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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me

is not worthy of me;

anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me

is not worthy of me.”

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– Matthew 10:37

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REFLECTION…

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Love for our parents and indeed love for our children, must not come before love of God.

When a situation comes up in the family,

and it clearly goes against one’s Christian values and spirituality,

that is when loves will clash.

And when that happens,

we should be quite clear in our mind and in our heart about what Jesus tells us here,

about how we shouldn’t love anybody more than we love Him.

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The word of God can lead to divisions even within families,

because to the person who truly believes in Christ’s teachings and commands,

nothing and no one can come between the Christian and his or her God.

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When a dear one chooses to follow a way of life, which is not consonant with one (or more) of God’s commandments,

we must absolutely carry on loving the dear one, which is fundamental in Christ’s Gospel of love and compassion.

That is how we must always act, but

without ever compromising with or accepting whatever clearly goes against Christ’s teachings.

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We must love and have compassion,

but we must also call a spade a spade.

When, for the right reason, we do not give our approval to our dear ones, this does not mean we do not love them.

Quite the opposite, in fact!

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QUOTES…

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“I do not condemn you either. Go, but do not sin again.”

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– Jesus – John 8:11

“As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

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– Jesus – John 13:34

“If you love me, you will obey my commandments.”

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– Jesus – John 14:15

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PRAYER…

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My Lord Jesus, I want to love You above all else.

I want to place You above everybody, even my dearest ones,

because I know that Your law is the truth – for me and for them.

Lord, please let my love and compassion reflect Yours.

Amen.

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