January 10, 2020

Jan. 10

January 10, 2020:  Friday after Epiphany

See 16 connections with today?
Legend below
Listen
For Psalm 147
John, who understood and experienced love and how it manifested itself, tells us how we love and have been loved.  We can love because he loved us first; if he hadn't loved us, we couldn't love.  Parents love their children first; it gives birth to and increases our capacity to love.  John also says, if you say, "I love God" but hate your brother, you're a liar; he doesn't say ‘rude’ or ‘wrong’ but ‘liar.’  The Bible defines ‘liar’ as the way of the devil, the Great Liar, father of lies.

 Many justify not loving:  "People hurt me or are rude or crude.”  But remember the concrete nature of love:  “Whoever doesn't love a brother he's seen can't love God whom he hasn't seen.”  If you can't love people, you can't tell us you love God.   Some don't love because they don't want to meddle in others' lives, but love expresses itself by doing good.  Love is expressed in daily live, with its problems and its feelings of affection and dislike.  "It's good not to do evil, but it's bad not to do good.  Love must lead you to do good, to dirty your hands in works of love” (St. Albert Hurtado).

 It's hard, but through faith we can prevail over a mentality that keeps us from loving.  People who are indifferent, who wash their hands of problems, who don't want to help, who don't love their neighbor, don't undertake the path of faith.  Lord, help us know you love us first, and give us courage to love others.

 Read


  • 1 Jn 5:5-13  The one who believes Jesus is God's Son is victor.  The Spirit, the water, and the Blood testify God gave us eternal life in his Son.  Whoever possesses the Son has life.
  • Ps 147:12-15, 19-20  "Praise the Lord, Jerusalem."  God has strengthened your gates, blessed your children, given you peace, and filled you with the best of wheat.
  • Lk 5:12-16  A leper saw Jesus, fell prostrate, and pleaded with him:  “Lord, you can make me clean.”  Jesus touched and cleansed him.  News spread, crowds came to listen and be cured, and he withdrew to deserted places to pray.
Reflect
  • Creighton:  We can often predict the consequences of our choices.  But we have the capacity to choose the right, even if it's costly.  We can choose, as Jesus did, to be with and for the other.  Lord, give me the courage to be mindful of others' needs, even when I'm busy.  Let me love and give as you taught me, whatever the cost.
    Christ cleansing a leper/ Doze
  • One Bread, One Body:  "Testimony":  The purpose of life is to believe Jesus is the Son of God and so receive eternal life.  The Trinity has testified Jesus is the Son of God.  When Jesus was baptized, the Father testified Jesus is his beloved Son.  When Jesus shed his blood, the centurion testified: "Clearly this man was the Son of God!" "Jesus Christ came through water and blood, not water only, but water and in blood.  The Spirit testifies to this, and the Spirit is Truth."  Jesus expects us to see from his life and Scripture that he's the Son of God. "Whoever doesn't believe God has made him a liar by refusing to believe in the testimony he's given on his own Son's behalf."  "I wrote this to make you realize you possess eternal life, you who believe in the name of the Son of God."  Ask the Holy Spirit for power to testify for Jesus.  Don't miss an opportunity to help others receive eternal life by coming to faith.
  • Passionist:  Just as God’s words of creation took flesh in light, stars, seas, land, animals, and people, and the Word of God became flesh, our words also take flesh.  Sometimes bullies' words take flesh with disastrous results, even suicide, but other times words bring healing, compassion, and hope. How we talk to ourselves, how we talk to and about others, and how we talk to and about God all matter.  Especially amid insults, degradation, and vilification, I need to resist the impulse to insult, demean, or disrespect.  I need to pray for strength to imitate Jesus and stand up for others.  I need to bring God’s healing power to every interaction.  I need to meet, talk with, learn from, and befriend people of different races, cultures, economic statuses, and backgrounds and hear what God speaks to them.  I need to be a transparent instrument of the Word become flesh.  We must go farther and do more to fulfill the mission of discipleship.  We need to challenge and support each other and hold each other accountable.  We need prayer and reliance on Christ. We need open eyes, courageous mouths, soft hearts, and fearless wills.  Commit yourself to diligence in becoming a transparent mouthpiece of the Word made flesh.  God needs your words and actions.  Don't let the Word be silenced....

  • DailyScripture.net:  "Lord, you can make me clean":  No one who sought Jesus was refused.  Jesus' contemporaries fled at the sight of a leper, but he touched this leper and cleansed him.  Lepers were outcasts, driven away and left to fend for themselves; they were shunned and regarded as dead.  But this leper approached Jesus confidently, expecting healing, and instead of being stoned or warded off, he was cleansed and felt God's love and tenderness in his touch.  Though contacting the leper would have been seen as risking infection, Jesus met the man with compassion and kindness.  The Lord is always ready to show mercy and free us from what makes us unclean, unapproachable, or unloving.  How do I approach those who seem hard to love, or who others shun?
    Dress legend
    • 'Dove' tie pin:  The Spirit testifies (1st reading)
    • 'Blood drop/Red Cross' pin:  The blood testifies (1st reading); Jesus healed the leper (gospel)
    • 'Happy birthday, Jesus' and 'prize' pins:  The one who believes Jesus is God's Son is victor (1st reading); Jesus heals leper (gospel)
      • Blue and white shirt, white socks: Blue for water that testifies (1st reading), white for liturgical color of today and Christmas season
      • 'Wheat' pin:  God fills you with the best of wheat (psalm)
      • 'Peace sign' tie bar:  God granted peace in your borders (psalm)
      • 'Cage' pin:  God has strengthened the bars of your gates (psalm)
      • 'Runner' tie pin:   Swiftly runs his word! (psalm)
        • 'Children around Christmas tree' tie:  "God has blessed your children" (psalm), Christmas season
        • 'Hand' tie pin:  Jesus stretched out his hand and cleansed the leper (gospel)
        • 'Star' tie pin:  Star guiding the magi (Epiphanytide)
        • 'Noël' pin, 'clocks' suspenders:  It's Christmas season through Sunday
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