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May 14, 2014

It is clear in this Gospel that the initiative of the adventure of love of God with us began with the Lord. He took the first step to choose us, and to go out and bear fruit and with fruit that will last. What is this fruit – it is LOVE. Unfortunately, this word is often used and abused by society. Love is a word that is loosely and often shouted, without knowing what love is really about. Christ describes love as the ability to lay down our own life for the other. To lay down our life means to lay down our plans, to lay down our ideas and projections and turn our full attention to the other. And the purpose of this love is to give glory to God who is the ultimate author of love. So that by this love, many people will be drawn to the Father, to believe that the Father exists and chooses us to be co-heirs of His Kingdom. The Father loved us first, by sending His only begotten Son and now we can inherit and share this love with others.

One Bread, One Body

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All Issues > Volume 30, Issue 3

<< Wednesday, May 14, 2014 >>

St. Matthias

Acts 1:15-17, 20-26
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Psalm 113:1-8

John 15:9-17
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THE ETERNAL FRUIT OF LOVE

"As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you." —John 15:9

"God is love" (1 Jn 4:16). The Persons of the Holy Trinity love Each other eternally. The Father and the Son love each other eternally, and the eternal Fruit of this love is the Holy Spirit. Thus, the Holy Spirit not only produces fruit (Gal 5:22) but is Himself the Fruit of the love of the Father and the Son.

In receiving the Holy Spirit, we receive the power to obey God's very first command to the human race: "Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it" (Gn 1:28). In the Spirit, we bear abundant (Jn 15:5), lasting fruit (Jn 15:16).

However, we live in a contraceptive, abortifacient society. As Pope John Paul II has taught, we live in a "culture of death." This is true both physically and spiritually. For example, many Christians in the Western world would never even entertain the thought of trying to bear fruit by evangelizing. Even those who will share their faith under ideal circumstances abort their attempts to evangelize when they see they will have to die to themselves to bear fruit (see Jn 12:24).

As Pentecost approaches, we must decide whether we want the Holy Spirit, the Fruit of the love of the Father and the Son, or if we want to remain in the "culture of death." "Choose life" (Dt 30:19) and life in the Spirit.

Prayer: Father, I choose life, love, fruitfulness, and death to self.

Promise: "He raises up the lowly from the dust; from the dunghill He lifts up the poor." —Ps 113:7

Praise: St. Matthias performed great signs and wonders among the people of Jerusalem. As a result, "more and more believers, men and women in great numbers, were continually added to the Lord" (Acts 5:12-14).