Do you show favoritism by giving more attention to some people than to others? When you invite people to share a meal with you, are the "beggars and the crippled, the lame and the blind" (Lk 14:13) invited, or do you favor others? Did you decide on the location of your residence because you favored a "good" neighborhood over a "bad" one? If you're white, do you have many black friends? Have you ever tried to befriend people of other backgrounds? Is your church all white, all black, all middle-class? Or is it catholic, that is, universal?
Have you not in cases like these "discriminated in your hearts?" (Jas 2:4) "Scripture has it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' But if you show favoritism, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors" (Jas 2:8-9). "I begin to see how true it is that God shows no partiality. Rather, the man of any nation who fears God and acts uprightly is acceptable to Him. This is the message He has sent to the sons of Israel, the good news of peace proclaimed through Jesus Christ Who is Lord of all" (Acts 10:34-36).
| PRAYER: | Father, may I "esteem the person of every" human being (1 Pt 2:17). |
| PROMISE: | " 'And you,' He went on to ask, 'Who do you say that I am?' Peter answered Him, 'You are the Messiah!' " –Mk 8:29 |
| PRAISE: | St. Isidore and his wife, Bl. Marie de la Cabeza, went to daily Mass even though persecuted for their "extremism." |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College