Forum on Christianity and Spirituality
February 6, 2025, 7:30 p.m. CST Topic: The World Religions: Similarities and Differences See https://shalomplace.com/inetmin/forum.html for more information and registration.
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Message of the Day
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Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.
- Helen Keller (What might that purpose be for you?)
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Readings of the Day
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Hebrews 10:1-10; Psalm 40:2, 4ab, 7-8a, 10,
11 Mark 3:31-35 The mother and brothers of Jesus arrived and, standing outside, sent in a message asking for him. A crowd was sitting round him at the time the message was passed to him, ‘Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside asking for you.’ He replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking round at those sitting in a circle about him, he said, ‘Here are my
mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and
mother.’ USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture
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“Whoever does the will of God is brother and sister and mother to Me.” —Mark 3:35 God is Love (1 Jn 4:8, 16).
He made us in His image, in the image of Love (Gn 1:27). Therefore, we are made for love and are automatically looking for love. So we are happy if we know we are loved, but are brokenhearted if we think we are not loved. Because of His love for us, the Lord wants us to abide in Love and in Him (1 Jn 4:16). Therefore, He became a man, died on the cross for love of us, and rose from the dead for love of us (see Phil 2:6-9). Thus He has given
us an intimacy with Him which is beyond human words and ideas. God the Father has even adopted us as His sons and daughters (Eph 1:5). If we do His will, we become Jesus’ mothers, brothers, and sisters (Mk 3:35). Jesus loves us so much that He gives us His Body and Blood in Holy Communion. He will come back to take us to be with Him in the everlasting love of heaven. The Lord cannot love us any more than He does. His love for us is
infinite, perfect, unconditional, crucified, and eternal. The purpose of our lives is to enter into and live in God’s love and “be able to grasp fully, with all the holy ones, the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ’s love, and experience this love” (Eph 3:18-19). Live in love (Jn 15:9-10). Be yourself. Be happy. Live in God forever. Prayer: Father, send the Holy
Spirit to produce in me the fruit of love (Gal 5:22). Promise: “I have come to do Your will, O God.” —Heb 10:7 Presentation Ministries
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Spiritual Reading
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The Practice of the Presence of God: The Best Rule of Holy Life, by Brother Lawrence (1611 - 1691). Christian Classics Ethereal Library.
https://ccel.org/ccel/lawrence/practice/practice Fourth Conversation
The manner of going to God. * Hearty renunciation. * Prayer and praise prevent discouragement. * Sanctification in common business. * Prayer and the presence of God. * The whole substance of religion. * Self-estimation *
Further personal experience. That his prayer was nothing else but a sense of the presence of GOD, his soul being at that time insensible to everything but Divine love: and that when the appointed times of prayer were past, he found no difference, because he still continued with GOD, praising and blessing Him with all his might, so that he passed his life in continual joy; yet hoped that GOD would give him somewhat to
suffer, when he should grow stronger.
That we ought, once for all, heartily to put our whole trust in GOD, and make a total surrender of ourselves to Him, secure that He would not deceive us.
That we ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of GOD, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed.
That we should not wonder if, in the beginning, we often failed in our endeavours, but that at last we should gain a habit, which will naturally produce its acts in us, without our care, and to our exceeding great delight.
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