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Week 30 Daily Dose of Love #204 (7/23) Filling the
Hall Matthew 22:8-10 Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy.
Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ Those
slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with
guests.” Luke 14:21-24 So the slave returned and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said
to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind,
and the lame.’ And the slave said, ‘Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still
room.’ Then the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people
to come in, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those who were invited will taste my
dinner.’ ” Love is all-inclusive. Everyone is invited, even people we are uncomfortable with.
God invites people to his loving banquet that we might be inclined to exclude. This brings up the very real
question of how to deal with our discomfort with people who have different values, beliefs, and lifestyles; people whose attitudes
and actions may even repulse us. Suppressing our emotional response only builds tension, making it even
more difficult to be receptive and loving. The only effective way to move past our discomfort is to move through it. Since
emotions are a temporary response to how we think about and perceive situations, quietly acknowledging and accepting our feelings
allows them to pass. We are then able to recognize our own narrow thinking and perceiving as the
source of discomfort. As we open our minds and hearts we begin to see how we are all part of God’s
loving invitation; each one of us is precious in his eyes. As the twelfth-century Islamic teacher, Ibn
al-‘Arabi said “when the heart embraces the Reality, it is as if Reality fills the heart.” The only thing that needs to be excluded is the attitude that narrows our thoughts and perceptions.
Reflection/Discussion: Who might we be uncomfortable inviting to our
banquet? Principles of Love: Unity; Nature; Opening; Acceptance
Pray Through the Day: Bring us together In your love #205
(7/24) The Unprepared Guest Matthew 22:11-14 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and
he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. Then
the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” Biblical Scholar and cultural historian,
John Pilch noted that in the cultural world of Jesus’ time, the king would have provided wedding robes for his guests. One guest refuses to wear the robe. In
current times, we might say that this person was simply expressing his individuality. But in the parable,
the king has him thrown out. French Philosopher Jacques Maritain makes a clear distinction between an individual and a
person. Individuality is our material self, our ego; it sets us apart from others. Maritain
describes it as “that which excludes from oneself all that other men are, (it) could be described as the narrowness
of the ego, forever threatened and forever eager to grasp for itself.” A “person” is a human being. It is who we are - the interior, spiritual part of ourselves
that understands, relates, and loves. A person blossoms and becomes fulfilled through loving contact with
God and other people. Individuality makes us stand out by accentuating self-centered accomplishments or unique qualities.
But Maritain states “love is not concerned with qualities.” These are only superficial characteristics that lead to
initial attraction. Our true self (our “person”-ality) can only evolve in an atmosphere of
love. By separating ourselves from others, we separate ourselves from who we really are.
Reflection/Discussion: Why does our culture’s emphasis on individuality
interfere with our relationship with God? Principles of Love: Nature; Unity; Acceptance Pray Through the Day: We were created From God’s love
#206 (7/25) Anticipating
the Cost Luke 14:25, 28-33 Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them,
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether
he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who
see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’
Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with
ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the
other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. So therefore, none of you
can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.” Jesus warns us to be aware of what we are getting ourselves into by accepting his invitation
to love. Choosing to rest deeper in God’s love requires that we set aside self-centered wants and
be willing to accept the risks and responsibilities of love while embracing his spirit of inclusiveness. Psychiatrist
Gerald May wrote, “The invitation to love is as challenging as it is beautiful. ...To claim this is to enter a gentle
warfare against immense internal and external forces. The enemy is that which would stifle your love: your
fear of being hurt, the addictions that restrict your passion, and the efficiency worship of the world that makes you doubt
the value of love. It is warfare because these forces are very real and very threatened by love.
They will fight to keep their power. But the warfare must be gentle on your part; your only weapon
is love itself. It feels more vulnerable than David facing Goliath. David had a sling
and knew how to use it, but love can never be used. It can only be embraced and trusted. Love
does not conquer all, because ‘conquer’ is the wrong word entirely.” “...Love is honest, willing to be present to life just as it is, in all its beauty and ugliness.
True love is not blind at all; it sees what is and feels it as it is with no rose-colored glasses and no anesthesia.”
Reflection/Discussion: What are the risks in being more loving? Principles of Love: Vision; Learning
Pray Through the Day: Open our eyes To deepen our love #207
(7/26) Parable of the Lost Coin Luke 15:1-3,8-10 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and
the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this
parable: “What woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and
search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors,
saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you,
there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” There
is an unsettled, incomplete feeling when we lose something important and cannot find it. Jesus is telling
us that God feels unsettled and incomplete when we turn away from him. The power of his love can light
up our lives, sweep away our self-centered addictions, and draw us to him. …And there is joy in heaven every time one
of us returns. Reflection/Discussion: When are we most likely to become lost?
Principles of Love: Unity; Acceptance Pray Through the Day: Bring us together In your love #208 (7/27) Parable of the Prodigal Son
Luke 15:11-24 Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons.
The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’
So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled
to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything,
a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself
out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly
have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he
came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying
of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against
heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.’”
So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father
saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son
said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put
a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate;
for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.” The flow of God’s
love toward us is continuous. It is only interrupted when we turn away from him. When we realize
the dry, emptiness that results from a life without love and turn back to God, the dam of our selfish needs and desires that
held back the flow of his love gives way and we are washed clean in a flood of rejoicing and celebration.
Reflection/Discussion: What might make us hesitate to turn back
to God when we have sinned? Principles of Love: Forgiveness; Acceptance; Commitment Pray Through the Day: Lord, Jesus Christ Have mercy on us #209 (7/28) Brother of the Prodigal Son
Luke 15:24-32 “Now his elder son was in the field; and when he
came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was
going on. He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because
he has got him back safe and sound.’ Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out
and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been
working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that
I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property
with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you
are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother
of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’ ” Love is not an economic transaction.
We don’t deserve it and can’t earn it. There is no competition or credit, no interest
or overtime pay with love. Economics reduces the value of goods and services to basic numbers so they can be easily
counted and tracked. This is the opposite of love, which expands the value of each person as he or she
joins with the greater whole of God’s love. Each addition increases and multiplies the universe of
love so that there is more for everyone.
The father of the prodigal son
understood this. Sadly, the brother did not. Reflection/Discussion: What leads us to measure, weigh, or compare love? Principles of Love: Vision; Acceptance Pray Through the Day: Open our eyes To deepen our love #210
(7/29) Parable of the Unjust Steward Luke 16:1-9 Then
Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man
was squandering his property. So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about
you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.’ Then
the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong
enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager,
people may welcome me into their homes.’ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he
asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive
oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.’ Then he
asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘A hundred containers of wheat.’ He said to
him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty.’
And his master commended the dishonest
manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than
are the children of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so
that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.” We have to love people where they are. Love requires that we figure
out how to relate to others and make it possible for them to relate to us. The unjust steward figures out what both
the debtors and the rich man value and respect and responds accordingly. Jesus challenges us to use the
same approach (without the dishonesty) with each other. When faced with a crisis we need to put ourselves
in the shoes of those we are dealing with and consider how best to reach them. If a dishonest steward and his many counterparts in today’s marketing and media driven culture can figure
out how to connect with people, it would seem that, with God’s help, we could figure out how to relate to them as well.
Reflection/Discussion: What might make it difficult to relate
to people as they are? Principles of Love: Acceptance Pray Through the Day: Not my will But
thine be done Enter
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