Verse

Luke 11:37-40

Interior Transformation

After Jesus had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal. The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools!”

Reflection:

It’s hard to imagine Jesus calling someone a fool. But that’s exactly what He did. This Pharisee had just finished listening to Jesus give a series of teachings and then invited our Lord to His home for dinner in an apparent gesture of kindness. But as the passage unfolds, it’s clear that this Pharisee is no friend of Jesus. Instead, his hospitality and kindness are a cloak for the evil within his soul.

Why does Jesus respond so fiercely, calling the Pharisee a fool? Because this Pharisee is filled with hypocrisy. His exterior actions do not flow from a heart filled with charity and faith. Instead, his exterior actions are a show. He is a fraud. He, like many of the Pharisees, was very concerned with various external rituals, such as scrupulously washing his hands before he ate. He believed that doing so was a sign of his holiness and closeness to God. But it wasn’t. His heart was one that was filled with judgment and self-righteousness. He looked down on others and elevated himself. In doing so, he deceived others and even deceived himself.

The central message we must take from this is that we must diligently focus upon that which is in our hearts. Our hearts, our interior life, must be blooming with love of God and others. We must place all of our efforts on cultivating a sincere life of virtue within. This is done by prayer and humility. Humility will open our eyes to see the truth of who we are. Prayer will strengthen us to change as we see that which needs to be changed within. Only then, when we see clearly the truth of who we are and prayerfully rely upon grace obtained by prayer, will we be able to become people of true integrity and holiness. And only then will our interior holiness be made manifest externally in our actions.

Reflect, today, upon these powerful words of Jesus: “You fools!” Don’t be offended by these words; they are words of love from our Lord. They are His fierce attempt to wake this Pharisee up and lead him away from his hypocrisy. Listen to these words as if they were also spoken to you. Every one of us can humbly benefit from this loving chastisement from Jesus. Every one of us needs to humbly be transformed more fully interiorly. Let Jesus’ words speak to you and reveal to you the ways that you need to change. Perhaps your pride has led you to an interior practice of judgment of others. Perhaps it has blinded you to sins that you need to confess. If you can listen to these words as if they were spoken to you, then Jesus’ fervor will reach you, and your eyes will be opened to that which is in your soul that needs to be changed. Do not turn a blind eye to this. Be open, be humble and listen.

Source: https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/2024/10/14/interior-transformation-3/

Luke 11:37-40 Read More »

Luke 11:29-30

Daily Reflections, Verse

A Sign From God

“This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.”

Reflection:

Do you ever find yourself looking for signs from God? Often when we go through life, navigating through the ups and downs we all experience, we can easily find ourselves looking for signs from God about what we should do about this or that. And though God certainly communicates to us at times through special graces that are signs from Heaven, the passage above gives clarity to what sign we must be most attentive to.

The simple message in this Gospel passage from our Lord is that we must discover the meaning of the most profound sign ever given and use that as the foundation of all our decisions in life. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection were not only the source of eternal life, they are also the clearest sign we need as we make all of our decisions in life.

A sign is some action that reveals a deep and hidden mystery. One mystery that Jesus’ life, death and resurrection reveals is that if we are to share in the new life won for us by His Cross, then we must follow the example He set by living a life of selfless sacrifice, laying down our lives for others, so that they will discover and embrace the new life of Christ’s Resurrection. Practically speaking, if you find yourself looking for answers in life, seeking signs from God about what you should do at times, then turn your eyes to the life of Christ and ponder ways in which you can more fully imitate His life in every daily practical decision you make. This is true whether you are discerning some important decision in life or some small practical decision.

It is common to engage in such a discernment by looking at ourselves in a more selfish way. It’s difficult to move away from this line of thinking, but if we are to use the “sign” of the Son of Man, then we will discern our life decisions very differently. When we use the life, death and resurrection of our Lord as the source of our discernment and decision making in life, then we will end up making decisions that imitate His selfless sacrifice of love. So if you are faced with a decision, you will not ponder what is easier or what you prefer; rather, you will ponder what is more selfless and best for others. What is it that best imitates the sacrificial love of Jesus?

