The Power of Love (1 Cor 13:4-7) by Father Jonathan St. Andre

17 Sep The Power of Love (1 Cor 13:4-7) by Father Jonathan St. Andre

“Love is patient, love is kind.  It is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it not does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.  It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” ~ 1 Cor 13:4-7 (full readings)
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Father Jonathan’s Reflections:  In one of the most astounding passages of Scripture in the whole Bible, Paul the Apostle reminds us that the most excellent way (the best running route of faith) is not any particular gift, but the greatest of all gifts- Love!  When we receive the greatest spiritual gift of love from the One who is Love, we can bear every circumstance and still move forward, believe in goodness even when darkness seems to overwhelm, hope in what is unseen and endure to the end.  Love is the greatest gift we can receive and give.  In just a few days, many Life Runners will race in Dayton, Ohio to witness to life.  And every Life Runner continues the daily race of life.  We have the opportunity to incarnate the love of Jesus Christ in small and great ways, what a gift!  Let’s live the excellent way today and always.
* Fr. Jonathan St. André is a Franciscan Friar of the Third Order Regular (T.O.R.) and a Priest of God.  He currently lives in Loretto, Pennsylvania where he is blessed to work with young Men seeking God’s will as Franciscan novices.
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Faith Challenge:  Spend a few moments using the passage from 1 Corinthians above as an examination of how you are living love.  You can do this by inserting your name in every place where it says the word “love” and considering how you could be more loving to those around you whom you come in contact with each day.

Counter-Culture News: LifeSiteNews, LifeNews, American Family, Vatican, Project Rachel..
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Our Prayers: Pray LIFE Runners Creed to End Abortion.  Add Prayers. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, unceasingly. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.
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Feast Day:  Franciscans throughout the world celebrate a feast remembering that Francis of Assisi was allowed to share the wounds of Christ (the stigmata).  It was not that Francis sought some extraordinary phenomena or great spiritual gifts, rather, he was so in love with Jesus Christ that God allowed his very body to reflect this love.
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Faith Quote:  “So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” ~ 1 Cor 13:13
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Through Christ our Lord,
Fr. Jonathan, T.O.R.
John 10:10