2452AFC122924 – A Family of Love← 🙂 PODCAST LINK
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This is the last post for the year 2024. (Hey! Who said “Hooray!”?) In this post we will give you almost entirely Scripture. The Word speaks for itself. If you will patiently read all of these passages, you may find that a newer or stronger, or clearer feeling about Love and Family is growing in your heart and mind and spirit. As we begin next year we will frequently reference Pope Francis’ designation of 2025 as a Jubilee year. It is important that we learn more about that and why it is important for us to participate more fully in the events that unfold throughout the year.
Shortly after the first of the new Year we will upload the 1,000th post on this site. I hope you will find that to be OK news and not just evidence of a guy who is blessed with the gift of gab – or blather. Our goal here is to help all of us be more aware of the content and meaning of Scripture (which is why this image is sort of a logo) as well as to understand the importance of our Traditions. One of the most important Traditions are the special Commemorative Feasts. We have one coming up this last Sunday in 2024 – the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
God established families, and marriage, and spousal fidelity and respect. As we have come to know over these past 997 posts, “all you need is Love.” Therefore, Belovéd, let us learn about Love, and learn it as family, as we share the Word of God. Next year we will feature Faces From the B.I.B.L.E. so stayed tuned for further information!
Sirach 3:1-4, 9 (GNT) [1]– 1 Children, listen to me; I am your father. Do what I tell you and you will be safe, 2 for the Lord has given fathers authority over their children and given children the obligation to obey their mothers. 3 If you respect your father, you can make up for your sins, 4 and if you honor your mother, you are earning great wealth. 9 When parents give their blessing, they give strength to their children’s homes, but when they curse their children, they destroy the very foundations.
John 15:9-17 – 9 As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants any longer, because the servantdoes not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. 17 I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.
1 John 3:1 a – 1 See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are.
1 John 3: 18-23 – 18 Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. 19 And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him 20 whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; 22 and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.
23 And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.
John 1:12-13 – 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
John 3:16-19 – 16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.
Colossians 3:14 – 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Colossians 3:14-21 – 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
18 Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly.
20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is your acceptable duty in the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, or they may lose heart.
1 Peter 4:7-11 – 7 The end of all things is near, therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Be hospitable to one another without complaining. 10 Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. 11 Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
From The Didache – Διδαχή – διδαχή (say “DID-ah-key) – The teachings of the Apostles Chapter 1, Parts 1-3
- There are two Ways, one of Life and one of Death, and there is a great difference between the two Ways.
- The way of life is this:” First, you shalt love the God who made thee, secondly, thy neighbor as thyself; and whatsoever thou wouldst not have done to thyself, do not thou to another.”
- Now, the teaching of these words is this: “Bless those that curse you, and pray for your enemies, and fast for those that persecute you. For what credit is it to you if you love those that love you? Do not even the heathen do the same?” But, for your part, “love those that hate you,” and you will have no enemy.
From our family to yours, we pray that Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love will enrich your lives in Christ Jesus always and all ways at all times in all things with ALL His Best Stuff!
Hope Peace Love Joy
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!
Please pray with us here at Share-a-Prayer.
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
[1] Passages marked (GNT): Good News Translation (GNT) are from the Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition)© 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