Reflect, today, upon any decision you are trying to make. Then reflect upon how you are going about this decision. Do you use the witness Jesus gave to us as the foundation of your discernment? Do you reflect upon how you can lay your life down as a sacrificial gift for others? Do you look at love from the point of view of the Cross of our Lord and strive to imitate His glorious and selfless dedication to the salvation of those whom He loves? Seek to imitate our Lord, using the witness of His actions as the foundation of all of your discernment and decisions in life, and you will have discovered the only true sign you need to navigate the challenges of life.

Source: https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/2024/10/13/a-sign-from-god-3/

Luke 11:29-30 Read More »

Mark 10:24-27

Daily Reflections, Verse

Exceedingly Astonished

“Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.”

Reflection:

Have you ever been “exceedingly astonished” by the demands of the Christian life? Hopefully you have been. And if you have been, hopefully you are no longer. Being exceedingly astonished is one of many purifications we must go through in order to enter the Kingdom of God.

The “eye of a needle” is a reference to one of the gates in the wall surrounding the city of Jerusalem. After dark, the gate would be closed and the only way to enter was through a small door in the center of that gate. A person could pass through by ducking down, but a camel could not enter unless it got down on the ground and literally crawled through. This took much effort and direction from the master of that camel, but it was possible.

The point of this story is to emphasize that we will not be able to easily stroll into Heaven. In this case, Jesus was speaking about how easy it is for a person with money to become so attached to that money that they fail to obtain the riches of Heaven. The rich young man, to whom Jesus was just speaking, went away sad because Jesus lovingly invited him to detach from his earthly wealth so as to obtain the riches of Heaven. Jesus said to him, “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” To that, the rich young man went away sad.

Greed and an all-consuming attachment to material wealth clearly have the potential to destroy your soul. That’s a fact. There is no way around it. But this teaching applies to every other form of attachment also. When we are attached to any sin to a serious degree and refuse to separate ourselves from that sin, we will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, if love of God does not motivate us to turn from sin, perhaps fear of hell will.

When the disciples witnessed this rich young man preferring his wealth over Heaven, and then Jesus standing His ground and making it clear that it is very hard to make it to Heaven, their astonishment would have challenged them personally. But that is good. It is good because it reveals that they were also convicted of their own unholy attachments and their astonishment arose from a holy fear within. As they saw the rich young man walk away, they would have thought about those things that they also held onto that needed to be purged from their lives. “Astonishment” in this case is the holy realization that they needed to change. The good news, however, is that when a person does change and becomes freed from the attachments that keep them from God, then they will no longer have any attachment that will lead them to be astonished at God’s demands. The ultimate goal is to overcome the astonishment caused by the demands of discipleship so that conformity to these demands becomes a way of life.

Reflect, today, upon anything that our Lord has taught that is difficult for you to face. Is there any commandment that you tend to ignore? Any teaching that you attempt to rationalize? Any demand that appears to you to be too much? If you are to enter the eye of the needle, you must be wholeheartedly committed. Jesus will not shy away from demanding a total surrender of your life to Him. Reflect upon those attachments that you continue to hold onto and try to see Jesus speaking to you about those attachments as He spoke to this rich young man. Overcome all astonishment and make unwavering submission to the will of God your way of life. This is the only way to enter the gates of the Kingdom of God.

Source: https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/2024/10/12/exceedingly-astonished/

Mark 10:24-27 Read More »

Luke 11:27-28

Daily Reflections, Verse

Living a Truly Blessed Life

While Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”

Reflection:

This short Gospel reading reveals much about what makes one “blessed” in life. Specifically, Jesus considers those truly blessed who do two things: “hear the word of God” and then “observe it.” Though this seems quite obvious at first read, it is often harder than it seems.

The first step to a blessed life is hearing the Word of God. To “hear” implies that we do much more than become familiar with the Gospels. Hearing means we are not only aware of all that our Lord has revealed, it also means that we have truly internalized it, understanding all that our Lord requires of us.

Have you heard our Lord? It’s important to understand that the Gospel is alive. In other words, becoming familiar with the Word of God is not the same as reading some ancient book of lessons. Rather, hearing the Word of God means we hear a Person: the Son of God, speaking to us and guiding us each step of our lives. God’s Word is something that must speak to us every moment of every day, inspiring us to do this and avoid that. It is accomplished through a lifelong habit of prayerful communion with our Lord through which we are attentive to His voice always.

