical love of the Gospel, the whole world would be transformed by its power. We know that acts of kindness, gentleness, and compassion can move the most stubborn and hardened hearts. Radical love is the love of the Cross. Radical love walks the extra mile. Radical love consistently turns the other cheek until the perpetrator of violence is disarmed by its power.
We look at our world that is being consumed by hatred, bigotry, violence, sexual aberrations, killing, murder, and all kinds of evil. Nations are at war with nations, people of different races, languages, and cultural backgrounds filled with almost demonic hatred of each other. Those in power are prepared to squash their enemies with no thought of how many innocent lives are destroyed in the process. This is the way of the world that has lost its way because many nations have forgotten their Christian heritage.
Beloved, grant that reason prevails before it is too late, and we acknowledge that love alone and respect for one another will help us build bridges instead of engulfing the whole world in a fire that cannot be put out until all is destroyed.
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You have learnt how it was said: You must love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say this to you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you; in this way you will be sons of your Father in heaven, for he causes his sun to rise on bad men as well as good, and his rain to fall on honest and dishonest men alike. For if you love those who love you, what right have you to claim any credit? Even the tax collectors do as much, do they not? And if you save your greetings for your brothers, are you doing anything exceptional? Even the pagans do as much, do they not? You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect.’
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