#Love one another

[reality-detective]

This 👆 pulled at my heartstrings 🤔

[pax-romana200]

(⁠っ⁠˘⁠з⁠(⁠˘⁠⌣⁠˘⁠ ⁠)

[aktrish801]

We've all seen the commercial about the misused and abused dogs. Pictures of poor emaciated and clearly mistreated dogs coupled with the music has moved many to donate or adopt.

Now think for a minute that if pictures of mistreated dogs can evoke such emotion, imagine what pictures of victims of gun violence could evoke. Not the happy before pics but the ones of their bullet ridden bodies shredded by an assault rifle. Surely there is someone willing to bravely share pictures of their family member in an attempt to enact reasonable gun control. My family knows to release pics of me in the event I'm shot.

If we can elicit such emotional responses for dogs, and I'm a dog owner and lover, then imagine what we can accomplish for humans.

[dzgrizzle]

[dramoor]

[saydesole]

fresh acrylic toe set

[fightinglikeaman]

[nerdygaymormon]

[sayhowdycountrycritters]

[thelordismylightandmysalvation]

Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.

Verse of the Day - 2 John 1:6

[momentsbeforemass]

In name only

In today’s Gospel, Jesus warns about opposition. About the pushback that always comes whenever we try to live our Faith.

Some people love the pushback that comes with division. They’re addicted to casting themselves as heroic figures taking a stand against…something.

So they use their beliefs as wedge issues to create it.

Weaponizing their faith to separate people (even fellow believers) into supporters and opponents. Us versus them.

Purity testing so they can brand people as “Christians in name only.”

That’s not what Jesus is talking about. How do I know this? Two big reasons.

First, purity testing is idiotic. Because, as St. Paul tells us, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” None of us can pass the test.

We don’t like admitting it, but none of us deserve any of the graces that God so extravagantly pours out on us. None of us are good enough, on our own (hint – what was Good Friday about?).

God’s extravagance flows out of God’s love for us. Not out of any merit we might think we have.

The most common response to this by fans of purity testing? The silly (and unbiblical) practice of comparing sins.

Claiming that someone else’s sins are worthy of damnation. While smugly lying to ourselves about how what we’re doing is no big deal. Probably not even really a sin. 

C.S. Lewis rebuts this nonsense brilliantly in the Screwtape Letters.

“It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is the edge the man away from the Light…Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”

The other big reason? Today’s Gospel is part of a larger teaching. The same one where Jesus commands those of us who would follow Him to “Love one another, as I have loved you.”

Sort of the opposite of weaponized faith and wedge issues.

Because “Love one another, as I have loved you” is missing something. Something that we all too readily read into it – Exceptions. Qualifiers. Disclaimers.

The way we live our lives? It’s like we think it says, “Love one another, as I have loved you, except for ___.” And then we fill in the blank with whoever we’re playing us versus them games with.

Why? In a word, pride. The oldest and dreariest sin.

The one that always ends up with us worshipping ourselves.

Whenever we start smuggling in exceptions. So we can feel better about ourselves, by pretending we’re better than someone else. We’ve fallen victim to pride.

And if we keep going down that road?

We’ll soon find that we are the Christians in name only.

Today’s Readings

[aziraphalecrowley-fell]

Some days make you realize how important it is to be kind.

[nappy-by-nature]

Happy Juneteenth 2024! ❤️🖤💚

[ae-cha08]

Don’t be a fair-weather friend. Be the friend who walks in when others are walking out. Our attitude should be, “You can count on me. I’m committed to loving you for the long haul, through thick and thin.” They know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they can count on you.

To be loyal doesn’t mean you condone or approve their actions. You’re simply showing them the mercy you would want shown to you. You’re being a healer, a restorer. You lift people up.

[depressedpenguin2]

https://gofund.me/ee25ffe4

If yall could spread it around. This month has had a lot of setbacks (dog yearly appointment - yeeesh)

Need a helping hand or two with monthly bills.

[biblequotes24]

Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing. For the Scriptures say, “If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking eviland your lips from telling lies. Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.”

1Peter 3:8-12