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Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful!
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   20040108
Thursday.blog

The Catholic Calendar for Thursday, January 8, 2004
Thursday after Epiphany


Scripture from the Mass during the day:
1 John 4:19--5:4
Psalm 72:1-2,14-15,17
Luke 4:14-22

A reflection on today's sacred scripture:

"If anyone says 'I Love God' but hates his brother, he is a liar."

Strong language from the first letter of John today. Strong, but necessary.

People too readily give in to petty annoyances and small hatreds. We dislike somebody because of some perceived slight. We may dislike someone because they resemble someone who once did us some harm.

But our law is love. Love beyond bounds. Love beyond our zone of comfort. Unrelenting, unbounded, completely unexpecting love--love that shows itself in works. St. Therese of Lisieux taught us the corollary to James's "Faith without works is dead." So too is love.

So, if we love our brother or sister, we work to see that their needs are met. And by those needs we mean more than simply the material comforts of life--although those must be met first to sustain life. We mean also their spiritual and emotional needs. That means we make ourselves vulnerable. We open ourselves to hurt and to harm. And we do so knowing that God is with us and no real harm can come to us. God is our strength and our shield and love is the weapon we wield for the transformation of the world. We must stride boldly into the battlefield of Angels and Powers and use love to drive out the shadows. We must think beyond our petty selves and seek to immolate the entire earth in His boundless love.

- JuandelaCruz

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