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Perfect love means putting up with other peoples shortcomings, feeling no surprise at their weaknesses, finding encouragement even in the slightest evidence of good qualities in them.
- St. Therese of Lisieux
(If you're still looking for a good New Year resolution, here's a good one.)
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1 Jn 4:11-18; Ps 72:1-2, 10, 12-13
Mk 6:45-52
After the five thousand had eaten and were satisfied,
Jesus made his disciples get into the boat
and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida,
while he dismissed the crowd.
And when he had taken leave of them,
he went off to the mountain to pray.
When it was evening,
the boat was far out on the sea and he was alone on shore.
Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing,
for the wind was against them.
About the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them walking on the sea.
He meant to pass by them.
But when they saw him walking on the sea,
they thought it was a ghost and cried out.
They had all seen him and were terrified.
But at once he spoke with them,
“Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!”
He got into the boat with them and the wind died down.
They were completely astounded.
They had not understood the incident of the loaves.
On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.
USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture
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- memorial of St. John Neumann
“Beloved, if God has loved us so, we must have the same love for one another.” —1 John 4:11
St. John Neumann, at the age of forty-one, reflected God’s love for others (1 Jn 4:11), and took to heart the Lord’s command to go and teach all nations (see Mk 16:15). As bishop of Philadelphia, he reorganized the existing parochial school system under the diocese, and the number of pupils increased by almost twenty-fold shortly thereafter. St. John Neumann could testify that God’s love is brought to
perfection in us (1 Jn 4:12) when we give our “all” to bring His Kingdom to a disordered world.
When we, out of love, give all that we have (Lk 21:4) to obtain Jesus our Treasure (Mt 13:44), we will receive the resources, both physical and spiritual, to accomplish God’s will (see e.g. Eph 1:3; Phil 4:19).
When we have our lives in right order, a godly order, when we receive and obey our instructions from Jesus, He multiplies our faith (see Mt 25:29). Then He multiplies our works done in obedience and love. This is as He has told us: whoever “has faith in Me will do the works I do, and greater far than these” (Jn 14:12).
Therefore, love one another as God has commanded (1 Jn 4:11). Lovingly give Jesus your all. “Serve the needs of all” (Mk 10:44) and see Jesus multiply your deeds of love (Mt 13:33).
Prayer: Father, give me the grace to die to my selfish agenda and work for You alone.
Promise: “If we love one another God dwells in us, and His love is brought to perfection in us.” —1 Jn 4:12
Praise: During the Nineteenth Century, St. John Neumann labored tirelessly as he ministered to Catholic immigrants. He was canonized by Pope St. Paul VI in 1977.
Presentation Ministries
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Growing in Inner Freedom: A Guide for Today
- by Philip St. Romain. Liguori Publ., 1986.
22. Praise God!
One of the scribes. . . decided to ask him (Jesus), “Which is the first of all commandments?” Jesus replied: “This is the first:
‘. . . You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength’”
(Mark 12:28,30).
If I were asked to pick one single spiritual practice as the most essential for sustaining love and freedom in our human relationships, it would have to be the praise of God. Unfortunately, praise is often neglected either because people have not been taught about its importance, or because they have been scandalized by many today who go about saying “Praise the Lord!” at the drop of a hat—often at
inappropriate times.
Praise means directing our entire being toward God, focusing only on God for God’s sake. This is quite different from the other forms of prayer in which our focus is only indirectly on God. Meditation focuses on God and the meaning of his Word; petition focuses on God and our needs, wants, and anxieties; thanksgiving focuses on God and his gifts; sorrow focuses on God and our wrongs. It is good and necessary that we approach God in meditation, petition, gratitude, and sorrow,
but there is always an element of self-concern in such prayers. Only praise takes us out of ourselves into that “cloud of unknowing” where the God within and without lives and moves and gives us our being.
Living a life of praise is made possible through prayer of praise. For instruction on how one can learn to praise God, the mystics of the ages are very helpful guides. What they suggest is that praise is like sitting in a theater attempting to watch God on center stage. Initially, our thoughts, fears, and other distractions are like people in the rows before us who keep standing up and moving around, blocking our view. If we fuss at them or pay them too much attention, we
will miss what’s happening on stage. Meditation, petition, thanksgiving, and sorrow will help some of these busybodies get settled down, freeing us then to simply gaze in love at our sweet, mysterious Beloved with an unobstructed view.
Regarding distractions that persist, the mystics say that we should not fight with them, nor gaze directly at them. To do so would take our focus off center stage and give our distractions even more power. What we must do is exactly what we do in a real theater; namely, direct our attention around them as we let them move out of the way. If we persist in this effort to give God our total attention in love, the Lord himself will eventually draw us into new and wonderful depths
of awareness of his presence in our lives.
Very often we hear people say that they can sense God in others, or God in creation. Praise enables us to move from this vague sense of the Creator’s presence in creation to an awareness of how creation relates to the Creator. No longer do we “see God in all things;” a person of praise now begins to see how all things fit together “in God.” Praise enables this God-centered seeing and knowing because praise gives God access to all our bodily, mental, and spiritual
faculties. Simple things like the beauty and sweetness of flowers, the taste of good food, the quality of music, and the love of others take on new delicious and exquisite qualities.
When the compass needle of the spirit points toward God, our bodily and mental faculties function harmoniously. In a very real sense, then, praise leads us to that harmony with God and creation lost by our ancestors but restored through Christ’s redemption and the gift of the Holy Spirit. That is why Jesus proclaimed the praise (love) of God as the first and greatest commandment of all.
Suggested Practices
- After taking time for prayer of meditation, petition, thanksgiving, and sorrow, spend at least fifteen minutes praising God as described above. Inhale deeply, saying, “Lord, God;” exhale saying “Praise you, Lord God.” Eventually drop all words except “God,” or “Jesus,” simply letting God call your soul to feast in his love and light. Do this every day and your soul will begin to easily slip
into praise.
- Praise God in other people and in his creation each day.
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