SPIRITUAL EXCERCISES & RSV BIBLE EXTRACTS - WEEK 100
STARTS THURSDAY 24th DECEMBER 2009
Weekly message No. 95 (19th December 1985).
Fifth step: Love of neighbour as a sign of surrender to God.
“Dear children! Today I wish to call you to love of neighbour. The more you will to love your neighbour, the more you shall experience Jesus especially on Christmas Day. God will bestow great gifts on you if you surrender yourselves to Him. I wish in a special way on Christmas Day to give mothers my own special motherly blessing, and Jesus will bless the rest with His own blessing. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
PRACTICAL:
Before Christmas, show your love for Jesus by doing charitable works for those in need.
Thursday: Do not profane sacred things.
Matthew 7:6.
6“Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack you.”
Cf. Proverbs 23:9.
9Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.
Friday: To love Jesus means to keep his commandments, especially love for each other.
John 14:21-23.
21He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him. 22Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, "Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world? 23Jesus answered him, if a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
Saturday: The great commandment: love of God and love of neighbour.
Luke 10:25-37.
25And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read?” 27And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.” 28And he said to him, “You have answered right; do this, and you will live.” 29But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?” 30Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, 34and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbour to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37He said, “The one who showed mercy on him.” And Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Sunday: We must love because God loved us first.
1 John 4:7-12.
7Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God. 8He who does not love does not know God; for God is love. 9In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins. 11Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No man has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
Monday: We cannot love God unless we love our neighbour.
1 John 4:19-21.
19We love, because he first loved us. 20If any one says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21And this commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should love his brother also.
Tuesday: A life of brotherly love in the service of the Lord.
Romans 12:8-16.
8He who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who contributes, in liberality; he who gives aid, with zeal; he who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. 9Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord. 12Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality. 14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; never be conceited.
Wednesday: The blessings of peace, joy and happiness.
Isaiah 66:12-14.
12For thus says the LORD: “Behold, I will extend prosperity to her like a river, and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall suck, you shall be carried upon her hip, and dandled upon her knees. 13As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. 14You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice; your bones shall flourish like the grass; and it shall be known that the hand of the LORD is with his servants, and his indignation is against his enemies.”
Cf. Acts 3:25-26.
25“You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God gave to your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your posterity shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ 26God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you in turning every one of you from your wickedness.”