are you loving?
"There are in the end three things that last: faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love." —1 Corinthians 13:13
Without love we are nothing (1 Cor 13:2), and we gain nothing (1 Cor 13:3). "The man without love has known nothing of God, for God is Love" (1 Jn 4:8). Therefore, we all like to think of ourselves as loving. Yet are we actually loving?
Signs of true love are:
- suffering patiently a long time for others (1 Cor 13:4 in the Greek),
- kindly bearing others' burdens (1 Cor 13:4 in the Greek),
- forgiving others and not counting how many times they have injured us (1 Cor 13:5),
- choosing entertainment in which we rejoice "with the truth" (1 Cor 13:6),
- loving our enemies (Mt 5:44),
- loving practically the least of our brothers and sisters (Mt 25:40), and
- sharing our faith, the greatest gift we have.
These are major signs of true love. If you find that you are loving, thank God for His grace and mercy. To God be the glory! If it seems that you are not very loving, neither ignore it nor despair. Repent! The Lord will forgive your lack of love and expect you only to try to accept His grace to grow in love. Love, and love more deeply, for God is Love (1 Jn 4:16).
Prayer: Father, send the Holy Spirit to reveal any self-deception in my life regarding love.
Promise: "Upright is the word of the Lord, and all His works are trustworthy." —Ps 33:4
Praise: The blood of St. Januarius, a martyr, liquefies and bubbles each year on his feast day, and on other occasions, when exposed in the Naples Cathedral.
Rescript: †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, December 15, 2017
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