Today's Gospel reading

Gospel
Jn 15:9-17

Jesus said to his disciples:
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.

“I have told you this so that my joy might be in you
and your joy might be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”

Comments:

Wow! Jesus makes it pretty simple doesn't he? Jesus Loves us. Keep His commandments. His commandment is to "Love one another."

Why do we make life so complicated?

Wearing my Catholicism on my sleeve...

I'm trying to think of ways to be a "light unto the nations" and be cool at the same time. Wow! Talk about an impossibility. I'm thinking of questions like - how does one be a Catholic in public and in the workplace and not wear his Catholicism on his sleeve? Most people who do that are just annoying. How do I make Catholic Christianity appealing? Should I or would I wear a Catholic t-shirt? I don't like t-shirts that advertise. Would I put a little St. Isidore statue on the desk at work? No. Or even have a Roman Catholic coffee mug? I would do that. Most people, me included, are not impressed by little trinkets displaying a persons chosen faith. But I guess they could be used as a conversation starter. My problem is that in the process of trying to be loving, friendly, personable and full of the Holy Spirit I return to being a compromising, fleshly, worldly person who is just like every other "backsliden" Christian.

My inner voice or maybe it's my friendly guardian angel who I hardly ever talk to says - being an authentic Catholic Christian requires being sincere, personable and loving. Don't be afraid to express your love to people. Be friendly to people. They will know you are my disciples by your love for each other. But I say to myself - Baptist do that - I need conversation starters. These Baptist around here need to know that Catholics do exist and are not some lost, idol worshiping infidels.

Jesus or Holy Spirit or Angel says - Just shut up and love God and people.

St. Francis De Sales - Ora pro nobis

Russ