Hearing the very Person of the Son of God, the Word made flesh, necessarily implies that we also observe all that He speaks to us. In fact, failure to follow His continuous and gentle command to love will result in us being unable to clearly hear Him at all. We will become confused and will easily become directed by the many other voices in our world, unable to discern the glorious path chosen for us by our Lord.

Reflect, today, upon whether or not you struggle in any way with both hearing and observing the voice of God. If this is your struggle, then recommit yourself to a time of humble and wholehearted discovery. Tell our Lord that you are sorry for not being attentive to Him and set yourself on a mission to seek and find Him. Reject the confusion and anxiety of life, reject the many other voices of “wisdom” within our world, and listen for His gentle but clear voice. He is always speaking. He is always calling you. He is always present. Open the eyes of your soul and give Him your full attention. And when you sense Him speaking to you, respond with the utmost generosity and obedience. Doing so will result in you discovering what it means to be truly blessed by our Lord.

Source: https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/2024/10/11/living-a-truly-blessed-life-3/

Luke 11:27-28 Read More »

Luke 11:23

Daily Reflections, Verse

Overcoming "Neutrality"

“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

Reflection:

These words are embedded within several powerful teachings of Jesus, but, in many ways, this single sentence can stand alone as an important Christian truth. Specifically, it tells us that we cannot be neutral in our position regarding Jesus and all that He has taught us. This is an important message in the world today.

Today, there seems to be a growing secular value that we might call “neutrality.” We are told by many in the world that we must accept any morality, any lifestyle, any choice that others make. And though it is true that we must always love and accept every person and treat them with the utmost dignity and respect, it is not true that we should be neutral to the choices and secular values that some choose to live and express. Sadly, when we do speak the full truth, especially the many moral truths our Lord has revealed, we are often labeled as judgmental. But this is not the truth.

This quote above from today’s Gospel makes it clear that we cannot remain indifferent to the teachings of our Lord and still remain in His good graces. In fact, Jesus makes it clear that the opposite is true. He says that if we are not with Him, meaning, if we do not accept all that He has revealed, then we are, in fact, against Him. Being neutral on matters of faith and morality is not actually being neutral at all. It’s a choice that some make that has the clear effect of separating them from Jesus.

For example, regarding matters of faith, if someone were to say, “I do not believe in the Eucharist,” then they are, in fact, rejecting God. And though it is not our duty to be their judge, it is our duty to acknowledge that they have expressed a belief contrary to the truth. They are in error, and if they persist in this error, then they do separate themselves from God. That’s what Jesus is saying.

The same is true regarding morality. There are many examples in the moral life that are becoming more and more blatant in their opposition to our Lord’s teaching. Thus, we must remind ourselves that when we reject a moral teaching given to us by our Lord, we reject Jesus Himself.

Jesus goes even further when He says that “whoever does not gather with me scatters.” In other words, it’s not enough to simply personally believe all that Jesus taught, we must also teach it to others. If we do not and if we, instead, offer a false form of “acceptance” of another’s error, then we are actually working against Jesus. We all have a moral duty to actively promote the truths of the Gospel given to us by our Lord.

Reflect, today, upon how fully you are “with” our Lord and “gather” with Him. Do you fully accept all that He has taught and also seek to gather many others for the Kingdom of God? If you do not see yourself actively believing in and participating in the mission of our Lord, then heed these words of Jesus and allow them to gently but firmly challenge you, so that you will more fully work to build up God’s Kingdom in your own heart and in the world all around you.

Source: https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/2024/10/10/overcoming-neutrality-3/

Luke 11:23 Read More »

Luke 11:5-6

Daily Reflections, Verse

Praying with Fervor and Detachment

Jesus said to his disciples: “Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him…’”

Reflection:

Unless your friend were truly a very close friend, you may hesitate in waking them and their family at midnight to ask to borrow some food. And even if it were a very close friend, you would probably hesitate for fear of disturbing them. But in this parable, the “friend” is God. Jesus just finished giving His disciples the “Our Father” prayer, and now He adds this parable as a way of expressing the great confidence and determination with which we must pray to the Father. The parable concludes by stating that even if the person in bed does not get up to meet the request, they will do so “because of his persistence.” And though God always is attentive to our prayer, our persistence is an essential quality we must have.

