Daily Office Readings for Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Easter: Year 1
Morning, Psalms 26 and 28; Evening, Psalms 36 and 39;
Daniel 4:28 to 37; 1st John 4:7 to 21; Luke 4:31 to 37:
“Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.” (1st John 4:11 to 13)
Notice that the writer doesn’t say that since God loved us so much we ought to love God. But rather, he says that since God loves us so much, that we ought to love each other as well. The writer is saying that God sees value in each of us even if we can’t see it in each other. He says that if we love one another that God lives in us. Wow! This moves me to at least see in every human being a place reserved for God, whether the other person realizes it or not.
A few years ago our parish hosted a Vacation Bible School. We were blessed to have about 15 children attend. One little boy stands out for me. He was very talkative and had an extraordinary vocabulary. In one of the stories we told them there was a search for God. Finally, the teacher announced that she found God. They all wanted to see God. The teacher handed them little mirrors. Upon seeing himself in the mirror, the little boy said, “This is impossible!” We truly are vessels of love. “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us.” We have the potential for being small portions of God’s love. In this way we make heaven manifest right here on earth. Thank You Lord Jesus for your example of love.
Also, according to the writer of 1st John, there is a place in God where we are present. I hope our presence in God does not corrupt God. We, all humanity, need a continuously loving God. We mortals are not always loving; to one another, or to God. It would be sad to poison the pure love of God. Truthfully however, I don’t think we can. God would not give us that kind of power. But if we are loving, God will take us in and let us dwell within God, forever. Therefore, our work here on earth, and in this life, is to learn to be as loving as we can possibly be.
Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, South Sudan and our schools.
As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
onewhoponders 