SELF-RIGHTEOUS HOLINESS

self-righteous holiness

 

“As the Father loves, so I also love you. Remain in my love.” – John 15:9

 

After doing some postgraduate studies in Europe, my eldest sister came home announcing that she was getting married to an Italian she met there. My sisters and I didn’t accept the news too well because their relationship was not “discerned” and “prayed over” according to our community norms. When he came over to the Philippines to meet our family, my sisters and I had our self-righteous noses so high up in the air that you could actually have a clear view of our brains. A non-renewed Christian was going to contaminate our blood line! In an effort to be accepted, he even attended a Life in the Spirit Seminar during his short stay in Manila. But it still wasn’t enough to satisfy our standardof holiness.

Well, thank God he was more Christian than we were. Otherwise, my sister might have missed out on marrying such a fine Italian all because of her three bratty sisters who called themselves passionate Christians. After many, many years, we finally got it right — that being a Christian is all about loving like Jesus did and not about following or fitting into a set of norms. Praise God He did not discard us just because we didn’t fit into His standard of holiness.Ronna Ledesma (ronnaledesma@email.com)

 

REFLECTION:

it is better to love than to be right.

 

Lord, in our effort to be holy, teach us to love truly. Amen.

 

St. Benedicta, pray for us.

SO DOES HE LOVE US

 

We do not usually wonder why Jesus loves us so much. Instead, we expect Jesus to love us more than we deserve. Likewise, we do not question how Jesus can love us immensely. We usually think that Jesus can love us that much because He is God. But today, let us pause for a while and, perhaps even just for now, ask: How can Jesus love us so much when we are not deserving of His Love?

Jesus Himself answers our question. “As the Father loves Me,” He says, “so do I love you.” Jesus loves us because the Father has loved Him first. Jesus can love us so much because the Father loves Him so much, too. Jesus loves us as His Father loves Him, and the measure of His love for us is the same measure of His Father’s love for Him. His Father’s love for Him is like an inexhaustible well from which Jesus draws out His love for us.

If someone approaches you and asks you why and how can Jesus loves us so much, read the Gospel 

today to him.

This is also precisely why love can be commanded. Pope Benedict XVI said that love can be commanded because it has first been given. Jesus can command us to love one another because He has loved us first. Jesus loves us so that we may love others. Let us remain in this love.Fr. Bobby Titco

 

Reflection Question:

Jesus loves me so that I may love others, too. Love is not a mere invitation to me. Love is a command. The true measure of love is love without measure.

 

Thank You, Jesus, for loving me more than I deserve and more than I know. Help me to love others as much as You love me. Jesus, love others through me. Amen.

 

St. Benedicta, pray for us.