When we pray to God with persistence, never doubting the goodness and generosity of God, God will pour forth upon us everything that is good. Of course, if our prayer is for something that is selfish or not in accord with the will of God, then all the begging in the world will not be effective. But when we pray as the “Our Father” prayer teaches us, then we can be certain that our fidelity to that prayer, prayed with the utmost trust and persistence, will effect the good gifts of the will of God in our lives.

One of the seven petitions of the “Our Father” prayer is “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” This is a truly beautiful petition that requires not only ongoing persistence but also detachment from our preference in life. To pray that “God’s” will be done and that “His” Kingdom come is a way of also saying that you surrender all of your preferences to God. You come to God acknowledging that your will may not be God’s will. Thus, this petition expresses detachment in a powerful way.

Reflect, today, upon the importance of praying with the utmost fervor and persistence to God. Reflect, also, upon the importance of doing so with detachment. What does God want of you? What is His holy will for your life? Seek that will and that will alone with all your heart and you will discover that His will truly will come to be in your life.

Source: https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/2024/10/09/praying-with-fervor-and-detachment-3/

Luke 11:5-6 Read More »

Luke 11:1

Daily Reflections, Verse

The Perfect Prayer

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”

Reflection:

What a great prayer for us to pray also, “Lord, teach us to pray…” Jesus’ response to this disciple was to present him with the “Our Father” prayer. Of this prayer, Saint Andre Bessette said, “When you say the Our Father, God’s ear is next to your lips.” The great mystical Doctor of the Church Saint Teresa of Ávila gave this advice while praying the Lord’s Prayer: “Much more is accomplished by a single word of the Our Father said, now and then, from our heart, than by the whole prayer repeated many times in haste and without attention.” And Saint Thérèse of Lisieux said that the “Our Father” prayer was one of the prayers she prayed when she felt so spiritually barren that she could not summon up a single worthwhile thought.

At the Holy Mass, when the priest invites the people of God to pray the “Our Father,” he says, in part, that this prayer is one that “…we dare to say.” This is an interesting statement which especially reveals the childlike boldness we are called to have as we pray this prayer sincerely from the heart. It is exceptionally bold to call God our “Father.”

Chapter 11 of My Catholic Worship, which offers a teaching on this perfect prayer, states the following about this boldness:

Each Christian is to see the Father as my Father. We must see ourselves as God’s children and approach Him with the confidence of a child. A child with a loving parent is not afraid of that parent. Rather, children have the greatest trust that their parents love them no matter what. Even when they sin, children know they are still loved. This must be our fundamental starting point for all prayer. We must start with an understanding that God loves us no matter what. With this understanding of God, we will have all the confidence we need to call on Him.

Since many of us are very familiar with this ideal prayer taught to us by our Lord Himself, there is a temptation to pray this prayer in a somewhat rote way. We can easily fail to say it from the depths of our hearts, making each word our own, offered with the utmost confidence to our loving Father in Heaven.

How do you pray the Lord’s Prayer? Do you pray it out of habit, failing to fully comprehend and mean the words you pray? Most likely this is the case for many.

Reflect, today, upon this most holy prayer given to us by the Son of God Himself. He is the author of this perfect prayer, so we should use it as the foundation of all of our prayer. Try to follow the advice of Saint Teresa of Ávila quoted above. Take each word of that prayer and pray it slowly, intentionally and with love. Begin by acknowledging God as your Father. Ponder the infinite care He has for you as a perfect father would. See Him in a real, intimate, and personal way. This perfect prayer begins by acknowledging Who God is and then continues with seven perfect petitions. After praying the introduction to this prayer, pick one of the seven petitions to meditate upon so that the richness of this prayer will have a transformative effect upon your soul.

