Loving Jesus: Becoming Love

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Pathways to Discipleship

Pathways to Discipleship: Loving Jesus

Session 4: Becoming Love

Loving Jesus: Becoming Love

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Pathways to Discipleship

Spirit of Love, inspire us to give all we are and all we have to the building of your kingdom. Help us to realize that any abundance we have is not for our own good, but for the good of others. May we learn to enter into the spirit of the widow who gave her all so that others might benefit, even in her poverty. Divest us of anything that might slow us in the building of those places where you live and reign.

Amen.

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Loving Jesus: Becoming Love

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Pathways to Discipleship

The fifth habit of the 12 Habits of a Disciple:

Lives Christian virtues in everyday life, specifically

the virtue of purity of intention.

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Our hope is that we will:

• Orient ourselves towards a more loving interior life in addition to exterior actions
• Practice the virtue of purity of intention through making small sacrifices

Loving Jesus: Becoming Love

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Pathways to Discipleship

Loving Jesus: Becoming Love

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Pathways to Discipleship

• The more we receive God’s love and share it with others, the more of God’s loving nature we take on.

“God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God,

and God abides in them” (1 Jn 4:16).

• St. John wrote, “ If we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us” (1 Jn 4:12).
• Through knowing God and becoming love we are united more fully with God and become partakers of the divine nature.

BECOMING LOVE

Our life’s work is to remove from ourselves all that is not love

and replace it with things that are love.

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Pathways to Discipleship

• We become love when we perform loving actions with loving intentions, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us.
• We develop our interior life through quiet time in prayer.

“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Mt 6:6)

• A well-developed interior life helps us form our conscience well. This formation comes from studying Scripture, Church teachings, and the lives of the saints, as well as seeking the wisdom and advice of wise clergy, spiritual directors, and theologians.

THE INTERIOR LIFE

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Pathways to Discipleship

• “We cannot do evil so that good will come of it” (Rom 3:8).
• The Golden Rule: “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you” (Mt 7:12).
• We do not lead others into sin. Jesus taught:

“It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck,

and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these

little ones to stumble” (Lk 17:2).

A WELL-FORMED CONSCIENCE

A well-formed conscience is a lifelong personal responsibility.

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Pathways to Discipleship

THE WORK OF THE DEVIL

Satan uses various tricks to keep us from God’s loving presence:

• Satan is a tempter, who uses our lack of self-control to lead us into sin. We rely on Jesus in times of temptation.

“God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Cor 10:13)

• Satan is an accuser, trying to convince us that we are beyond forgiveness and reconciliation with God. St. John reminds us (1 Jn 2:1-2):

“If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”

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Pathways to Discipleship

• Satan is a liar, the “father of lies” (Jn. 8:44), but Jesus helps us see through the lies:

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6).

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• We depend upon the power of Jesus and the intercession of the saints to withstand Satan:

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“Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph 6:11).

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you” (Jas 4:7-8).

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Loving Jesus: Becoming Love

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Pathways to Discipleship

• Take a moment to reflect on the opening video. What is your response to the testimony? Share your thoughts with the group.
• What are some practical ways to grow in receiving God’s love, so we are more able to practice loving actions towards others?
• In what ways can forming conscience according to God’s teachings improve decision making? In what ways might we influence the formation of one another’s consciences?
• When might we be most at risk for attack or deception from the devil or susceptible to his temptations? How can we grow in recognition of Satan’s tricks? What are some practical ways to counter temptations?

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Pathways to Discipleship

SENSUALITY

• Sensuality is rooted in the desire for physical pleasures. This becomes disordered when we allow gratification of our senses to take priority over our relationship with God and other people.
• Disordered sensuality is an abuse of the gift of our senses and can lead to addictions and harmful behaviors.
• Our bodies are not an end in themselves, but rather a means to a greater end – an eternal life of love.

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom 12:1-2).

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Pathways to Discipleship

VIRTUE OF PURITY OF INTENTION

We act with purity of intention when our motives are solely for the good of the other and not for selfish desires. When our intentions are pure, our actions will be loving.

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• Purity of intention starts with recognizing that all our possessions ultimately belong to God and are for using for the good of ourselves and others.
• This attitude of purity of intention leads to generosity, which glorifies God. Selflessness purifies our intentions.
• The times when our kindness is not returned with kindness are the times that best purify our intentions:

“And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid

at the resurrection of the righteous” (Lk 14:14).

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Pathways to Discipleship

SACRIFICE

• When we sacrifice through our generosity to others, our intentions are purified.
• Self-sacrifice is a freely made offering of ourselves out of love, and God returns our gift of love, making us better. In offering ourselves as a sacrifice to others, we imitate Jesus.
• Our small sacrifices become acts of love.

St. Teresa of Calcutta reminds us that we can do small things with great love. Small acts of love prepare us to do greater acts of love when a situation requires it.

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Pathways to Discipleship

• Marriage offers opportunities to practice self-sacrifice, as we place our spouse’s needs before our own.
• Parents sacrifice for their children through many acts of self-denial.
• Our sacrifice of self out of love for others brings us peace and joy. If we experience resentment or bitterness instead, we pray for gratitude for all Jesus has done for us.

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SPOTLIGHT DISCIPLE: BLESSED EUROSIA FABRIS (1866-1932)

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Pathways to Discipleship

• Eurosia “Mama Rosa” Fabris exemplified ongoing self-sacrifice for others
• She taught catechism and household skills to the local children
• She cared for two young children who lost their mother and sister to illness while their father was away, although she had no ties to the family that required her to do so
• Married the children’s father and adopted the children as her own. Blessed with nine additional children. Three of her sons became priests, and one daughter became a nun.

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Pathways to Discipleship

• In what ways do you see the poor widow’s intentions as pure (Lk 21:1-4)? What can we learn from her about making our own intentions pure?
• Share a time when you observed someone give beyond their excess time, money or resources. How did this affect others?
• What are some small sacrifices you can regularly make for family and loved ones?
• Blessed Eurosia maintained a vital interior spiritual life. What are some ways to focus on and improve interior life to help in becoming love?

Practice Together

St. Paul gives us a framework to reflect on the purity of our intention to love. In your group, take turns reading the italicized lines of 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 and reflect on the importance of sacrifice to become love. The reflection questions may help you.

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The handout may also serve as a daily examination during prayer time.

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Pathways to Discipleship

Discipleship Next Step

Make small sacrifices daily for the purpose of growing spiritually. Here are some ideas:

• Attend a daily Mass, making it an offering for a person or intention.
• Forgo an unneeded purchase and give toward the needs of others.
• Choose to see minor irritations as an opportunity to practice virtue.
• Journal on the sacrifices you make each day. Reflect on how Christ may be using you to build up the Body of Christ in love. (Eph 4:16)

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Reminders for Next Week

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Pathways to Discipleship

• Read or listen to Session 5: Divine Mercy before our next meeting.
• Thank you to those who brought the snacks. Feel free to bring snacks to share for next time.

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CLOSING PRAYER (From the Blessed Eurosia Fabris Novena)

We thank You Holy Trinity for having enriched Your servant, Blessed Eurosia Fabris, with so many gifts of grace, faith, and charity, making of her a wonderful model of domestic virtue. You who have exalted the meek and modest of heart, grant us the grace to imitate the simplicity and humility of Blessed Eurosia. Through her intercession may You bless our families, so that they may be gentle havens of virtue, love, and peace.

Amen.

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Pathways to Discipleship