The one who loves their sister or brother dwells in the light and there is no cause for stumbling in them.
The one who hates their brother or sister is in the darkness and they walk in the darkness and they do not know where they are going, because the darkness blinds their eyes.
Lord, you have given me so much,
I ask for one more thing –
a grateful heart.
George Herbert
Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment for you,
but an old one which you have had from the start.
(The ‘old’ commandment is the teaching which you have heard.)
Yet I am writing a new commandment to you:
because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining
[all] that is a truth – in him and in you.
The one who says that they are in the light and hates their brother or sister is in the darkness up to now.
The one who loves their sister or brother dwells in the light
and there is no cause for stumbling in them.
Be thou a bright flame before me,
Be thou a guiding star above me
Be thou a smooth path below me
Be thou a kindly shepherd behind me
Today – tonight -forever
Amen.
St Columba
And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commands.
But the one who says ‘I know him’ and does not keep his commands is a liar
and the truth is not him.
Whoever keeps his word, truly the love of God is made perfect in them.
By this we know that we are in him.
The one who says they dwell in him must walk just as that one [Jesus] walked.
O Love, O God who created me, in your love recreate me.
O Love, who redeemed me,
fill up in me whatever part of your love
has fallen into neglect within me.
O Love, O God, who first loved me,
grant that with my whole heart,
and with my whole soul,
and with my whole strength,
I may love you.
Gertrude the Great
If we say that we do not sin, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.
(My little children, I write these things to you so that you might not sin.)
And if anyone sins, we have an ‘advocate’ with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
And he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for our sins but for the whole world.
Teach us, good Lord,to serve thee as thou deservest;to give and not to count the cost;to fight and not to heed the wounds;to toil and not to seek for rest;to labour and not to ask for any reward,save that of knowing that we do thy will,through Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen
St Ignatius
And this is the truth, which we have heard for him
and announce to you,
that God is light
… and in him there is no darkness at all.
If we say that we have fellowship with him
yet we walk in darkness
we are lying and we are not putting truth into practise.
If we walk in the light
as he is in the light
we have fellowship with one another
and the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from all sin.
If we say that we do not have sin
we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just
so that he will forgive us our sins and cleanse from all unrighteousness.
If we say that we do not sin, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.
Grant, Lord,
that we may hold to you without parting,
worship you without wearying,
serve you without failing;
faithfully seek you,
happily find you,
and forever possess you,
the only God,blessed now and for ever.
Amen
St Anselm
What was from the beginning,
what we have heard
what we have seen with our eyes
what we observed
and what our hands touched –
(that is) about the word of life…
[the life was revealed
and we have seen (him/it)
and we bear witness (to him/ it)]
and we announce to you ‘resurrection life,’
which was with the Father and
was revealed to us.
…that which we have seen
and we have heard
And we write these things to you, so that our joy might be complete.
Thank you, dear Jesus,
for all you have given me,
for all you have taken away from me,
for all you have left me.
Thomas More (c.1478-1535)
What was from the beginning,
what we have heard
what we have seen with our eyes
what we observed
and what our hands touched –
(that is) about the word of life…
[the life was revealed
and we have seen (him/it)
and we bear witness (to him/ it)]
and we announce to you ‘resurrection life,’
which was with the Father and
was revealed to us.
…that which we have seen
and we have heard
And we write these things to you, so that our joy might be complete.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, union;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy,
For your mercy and for your truth’s sake. Amen
Peter turned around and saw the disciple, whom Jesus loved following, who reclined close to him at the meal and had said ‘Lord, who is your betrayer?’
Peter seeing this one said to Jesus ‘Lord, what about this man?’
Jesus said to him: ‘Suppose I wish him to stay until I com e, what is that to you? You, follow me!’
As as result, the word went out to the brothers that that disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say to him that he might not die but ‘Suppose I wish him to stay until I come, what is that to you?’
This is the disciple who bears witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his witness is true.
And there are many other things which Jesus did, if every one were written, I suppose that the world itself might not have room for the books that might be written.
O Lord Jesus Christ,
stay beside me to defend me,
within me to guide me,
before me to lead me,
and above me to bless me,
that with you and in you,
I may live, and move and have my being,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
(unknown)
So when they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon Peter:
‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these (men love me)?’
He said to him:
‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.’
He said to him:
‘Feed my lambs.’
Again he said to him a second time:
‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’
He said to him:
‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.’
He said to him:
‘Look after my sheep.’
He said to him a third time:
‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’
Peter was saddened, because he said to him a third time ‘Do you love me?’. And he said to him:
‘Lord, you know everything, you know that I love you.
Jesus said to him:
‘Feed by sheep. Truly, truly I say to you that when you were younger, you tied your clothes and walked where you wanted. When you are older, you will stretch out your hands, and another will tie you, and take you where you do not want to go.
He said this indicating the kind of death by which he would glorify God. And having said this he said to him ‘Follow me.’
God, give me grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Amen.
After these things, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way. There were together: Simon Peter, Thomas called Twin, and Nathaniel who was from Cana of Galilee , and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.
Simon Peter said to them: ‘I’m going out to fish.’ They said to him, ‘Let us come with you too.’
They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
Now when early morning came Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them: ‘Children, you haven’t any fish, have you?’
They replied to him ‘No.’
So he said to them: ‘Throw the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’
So they threw it and they were not able to drag it from the sea because of the fish.
So the disciple that Jesus loved said to Peter: ‘It is the Lord.’ So Simon Peter, hearing that it was the Lord, put on his outer clothes (for he was stripped) and threw himself into the sea.
But the other disciples came in the boat, towing the net full of fishes – for it was not far from the land, a hundred yards.
As they got out of the boat onto the land, they saw a charcoal fire built there, with fish placed on it and bread.
Jesus said to them: ‘Bring some of the fish which you have caught just now.’
So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the land, full of large fish:153. And yet even though so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them: ‘Come! Breakfast! ‘
None of the disciples dared to ask him ‘Who are you?’ knowing that it was the Lord.
Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise.
This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to the disciples, having risen from the dead.
Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that thou art –
Thou my best thought, by day or by night;
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.