hey you guys!
its teresa posting for the first time! hahah.
anyway i received this email that was rather good! (: its a bit long, but worth the read!
Reflection: Loving and believing whole-heartedlyIn today's Gospel reading, Jesus gives that so-familiar commandment to love God with all all of our everything, and to love your neighbor as yourself. Loving God and believing in God are closely tied together. Our belief in God is proven by how we love, NOT by the words we utter. Words only prove that we have vocal chords. Every Sunday in Mass, we utter the Creed, a summary of our Christian beliefs. It's a great opportunity to analyze if we really believe what we claim to believe. For example, if we truly believe that God is the Father of all, it shows in our respect and love for every person -- even non-Christians and evil-doers -- as our brothers and sisters.If we truly believe that Jesus is true God from true God, we love him so much that we cling to every Word he speaks in scripture, we eagerly learn from his example, and we follow him everywhere, trusting him totally wherever he leads us.If we truly believe that through him all things were made, we care about all of creation. In our love for God, we're good stewards of the natural world, of the relationships he has formed in our lives, of the gifts and talents he's given us, of the time he's allotted for us on earth, and of the money he's given us the ability to earn and share generously.If we truly believe that for us and for our salvation, Jesus came down from heaven and became man, we know we're headed for heaven, we love Jesus as our closest, dearest brother, and we respect each member of the human race as brothers and sisters.If we truly believe that Jesus suffered, died, and was buried but then rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures, we embrace our own crosses with hope for eventually experiencing resurrection glory.If we truly believe in the Holy Spirit as the giver of life, we cherish the life God has given us and we realize that we are important. We also value everyone else's life as precious, including unborn babies, the handicapped, the elderly, and even the criminally insane.If we believe in one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, we love ourselves and our neighbor so much that we want to grow in holiness so that we can become even more loving. We treat all Christians as holy members of the Body of Christ, honoring and respecting them, even when we can't see their holiness. And we cherish our personal vocations as apostles who are sent forth to bring God's love to the world in which we live.The entire Creed is full of reasons to express our love for God, for ourselves, and for our neighbor. For a more in-depth analysis of the Creed, go to http://wordbytes.org/doctrine/creed.htm.
Cheers and God be with you guys all the time!
Teresa
*The Acts* prayed
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6:49 pm
