HELP US RESTORE OUR FAITH
The love we are called to offer is Jesus' own love, a love that offers
itself in openness and service to others.
In today's Gospel
Jesus shows us that our God is one who heals, promises, and gives freedom. He
gives hope, peace, helps restore relationships and shows us true love.
Jesus begins the
proclamation of the Gospel here to fulfill the word of God. The Old Testament
prophets spoke of God's promise to send a Redeemer who would establish God's
rule. That time is now fulfilled in Jesus.
Jesus takes up
John's message of repentance and calls disciples to believe in the good news he
has come to deliver. The Gospel is the power and wisdom of God: power to change
and transform our lives and wisdom to show us how to live as sons and daughters
of our Father in heaven. In announcing the good news, Jesus made two demands:
repent and believe. Repentance requires a life-change and a transformation of
heart and mind. The Holy Spirit gives us a repentant heart, a true sorrow and
hatred for sin and its consequences, and a firm resolution to avoid it in the
future. The Holy Spirit gives us grace to see all this.
The commandment in
today's first Reading tells us the following. "We should believe in the
name of God's Son. To love one another just as he commanded us." The love
we are called to offer is Jesus' own love, a love that offers itself in
openness and service to others. Just as Christ appears in the Gospel healing
disease and infirmity, so must we His followers offer care and service to those
in need.
Points to Pray and Ponder: In our loving service to others, we pray that
God's love made known in Jesus Christ will also be made known through each one
of us.