Reflection for Thursday, January 29, 2009: 3rd week in Ordinary Time.

No Thumbnail Available

Authors

Crawford, Sue

Issue Date

2009-01-29

Type

Essay

Language

en_US

Keywords

Research Projects

Organizational Units

Journal Issue

Alternative Title

Abstract

We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works.||When I think of January, I think of New Year's resolutions and efforts at self-improvement.|The reading from Hebrews suggests a different spin on this New Year focus. What if instead of focusing our energies on self-improvement, we focused on community improvement? What if instead of focusing our energies on ourselves, we were to focus attention on encouraging and supporting others around us?|Let us reflect on people who have brought out the best in us. How did they rouse us to love and good works? Praise God for their work in your life today. Consider sending a thank you note to at least one person who has encouraged you and helped you to be a more loving person. Your thank you note may help that person see that his or her efforts were visible and did "brighten the room" so to speak.|Are we meeting with others to encourage one another? Are we praying for and working for the growth and development of others? Warnings about judging others and seeing a speck in another's eye when we have a log in our own remind us that this "rousing" must not be self-righteous. Similarly, if our "rousing" is about self-giving love, then the improvement we desire for others cannot be just something to make our own lives easier. It needs to be encouragement truly in the best interest of helping that person be a self-giving, loving person. How can we rouse one another to love and good works today?|Let us we encourage one another to love and to be a people that holds to our confession of hope and longs to see God's face.

Description

Citation

Publisher

University Ministry, Creighton University.

License

These reflections may not be sold or used commercially without permission. Personal or parish use is permitted.

Journal

Volume

Issue

PubMed ID

DOI

ISSN

EISSN