First Wednesday Advent
Daily Advent Readings & Meditation
December 6, 2023
{view/print PDF}

Today’s Texts:
1 John 4:7-12: The call to love one another as a reflection of God’s love.
Matthew 22:34-40: Jesus teaches the greatest commandments, emphasizing love.

1 John 4:7-12
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

Matthew 22:34-40
When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Today’s Meditation:
In the tender words of John, we are reminded of the fundamental call to love – a love that originates from God and extends to our fellow beings. This love is not a passive emotion but an active force, shaping our interactions and choices. Similarly, in Matthew’s account, Jesus crystallizes the essence of the commandments of the law and prophets into a simple yet profound directive: to love God and love our neighbor. Together, these scriptures call us to a life of love– not just feelings of love, but action driven by love. They ask us to look at the world with caring and understanding eyes. They challenge us to knock down walls that separate us and welcome a kind of love that includes everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from. They challenge us to embrace an inclusive love that transcends differences.  Today, let’s take up this challenge. Let’s let love be the thing that guides all we do and say.

Something to Think and Pray About:

• What are some practical ways you can show love to those around you, especially those who might feel overlooked or marginalized?
• How can understanding and living out Jesus’ commandment to love transform your relationships and interactions?

A Prayer For Today:  
Dear Lord, in the midst of Advent, teach us to love as You love. Open our hearts to understand the depth of Your commandments and empower us to live them out in our daily lives. May our actions reflect Your love, breaking down walls and building bridges of compassion and understanding. Amen.