Saint Martin of Tours
2 JN 4-9
I was overjoyed to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we have been commanded by the Father.
But now, dear lady, I ask you, not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning, let us love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment just as you have heard it from the beginning—you must walk in it.
Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh; any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist! Be on your guard, so that you do not lose what we have worked for, but may receive a full reward. Everyone who does not abide in the teaching of Christ, but goes beyond it, does not have God; whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Guided by Love
This passage reminds me of the meditation on the Two Standards from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. In this meditation, there are two armies on the battlefield, and I am asked whether I will choose to live under the standard (flag) of Christ or under the standard of the devil? The terminology Ignatius used comes from Ignatius’ military background, but the challenge is clear and can be gleaned from today’s reading.
Will I walk/live in the truth which is made manifest in loving one another and keeping the commandments? Or will I be deceived by the devil? Will I choose to love God, others, the earth, and myself, or allow prestige, power, and riches to be the determining factors when choosing how to live my life. This is no easy task in a society marked by over consumption adding to the growing climate crisis, but this is our challenge.
Put simply, does love trump all that I do?
—Tom Drexler is a graduate of Marquette University High School and Creighton University, and works in advancement with the Midwest Jesuits.
Prayer
I ask the Father to give me an intimate knowledge of the many gifts I have received that filled with gratitude for all, I may in all things love and serve the Divine Majesty.
—Spiritual Exercises #233
Prayer
I ask the Father to give me an intimate knowledge of the many gifts I have received that filled with gratitude for all, I may in all things love and serve the Divine Majesty.
—Spiritual Exercises #233