Source: https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/2024/10/08/the-perfect-prayer-3/

Luke 11:1 Read More »

Luke 10:40-42

Daily Reflections, Verse

Fidelity to Daily Prayer

Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

Reflection:

In many ways, this statement of our Lord summarizes the most important and central message of the Gospel. We are all called to choose “the better part” every day.

Jesus was close friends with Martha, Mary and Lazarus. He frequently visited their home, which was only a short distance from Jerusalem. On this occasion, when Jesus was visiting their home, one of these siblings, Mary, had placed herself at Jesus’ feet, listening to Him and conversing with Him. Martha was busy with the important details of hospitality and appeared to be upset with Mary, so she confronted Jesus, asking Him to tell Mary to help her. But in so doing, she was also unknowingly trying to dissuade Mary from the most important purpose of her life.

As Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, she gave us an example of the most important focus we must have in life. Though our days will be filled with many necessary duties, such as cooking, cleaning, working, entertainment, and caring for others, we must never forget that which we were made for and that which we will be doing for all eternity: adoration of our glorious God.

Consider all that occupies your day. Though most of what you do may be important, do you daily take time out to adore our Lord, listen to Him and glorify Him through your prayer? We can often make time for many other important duties in life, as well as those that are not so important. We may spend hours on chores, immerse ourselves in movies, devote whole evenings to reading, fulfill our duties in the workplace, but only devote a minute or two each day, if even that, to silent prayer and adoration of our God!

What would happen to your life if you chose “the better part” for a full hour every day? What if you decided that the first hour of your day would be dedicated to an imitation of Mary in the Gospel passage and that you would do nothing but adore Jesus through silent prayer and meditation? At first, you may think of the many other tasks you could be doing at that moment. You may decide that you do not have the time for extended prayer every day. But is that true? Perhaps you are actually being Martha to yourself, saying to yourself that you should do more important things with your time and that Jesus will understand if you do not spend time with Him alone in adoration and prayer every day. If that is you, then be very attentive to this Gospel passage. In many ways, Jesus deeply desires to say this about you. He wants to say of you that you have chosen the better part for an extended period of time every day and that this will not be taken from you.

Reflect, today, upon that which is most important in life. Dispel excuses and temptations to simply fulfill all the other important duties of life, neglecting that which is most important. Reflect upon the simple truth that Jesus does want you to devote much time to Him every day for silent prayer and adoration. Do not give into excuses and distractions. Commit yourself to remain at the feet of Jesus, adoring Him, listening to Him and loving Him. If you do, you will find that your life is more ordered and that the time you spend in prayer bears more good fruit than every other important duty you fulfill every day.

Source: https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/2024/10/07/fidelity-to-daily-prayer-3/

Luke 10:40-42 Read More »

Luke 10:25

Daily Reflections, Verse

Openness to the Gospel

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Reflection:

The question is very good. We should all seek to understand, with all our hearts, what we must do to inherit eternal life. Of course the problem is that this scholar of the law did not ask this question with sincerity and openness. Rather, he asked Jesus this question to test our Lord. This scholar, as well as other scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees and elders, was envious of Jesus and sought to find fault with Him. This scholar appeared to be concerned that Jesus was teaching contrary to the Law of Moses. But what does our Lord do? He says nothing more than to put the question back to the scholar, asking him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” The scholar answers correctly, according to the Law of Moses, and Jesus responds to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” Thus, the test was passed.

What’s interesting and helpful to ponder in this exchange is the way Jesus responds to this scholar. Because Jesus knew the scholar’s heart, and because He knew that this scholar was not asking with humility and openness, Jesus responded with great prudence, inviting the scholar of the law himself to answer his own question. Though we are not able to read another’s heart in the way our Lord did, we should learn a lesson from Him on how to respond to others who have as their goal to trick, trap, test, and twist our words if they disagree with us. This is especially important in matters of faith and morality. If you are striving to live the Gospel with all your heart and you encounter the “testing” of others as a result of the holy life you are striving for, ponder Jesus’ actions here. Too often, when another challenges us or tests us, we become defensive and even offended. As a result, we can enter into arguments back and forth that bear little or no fruit. Jesus did not argue. He did not allow this test to trip Him up. Rather, He only offered responses that could not be doubted. Jesus knew that this scholar was not interested in the deepest spiritual truths. He was only interested in finding fault. Therefore, the deeper and fuller Gospel message could not be offered.

