Loving Jesus: Loving God

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Pathways to Discipleship

Pathways to Discipleship: Loving Jesus

Session 2: Loving God

Blessed be God.

Blessed be His Holy Name.�Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.�Blessed be the Name of Jesus.�Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart.�Blessed be His Most Precious Blood.�Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.�Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.�Blessed be the great Mother of Christ, Mary most Holy.�Blessed be her Holy and Immaculate Conception.�Blessed be her Glorious Assumption.�Blessed be the Name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.�Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse.�Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints. Amen.

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Loving Jesus: Loving God

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Pathways to Discipleship

OPENING PRAYER (The Divine Praises)

SESSION 2 – LOVING GOD

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The fifth habit of the 12 Habits of a Disciple:

Lives Christian virtues, glorifying God in everyday life, specifically

the virtues of love of God and of humility.

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• Understand what it means to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength
• Practice the virtue of humility before God

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Pathways to Discipleship

Loving Jesus: Loving God

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Pathways to Discipleship

A Pharisee asked Jesus,

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“Which Commandment is the first of all?”

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In response, Jesus said:

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“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mk 12:30).

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LOVING GOD

Our impulse to love God is something that God has planted deep within us.

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LOVE GOD WITH ALL OUR HEART

Jesus teaches us to desire God before all things. This is in keeping with the First Commandment:

“I am the Lord your God . . . you shall have no other gods before me”

(Ex 20:2-3).

“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

(St. Augustine, from his book The Confessions)

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LOVE GOD WITH ALL YOUR SOUL

God made us body and soul. In choosing to love God with all our soul, we choose to love with all our being, including our innermost self.

How do we love with all our soul?

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• Keep God’s commandments
• Live out our love for God through our vocation
• Live virtuously according to holy habits, with the help of God’s grace

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LOVE GOD WITH ALL YOUR MIND

• In the quiet of our minds, we communicate with the Lord

“Be still and know that I am God.” – Ps.46:10

“My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” - Jn 10:27

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• Jesus draws us to his Father in Heaven, calling us “friends”:

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“I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father,” - Jn 15:14-15

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• Take a moment to reflect on the opening video. What is your response to the testimony? Share your thoughts with the group.
• How can distractions, addictions or false idols compete with one’s relationship with God? How can you keep temptations from becoming idols that compete with your relationship with God?
• How can you express love that glorifies God through your vocation?
• We can have a better understanding of how we are doing in our relationship with God based on how we are doing with our human relationships. What are the similarities between developing a human relationship and developing a relationship with God?

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LOVE GOD WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH

• Loving God with all our strength refers to our resoluteness, perseverance, and courage. Jesus says, “the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matt 24:13).
• St. Paul tells us, “Let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up” (Gal 6:9).
• There may come a time when loving God comes at great personal risk, rejection, or ridicule. Jesus said, “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you” (Jn 15:20).

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Scripture continuously encourages us to “be not afraid.”

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THE VICE OF PRIDE

“The vice I am talking of is Pride or Self-Conceit: and the virtue opposite to it, in Christian morals, is called Humility…According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea bites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.”– C. S. Lewis

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Humility opens us up to God’s love.

• It is not self-denigration, but rather seeing ourselves as we truly are, as God sees us.
• Our pride often leads to humiliation, which God uses to teach us how to grow in humility. Humiliation is often a gift from God!

THE VIRTUE OF HUMILITY

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.” - C.S.Lewis

 “Humility is nothing but truth, and pride is nothing but lying.”–St. Vincent de Paul

Our connection with Jesus leads us to a great fruit - a deeper relationship with the Father:

“The Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name” (Jn 15:16).

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THE FRUITS OF LOVING GOD

“Apart from me you can do nothing!” (Jn 15:5)

When we love God, he teaches us to see ourselves as we truly are. He gives us the grace to reject false ideas of our worth and value.

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• Jesus ties our self-love to his second Great Commandment:

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“You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mk 12:31).

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• As we learn to better love ourselves and accept God’s love for us, we can share that love with others and develop better relationships.

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Spotlight Disciple: St. Augustine of Hippo (AD 354-430)

• St. Augustine spent most of his early life in the pursuit of hedonistic pleasures, ignoring the love of God
• Through the prayers of his mother, St. Monica, and the teachings of his friend, St. Ambrose, Augustine ultimately returned to God, acknowledged his sinfulness, and was baptized.
• The last years of his life were spent in service to the poor as Bishop of Hippo, thus bringing him into our spotlight as a great example of humility for clergy and laity as well.

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• What traits would you expect to see in someone who loves God with all their strength? How might you work to develop such traits?
• What are some obstacles that may hinder the practice of humility? What helps us grow in humility?
• What fruits have you experienced or seen in others from loving God, self, and others more deeply?
• In his writings, St. Augustine of Hippo wrote honestly about his flaws and his reluctance to leave them in the past. Are there examples from your life when focusing on your love for God has helped you overcome a spiritual challenge? Sharing your struggles can be an example for others.

Practice Together

As a group, pray the Litany of Humility. You may take turns ready the parts of the prayer if you like.

If time permits, discuss any petitions you find challenging or surprising. Are there any desires or fears listed you hadn’t previously associated with a lack of humility?

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Discipleship Next Step

This week, spend time with God meditating on and praying for an increase in the virtue of humility. Here are some ideas:

• Consider how humility might be linked to a deeper relationship with God? What addictions or false idols compete with God in my life?
• Reflect on the petitions of the Litany of Humility you find challenging or surprising.
• Write your own version of a litany of humility. You may include petitions from the original version, add new ones, or include devotions to a favorite saint who speaks humility to you. Pray your litany as often as desired.

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Reminders for Next Week

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• Read or listen to Session 3: Loving Neighbor before our next meeting.
• Thank you to those who brought snacks! Please consider signing up to brings snacks to share for next time.

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Closing Prayer (Holy Spirit Prayer by St. Augustine of Hippo)

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit,

That my thoughts may all be holy.

Act in me, O Holy Spirit,

That my work may be holy.

Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit,

That I love but what is holy.

Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit,

To defend all that is holy.

Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit,

That I always may be holy. Amen.

 St. Augustine, pray for us.

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