Self-knowledge and self-love are the fruit of knowing and loving God. You can see better then what is intended by the great commandment to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself.” Laying our hearts totally open to God leads to a love of ourselves that enables us to give wholehearted love to our fellow human beings. In the seclusion of our hearts we learn to know the hidden presence of God; and with that spiritual knowledge we can lead a loving life.
Verse of the day
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.
– 1 John 4:18
Voice of the day
I need a love that is troubled by injustice … A love that has no tolerance for hate, no excuses for racist decisions, no contentment in the status quo. I need a love that is fierce in its resilience and sacrifice. I need a love that chooses justice.
– Austin Channing Brown, “I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness” (2018)
Prayer of the day
Remind us this day that love is the answer to injustice and that perfect love, embodied by you and living in us, casts out all fear.
It is necessary that at the beginning of this fast, the Lord should show Himself to us in His mercy. The purpose of Lent is not only expiation, to satisfy the divine justice, but above all a preparation to rejoice in His love. And this preparation consists in receiving the gift of His mercy — a gift which we receive in so far as we open our hearts to it, casting out what cannot remain in the same room with mercy.
Now one of the things we must cast out first of all is fear. Fear narrows the little entrance of our heart. It shrinks up our capacity to love. It freezes up our power to give ourselves. If we were terrified of God as an inexorable judge, we would not confidently await His mercy, or approach Him trustfully in prayer. Our peace, our joy in Lent are a guarantee of grace.
In laying upon us the light cross of ashes, the Church desires to take off our shoulders all other heavy burdens — the crushing load of worry and obsessive guilt, the dead weight of our own self-love. We should not take upon ourselves a ‘burden’ of penance and stagger into Lent as if we were Atlas, carrying the whole world on his shoulders.
Perhaps there is a small likelihood of our doing so. But in any case, penance is conceived by the Church less as a burden than as a liberation. It is only a burden to those who take it up unwillingly. Love makes it light and happy. And that is another reason why Ash Wednesday is filled with the lightness of love.
~ Thomas Merton, From Seasons of Celebration
Thank you for sharing this quote/reflection Ignatius House.
Verse of the day
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
– Hebrews 11:1
Voice of the day
Hope is a song in a weary throat. Give me a song of hope and a world where I can sing it.
– Pauli Murray
Prayer of the day
We will not lose hope, even as we live in this weary world. For we have faith in your goodness, God, and conviction in your power.
Verse of the day
My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
– Psalm 139:15
Voice of the day
In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.
– Thurgood Marshall
Prayer of the day
Lord, help us to see the humanity in our fellow beings. May we see your creative works in those around us.
“The true battlefield where violence and peace meet is the human heart.”—Pope Francis
“Western civilization, unfortunately, does not link knowledge and morality, it connects knowledge and power and makes them equivalent.”—Vine Deloria Jr.
Some thoughts from Thich Nhat Hanh as we traverse the interior and exterior world today.
Peace and compassion go hand in hand with understanding and non-discrimination. We choose one thing over another when we discriminate. With the eyes of compassion, we can look at all of living reality at once. A compassionate person sees himself or herself in every being. With the ability to view reality from many viewpoints, we can overcome all viewpoints and act compassionately in each situation. (The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh, p. 146)
“As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world—that is the myth of the ‘atomic age’—as in being able to remake ourselves.”—Michael Nagler
Some food for thought as so many people are focused on what’s in it for me…
Be generous to the poor orphans and those in need. The man to whom our Lord has been liberal ought not to be stingy. We shall one day find in Heaven as much rest and joy as we ourselves have dispensed in this life. — St Ignatius of Loyola
