love letters
"This, remember, is the message you heard from the beginning: we should love one another." —1 John 3:11
Love is laying down our lives for our brothers and sisters (1 Jn 3:16). If we have this love, we know we have passed from death to life (1 Jn 3:14). If we do not love, we are "among the living dead" (1 Jn 3:14). Love is not just talk, but actions (1 Jn 3:18). If we have love in action, we know "we are committed to the truth and are at peace before" God (1 Jn 3:19). Therefore, love is a sign of true commitment to God and true peace in Him.
Because God is Love (1 Jn 4:16) and love is the essence of the Christian life, "love never fails" (1 Cor 13:8). Therefore, "seek eagerly after love" (1 Cor 14:1). Seek the Holy Spirit, Who pours out God's love in our hearts (Rm 5:5; Gal 5:22). Then we will be able to love others, even our enemies (Mt 5:44), for we "love because He first loved us" (1 Jn 4:19).
Prayer: Father, You are Love. Help me to live in love and live in You (1 Jn 4:16).
Promise: "We have found the One Moses spoke of in the law — the prophets too — Jesus, Son of Joseph, from Nazareth." —Jn 1:45
Praise: St. John lay down his life for others by his devotion to God's people. This devotion led him to establish schools and parish churches in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our tape Love on audio AV 58-1 or video V-58.)
Rescript: †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, July 27, 2011
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