We should also learn from this passage the importance of coming to Jesus with an open heart, sincerely seeking the deepest spiritual answers to life. We ought never test Jesus. Instead, in humility, we must believe that He is the source of all truth and that He has every answer in life that we seek.

Reflect, today, upon two things. First, reflect upon how completely open you are to all that Jesus has to say. If you were to ask our Lord this question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?,” what would Jesus say to you? Would He only be able to offer you general answers in the form of questions? Or would Jesus see the open and sincere nature of your heart and be able to speak in great depth and detail to you? Second, reflect upon anyone with whom you constantly have to defend yourself for the practice of your faith. If this is your experience, perhaps reexamine your approach, realizing that the deepest pearls of your faith should only be shared with those who are sincerely open and are seeking to embrace them with all their heart.

Source: https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/2024/10/06/openness-to-the-gospel-3/

Luke 10:25 Read More »

Mark 10:2

Daily Reflections, Verse

Authentic Love

The Pharisees approached Jesus and asked, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” They were testing him.

Reflection:

The Pharisees were not interested in the deepest truths of God. They were only interested in twisting God’s truths in an attempt to prove their own self-righteousness. The question they posed to Jesus was a trap, but Jesus doesn’t fall into it. He asks them what Moses taught about the love in marriage and then explains that their understanding of Moses’ teaching was based on the hardness of their hearts and not the original intent of God as was revealed in the beginning.

Our Church’s teaching regarding the indissolubility of marriage flows from the teachings found in the Book of Genesis, subsequently confirmed and clarified by Jesus in today’s Gospel. When a true marriage bond is established by the free and total consent of a man and woman, that bond can only be separated by death.

From a much broader perspective, the marriage bond of which Jesus speaks also reveals to us the depth of commitment that God has made to each one of us and the reciprocal commitment He invites us to make. God’s covenant offered to us is freely given, total, and irrevocable. This is important to understand. God will never change His mind when it comes to the commitment He has made to each one of us. For our part, we must continuously seek to reciprocate that commitment by giving ourselves to the will of God in the same way.

Though much more could be said about this exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees regarding earthly marriage, we must also see in this exchange a common trap that we will encounter in our marital covenant with God and our love of others. Just as the Pharisees used the law of marriage to try to trap Jesus in His speech, caring nothing about the deeper truths that this teaching revealed, we can also use the Law of God in a way that reveals our own hardness of heart. Love, be it that of marriage or the love that is the basis of our union with God, can easily be used as a weapon rather than a source of unity. Regarding others, we can easily fall into the trap of using the precepts of love as a source of manipulation and persuasion. “If you loved me, then you would…” Regarding our love of God, we can often reduce our love into a reluctant following of God’s most basic laws, such as “I have to go to church.”

If love is to be pure and holy, it must rise above erroneous interpretations of love and be lived in the way it was intended to be lived. Pure love is always self-giving. It is sacrificial. It always looks to the good of the other. Love is total and must be irrevocable. Love forges a bond that should never be broken. It must endure everything and is possible only when it is grounded in the love that God has for us.

Reflect, today, upon the way that you love. Does the hardness of your heart lead you to misrepresent the love God wants you to share with others? Do you minimize the requirements of love? Is your love total, irrevocable, and freely given? Is your love self-seeking or self-giving? Reflect upon the pure and holy nature of the love God has offered to you, and recommit yourself to offer this same depth of love to God and to others so that the covenants that result from your love will always endure.

Source: https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/2024/10/05/authentic-love-4/

Mark 10:2 Read More »

Luke 11:37-40

Interior Transformation

Luke 11:29-30

A Sign From God

Mark 10:24-27

Exceedingly Astonished

Luke 11:27-28

Living a Truly Blessed Life

Luke 11:23

Overcoming "Neutrality"

Luke 11:5-6

Praying with Fervor and Detachment

Luke 11:1

The Perfect Prayer

Luke 10:40-42

Fidelity to Daily Prayer

Luke 10:25

Openness to the Gospel

Mark 10:2

Authentic Love

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