SAINT ELIZABETH ANN SETON, RELIGIOUS (MEMORIAL)

God is love. 

As Christians, we believe that God is the source of all love. He is love, as St. John says in today’s first reading. And he has most fully expressed his love by sending his Son into the world “so that we might have life through him” (1 John 4:9). Because we know the love of God through Jesus Christ, we want other people to know it too, especially those who are far from him. How do we do that? Through love, of course!

One of the best ways you can love another person is by taking the time to get to know them and allowing them to get to know you. Such a friendship can grow as you try to anticipate a need they might have or show them in some other way that you care for them. As you build a loving, trusting relationship with that person, he or she will be more open to hearing about how much your faith means to you and how Jesus has worked in your life.

Even as you spend time with this person, you can be interceding for them. You can ask the Lord to give you his heart for this person—to see them through his eyes. You can also pray that they experience God’s love in such a personal way that it moves them to seek him and recognize him as the source of blessings in their life.

Intercession is also a great way to share the love of the Lord with someone whom you might not have a lot of daily interaction with—a distant friend or relative, for example, or someone with whom you may have a complicated relationship. It’s what you can do when you aren’t sure what else to do.

Even if you don’t see any change in a person, don’t give up. While you may never see that person profess faith this side of heaven, you can still trust that you have in some way connected them to God through your love and prayers. Never underestimate the effect this can have on someone’s life.

God is love, and through his Son Jesus, he lives in us. May we always be looking for opportunities to become bearers of Christ’s love to those who most need it!

“Jesus, show me how to touch other people with your love.”

Psalm 72:1-4, 7-8
Mark 6:34-44
1 John 4:7-10