|
Of this at least I am certain, that no one has ever died who was not destined to die some time. Now the end of life puts the longest life on a par with the shortest… And of what consequence is it what kind of death puts an end to life, since he who has died once is not forced to go
through the same ordeal a second time? … They, then, who are destined to die, need not be careful to inquire what death they are to die, but into what place death will usher them.
- St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430), The City of God
(Learn to make friends with death. Recall each day that both life and death belong to Christ, and if you belong to him in life, you will belong to Him in death.)
|
|
|
ACTS 15:22-31; PS 57:8-9, 10 AND 12
JN 15:12-17
Jesus said to his disciples:
"This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one's life for one's friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you
friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another."
USCCB Lectionary
|
|
|
John 15:12-17 (Love one another)
Thousands of pages of reflection have been written about Jesus Christ and the meaning of his revelation for us. Jesus sums up everything in today’s reading, briefly and succinctly! We are
to bear fruit for the glory of God, for God has chosen us to share with one another his love for us.
• A pious tradition suggests that at the end of our lives, when we stand before God, he will ask us only one question: ‘Have you lived your life in such a way as to show others that I loved you?” Using this past week as the basis for your answer, how will you
respond?
• Do you believe that God has chosen you to be one of his friends? How do you experience this?
3rd edition pocketbook, trade book, Kindle, eBook.
|
|
|
|
|
|
God and I: Exploring the Connections between God, Self and Ego, by Philip St. Romain, 2016 (2nd
ed.) ____________ Chapter 7: The Journey to Belonging: The Ego-God Relationship Love's Boundaries
The paradigm for relationship with God in the Bible is called a covenant. It is similar to a contract, but stronger in its binding influence upon parties. Two people entering into
covenant become like family to one another, with certain expectations made known. So it is between God and Israel, the Ten Commandments being the terms of the covenant God made with Moses. Fidelity to the Commandments would enable the Hebrews to enjoy the gifts of intimacy and protection God held out to them; being unfaithful would rupture the terms of the covenant, breaking the boundaries within which such intimacy was to be enjoyed. The Ten Commandments, then, articulate the kinds of boundaries one could reasonably expect God to share with a people God was entering into covenant with. They resonate with what is basic and necessary for sustaining healthy, intimate relationships. As such, they also grate against some of the innate tendencies of our false self conditioning, and thus support our efforts to live
authentically. There is to be no disapproving/shaming one another, for example, as that is a kind of violence. The emphasis on honesty also goes against the manipulative ways of the false self, and the First Commandment’s principle of putting God first moves us toward God-centeredness rather than a Persona-based identity. Hardback, paperback, eBook and free preview versions.
|
|
|
|
|
