Second Monday of Advent
Daily Advent Readings & Meditation
December 11, 2023
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Today’s Texts:
Hosea 11:1-4: God’s love for His people described as tender and parental.

1 Corinthians 13:1-7: Paul’s eloquent description of love’s qualities and importance.

Hosea 11:1-4

When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called them, the more they went from me; they kept sacrificing to the Baals, and offering incense to idols. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them up in my arms; but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love. I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks. I bent down to them and fed them.

1 Corinthians 13:1-7

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Today’s Meditation:   Hosea shares an image of God as a tender and loving parent who nurtures, guides, and protects—even when the child misbehaves!  Only God can give this kind of love with out fail– the kind of love our ever-present inner child desires. Even if we do not always get that parental love from the world, God offers it with tender care and unwavering commitment. Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, explains that the love we desire, and that God gives, is also the kind of love we need to strive to grow within ourselves, and is the kind we need to freely give. Giving love is the highest of all virtues. Without that giving, all other virtues are diminished. Living with love and giving with love is not just about the giving and receiving of emotions and feelings. Instead, Paul tells us, love is the very essence of our being. Indeed, our ability to live in love and give love is the measure by which all actions are judged. These scriptures invite us to reflect on the nature of divine love in our lives—a love that is patient, kind, and enduring. Today, let us embrace this love and allow it to transform our lives and purpose.

Something to Think and Pray About:

• How can the understanding of God’s parental love influence your perception of self and others?
• In what ways can you embody the qualities of love described by Paul in your daily interactions?

A Prayer For Today:  Lord of Love, on this day of Advent, help us to understand and embrace the depth of Your love for us. May this love inspire us to act with kindness, patience, and humility towards everyone we encounter. Guide us to live out love in its truest form, reflecting Your heart in our words and deeds. Amen.