A WORD FOR TODAY 6 JANUARY 2022

https://youtu.be/wUMME_c2PSc

*A WORD FOR TODAY*

*IF YOU TRULY LOVE GOD, YOU CAN NEVER HATE ANYONE*

_"If 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"(1 John 4:20)_

_*True love is seen and experienced and not just spoken about. If you want people to understand what you mean when you talk about love, you must show them something practical that they could feel and probably have experienced.*_

_In the case of God, the love He has for us has been shown through the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He gave His only begotten Son to come and die in order to reconcile us with the Father. This is sacrificial love and that is true love in action._

_*St. John reminds us in the first reading of today, that our profession of love for God must go beyond mere rhetorics. If we claim to love God, we must show it in the love we have for our neighbour. It is by truly loving our neighbour with the love of God that we can show God that we love Him.*_

_You cannot claim to love God by being in the church everyday praying and doing God's work while your neighbour at home is going hungry or is naked without any clothes to put on. Such prayer and work will not make any sense before God._

_*If you truly love God you cannot go about hating people and treating them badly. You must be like Christ, whom the gospel reading tells us has come to set the captives free, proclaim the good news to the poor and restore the sight of the blind. His mission is to do good and that is what true love is all about.*_

_Therefore, make Christ's mission your mission. Love more, quarrel no more, forgive and let go. Work for peace and be compassionate. In this way you will be like Jesus who through His life has shown us what true love is._

_*Good morning dearest one. Smile😊as you do your work and do have a lovely day. May Jesus give you the grace to love more and hate no one. Amen. And may the Almighty God bless you: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.*_

*Meditation:* 1 John 4:19-5:4/Psalm 72:1-2,14-15,17/Luke 4:14-22

_*God has shown us love and we ard bound to love others as He has loved us.*_

(Thursday after Epiphany. January 6, 2022)