Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men
1. If you entered into the first two week’s “experiment in the Spirit” to deepen your relationship with your Heavenly Father and your experience of his love, what fruit are you seeing from it?
2. How would you describe why our “Heavenly Father would desire that we personally experience his love”?
3. Why is it so important to experience God’s love for us, if we are to obey the two greatest commandments to love him and others?
4. In the article, we read these words: “The greatest gift we will receive this Christmas is Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father made man, and the greatest freedom we have is to personally receive that gift and share it with others.” Why is Jesus Christ the greatest gift we can receive this Christmas?
5. If you are in a men’s group, pray together the prayer at the end of the article, and continue to pray this prayer throughout the next week.
[Editor's Note: This article is the third in a series on the theme, “A Journey to Deepen Our Experience of Our Heavenly Father’s Love.” Click here to read the first article and second article.]
For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified. (Romans 8:29-30)
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (1 John 3:1)
We continue our three-week journey to have a greater knowledge of God the Father, and a deeper experience of his love. Of course, this is a lifetime journey, but our goal in these three weeks is to allow our Heavenly Father to inspire and encourage us to continue this journey through a fresh revelation and experience of his love in our lives. We are now in the second week of Advent and, perhaps, some of you are wondering how this journey ties into this season of grace. As you prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas, it is important to remember that the Father sent Jesus to tell us of his great love for us. Let this truth penetrate our hearts and minds during this three-week journey and this grace-filled season.
Why would our Heavenly Father desire that we personally experience his love?
Is it just so we can feel better about ourselves? While this is certainly an element of it, it is only a small part of it. Our Father loves us completely, unconditionally, and passionately. His love has the power to change everything in our lives. It can melt the hardest heart, drive away every fear, remove every worry, and heal every wound. Our Heavenly Father wants to transform us by his love so that we are “conformed to the image of his Son.” And, he wants us to give his love away by telling others of what we have experienced.
It has often been said that in order to love others, we first need to receive love ourselves. What is true on a human level is also true at a divine level. Why is this so? Because each one of us was created with an enormous capacity and need to receive love — especially God the Father’s love. As we open ourselves more to receive and experience this love, we will receive a greater ability to love him with all our hearts in return and to love others as well. Jesus told us these are the two greatest commandments (Matthew 22:37-40) He knows that as we grow closer to him and his Father, we will accept the call to love as our own natural way of life, through the power of the Holy Spirit that we have received (Romans 5:5).
The Greatest Gift of All
The greatest gift we will receive this Christmas is Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father made man, and the greatest freedom we have is to personally receive that gift and share it with others. Every time we open our heart to Jesus, and his love for us, we can reflect his love and the Father’s love to those around us. We can proclaim our Heavenly Father’s love to our children and teach them his ways. We can speak of God the Father’s love to our neighbors, especially in their times of need, and then demonstrate it by our actions. We can remind coworkers that they have a Father in Heaven that cares for them and that he has a plan for their lives. We can bless our enemies, show kindness when we are otherwise busy, share our goods with the needy, and do so much more. Let God the Father’s love so fill you — and then give it to others.
During this Advent and Christmas season, many people will hear Christmas carols and hear of Jesus. But will they see him in us? Will they see the power of his love and the Father’s love in us? This is why, during this three-week journey, it has been so vital that everyday we continue to ask the Spirit to pour the love of the Father upon us and in us. The more intimate our experience of God the Father’s love, the more convincing our testimony will be, and the more free we will feel to tell people about the treasure we have found. We have all been “predestined” for heaven. So let the glory of your destiny fill your heart — and let it propel you into the world with the message of the Father’s unending love.
“Father, your love surpasses all else. You sent your Son, Jesus, to speak of and show us your great love. I want to experience more deeply this love. May your selfless love inspire me to be a generous receiver of your love, so that I will become a generous giver of your love. Let me become more like Jesus, so that I may share this good news with others. Fill my heart with compassion and mercy so that I may love my neighbor as you have loved me.”
(Maurice Blumberg is Executive Director of the National Fellowship of Catholic Men. This article is part of NFCM's sponsorship of the Catholic Man channel. Contact NFCM at P.O. Box 86381, Gaithersburg, MD 20886 or e-mail them at info@nfcmusa.org. Many thanks to the The Word Among for allowing us to adapt some material from daily meditations in their monthly devotional magazine.)
SPECIAL NOTE: On the National Fellowship of Catholic Men website, we have created a new category: called, “SPECIAL CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR LOVED ONES.” This category has eight resources that are not just intended for Catholic men, but make great Christmas gifts for family and friends. The NFCM also offers twenty seven resources, as well as four training materials for starting and leading Catholic men’s groups. To access these and other resources, just click on RESOURCES or TRAINING. A variety of special free gifts are also being offered, between now and the first of the year for large orders (over $50 and over $100) and donations of $25, $50, and $100. Go to the NFCM website for more details. The NFCM is also offering a free commemorative magazine on the life of Pope John Paul II (while supplies last) and a free devotional magazine from The Word Among Us with every NFCM website order. In addition, we still have a Buy Three, Get One Free special on all resources ordered directly from the NFCM via the online shopping cart.
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