Sitting with the Sacred

This week’s readings:

1. Acts 10:25–26, 34–35, 44–48
2. Psalm 98:1, 2–3, 3–4
3. 1 John 4:7–10
4. John 15:9–17

What this week’s readings say to me:

This week’s readings are about who God is and what it means to live with God by living like Jesus did when he walked the Earth. This week’s readings tell us that God doesn’t have favorites. God doesn’t care what country, or culture, or group someone who wants to be in a relationship with God comes from. And God isn’t stingy, selfish, or secretive.

God has invited us into us into a covenant, a bond like a marriage, so God wants to share the present moment and what we think of as the future with us. God asks us to be life partners who can share in God’s dreams and take part in making them a reality. God wants to form and grow an eternal family with us.

God wants all of the above, so God through Christ came and comes to meet us as we are. He holds back no part of himself from anyone who’s ready to commit or to re-commit to Him. Because He wants to share a loving, committed relationship with us, He wants us to choose that relationship and respects our freedom to decline it or to walk away from it. He’s not controlling and knows better than anyone else how important open communication is to the health of that relationship.

What someone else is sharing about this week’s readings:

In Meghan Larsen-Reidy’s reflection on this week’s readings, she includes thought-provoking and provocative contributions from Servant of God Dorothy Day and from David Brooks.

Beyond this week’s readings:

I only really love God as much as the person I love the least.

Dorothy Day, quoted by Meghan Larsen-Reidy

David Brooks writes about the difference between résumé virtues and eulogy virtues. We often worry about appearing the best that we forget we should simply love the best.

Meghan Larsen-Reidy

This week’s prayer:

Lord, I ask You for the grace not to limit through my actions, words, or finite imagination how, where, and through whom You can work. Amen.