If you are interested, please contact Jerry at (513) 659-9270 or email him at jerrycappel@fuse.net.
Wednesday, December 29, 2021, St. Thomas Becket
1 John 2:3-11
Psalm 96:1-3, 5-6
Luke 2:22-35
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CHRISTMAS LOVE AND EVANGELIZATION
"Now, Master, You can dismiss Your servant in peace; You have fulfilled Your word. For my eyes have witnessed Your saving deed." —Luke 2:29-30
Most people associate Christmas with love. All of us like to think of ourselves as being loving. Most people even say that love is the meaning of life. But what is love?
Love is not necessarily a feeling. It is not usually expressed in sexual attraction or sexual relations. It is not merely being nice to people or doing good deeds for others.
Love is the nature of God, for God is Love (1 Jn 4:8, 16). Love is a share in the divine nature (see 2 Pt 1:4). It is a theological virtue. It is both a gift and a commandment (see 1 Jn 4:19-21). Love is a way of life. We must abide in it (1 Jn 4:16). Love is usually expressed in actions, but not in random, miscellaneous actions. Love is primarily concerned about others’ greatest need: to be saved and sanctified.
Therefore, if we don’t share our faith in Jesus, it would be difficult to maintain that we are loving. For example, if we have food but don’t give it to a starving person, how can we be loving? (Jas 2:15-16) If we have faith but don’t share it with a person away from God, how can we be loving? Most practically, love means caring enough to share our faith in Jesus with as many people as possible.
Prayer: Father, this Christmas time, send the Holy Spirit to make me a loving person by Your standards.
Promise: "The man who continues in the light is the one who loves his brother; there is nothing in him to cause a fall." —1 Jn 2:10
Praise: St. Thomas Becket was both friend and foe of King Henry II. As Archbishop of Canterbury, he rejected the king's intrusion into Church affairs. He was assassinated in his cathedral.
(For a related teaching on Love, listen to, download or order our CD 58-1 or DVD 58 on our website.)
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"In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from December 01/2021 through January 31, 2022 Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio May 5, 2021"
The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.
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