Abounding in Love

In today's first reading, 1 Thes 3:7-13, St. Paul tells the Thessalonians that he is praying that God may increase their love for one another and that they will abound in love for one another as well! Imagine Jesus saying to you:

"(Insert your name), I ask you that your love for others increases and that you abound in love so that you will be blameless in holiness when, with all the saints, you enter my Presence eternally.  That necessarily means that I want you, also, and above all, to increase your love for yourself. Why? Because without loving yourself, you will be unable to extend love to others. Healthy love of self is a prerequisite to loving others.  When you thrive in love for yourself, you are nonjudgmental of yourself, gentle, caring, and understanding of self.  You then, also, care for yourself with appropriate eating, exercising, relaxing, and sleeping and also by developing supportive relationships. Healthy self-love is also reflected in the way you dress.  Self-respect, an essential part of love, abounds and, so, too, then, does respect for others.  I want all of this of you!

"When you enter my Eternal Dwelling Place in heaven, I will give you a glorified body, revealing that my love for you, then and now, is plentiful. In short,  I want you to imitate me on earth in how you relate to yourself and others. And my love for you is unconditional. So, too, must yours be!"

"A Time to Die" to Being Judgmental

In today's first reading, Ecclesiastes 3: 1-11,  the author states that there is "a time to be born and a  time to die."  The thought came to me that, given what is happening in the world of our day,  it is especially the time to die to judging others.  For instance, it is easy to point fingers at those involved in the nomination of a new justice to the Supreme Court, or to judge the President or members of congress or of the  Senate or leaders anywhere in the world or to judge those who do not embrace the political party in which we believe.  However, when we have a finger pointing at others, three fingers are pointing at ourselves.  The sinner that we need to convert, so to speak, is ourselves, not other persons. The Lord rejoices over one sinner repenting of his/her sin; let that one sinner be myself!  May I change from being the publican boasting of not being like that person over there to being the one who is saying to God:  "Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I have sinned."  God's mercy is infinite!  God's arms are open to embrace the sinner, as the father of the prodigal son embraced his son upon his return to him after a life of debauchery and sinful pleasures.  May I be that prodigal son/daughter!

What's on the Inside of our "Cups"

In today's Gospel, Luke 11: 37-41,  Jesus confronts the Pharisees for cleansing the outside of the cup while the inner self is filled with evil!  God sees what is inside of each one of us! As I was meditating my mind went to asking: what's on the inside of so-and-so and so-and-so?  "Wait a minute," I said to myself! Jesus is talking to you! What evil exist within you? Pride? Envy? Jealousy? Prejudice? Any hatred? any sexism? Any racism? Selfishness?  Cleanse your inner self, Dorothy Ann (insert your name)!  God alone is judge! God alone sees what is in each person's heart! The task and work that each of us needs to do is repent--come to the Lord repentant and humble of heart, knowing that God alone saves us and knows what our motivations are, even before we do!

Lord, have mercy on each of us, especially when we act as judge of someone else!