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Friday, April 19, 2019

⛪They Will Look UPon Him... ⛪

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God Loves Us to the End

In you, Holy Cross, we see God who loves even to the end, and we see the hatred of those who want to dominate, that hatred which blinds the minds and hearts of those who prefer darkness to light. O Cross of Christ, Arc of Noah that saved humanity from the flood of sin, save us from evil and from the Evil One. O Throne of David and seal of the divine and eternal Covenant, awaken us from the seduction of vanity! O cry of love, inspire in us a desire for God, for goodness and for light.

—from the book The Hope of Lent: Daily Reflections from Pope Francis by Diane M. Houdek

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†Saint Quote
"The bread you store up belongs to the hungry; the cloak that lies in your chest belongs to the naked; the gold you have hidden in the ground belongs to the poor."
— St. Basil the Great

† MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Moreover we learn from the principles of our Faith and the teaching of the Saints that often God Himself by His immediate action withdraws the visible effects of His grace for purposes in accordance with His wisdom and goodness. How many persons who have become lukewarm and careless in their duties are roused by the awareness of God's absence and are able to regain the fervor they had lost! How many more have been led to the practice of the highest virtue by interior trials! Who can measure the degree of heroic virtue saints like St. Ignatius, St. Teresa or St. Francis de Sales attained by this means? We must consider it the action of a Providence unceasingly attentive to the welfare of His children, who feigns to abandon them in order to rouse them from slumber or increase their humility, self-distrust and self-renouncement, their confidence in God, submission to His will and perseverance in prayer. Hence instead of allowing ourselves to become discouraged and fainthearted under trials which may seem to overwhelm us, let us act in the same way as we do when our bodies are sick, consult a good doctor—a good spiritual director—and applying the remedies he advises, patiently await the effects that it pleases God to give. Everything is meant for our good, and such trials ought to be counted as special graces from God. Whether or not they are sent as a punishment for our sins, they come from Him and we should thank Him for them, placing ourselves entirely in His hands. If we bear them with patience we shall receive greater grace than if we were filled with a sense of fervent devotion."
— Jean Baptiste Saint-Jure, p. 74
AN EXCERPT FROM
Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence

†GOOD FRIDAY
On the Friday of the Lord's Passion (Good Friday) the Church commemorates the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross for the sins of all mankind, at the same time the Passover lamb was being killed and prepared for consumption among the Jewish people. On this day the Church does not celebrate Mass. The main altar remains completely bare, and the Tablernacle is empty. It is at the 3 o'clock hour on Good Friday that Jesus expired on the Cross, His Divine Mercy being poured out on the whole world. At this hour the Christian faithful should observe a solemn and prayerful silence in memory of the hour in which our salvation was won at so great a price.

†VERSE OF THE DAY
"Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive commendation from God."
1 Corinthians 4:5

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Saint Gianna Beretta Molla

(October 4, 1922 – April 28, 1962)

In less than 40 years, Gianna Beretta Molla became a pediatric physician, a wife, a mother and a saint!

She was born in Magenta near Milano, the 10th of Alberto and Maria Beretta's 13 children. An active member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and a leader in the Catholic Action movement, Gianna also enjoyed skiing and mountain climbing. She earned degrees in medicine and surgery from the University of Pavia, eventually specializing in pediatrics. In 1952, Gianna opened a clinic in the small town of Mesero, where she met engineer Pietro Molla.

Shortly before their 1955 marriage, Gianna wrote to Pietro: "Love is the most beautiful sentiment that the Lord has put into the soul of men and women." In the next four years the Mollas had three children: Pierluigi, Mariolina, and Laura. Two pregnancies following ended in miscarriage.

Early in her sixth pregnancy, doctors discovered that Gianna had both a child and a tumor in her uterus. She allowed the surgeons to remove the tumor but not to perform the complete hysterectomy that they recommended, which would have killed the child. Seven months later in April 1962, Gianna Emanuela Molla was born at the hospital in Monza, but post-operative complications resulted in an infection for her mother. The following week, Gianna Molla died at home in Mesero, where she was buried.

Gianna Emanuela went on to become a physician herself. Gianna Beretta Molla was beatified in 1994 and canonized 10 years later. Her Liturgical Feast Day is April 28.
Reflection

With great faith and courage, Gianna Molla made the choice that enabled her daughter to be born. We can often wish that we were in different circumstances, but holiness frequently comes from making difficult choices in bad situations.

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amin
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Good Friday of the Lord's Passion

Reading 1 Is 52:13—53:12

See, my servant shall prosper,
he shall be raised high and greatly exalted.
Even as many were amazed at him--
so marred was his look beyond human semblance
and his appearance beyond that of the sons of man--
so shall he startle many nations,
because of him kings shall stand speechless;
for those who have not been told shall see,
those who have not heard shall ponder it.

Who would believe what we have heard?
To whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
He grew up like a sapling before him,
like a shoot from the parched earth;
there was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him,
nor appearance that would attract us to him.
He was spurned and avoided by people,
a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity,
one of those from whom people hide their faces,
spurned, and we held him in no esteem.

Yet it was our infirmities that he bore,
our sufferings that he endured,
while we thought of him as stricken,
as one smitten by God and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our offenses,
crushed for our sins;
upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole,
by his stripes we were healed.
We had all gone astray like sheep,
each following his own way;
but the LORD laid upon him
the guilt of us all.

Though he was harshly treated, he submitted
and opened not his mouth;
like a lamb led to the slaughter
or a sheep before the shearers,
he was silent and opened not his mouth.
Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away,
and who would have thought any more of his destiny?
When he was cut off from the land of the living,
and smitten for the sin of his people,
a grave was assigned him among the wicked
and a burial place with evildoers,
though he had done no wrong
nor spoken any falsehood.
But the LORD was pleased
to crush him in infirmity.

If he gives his life as an offering for sin,
he shall see his descendants in a long life,
and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him.

Because of his affliction
he shall see the light in fullness of days;
through his suffering, my servant shall justify many,
and their guilt he shall bear.
Therefore I will give him his portion among the great,
and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty,
because he surrendered himself to death
and was counted among the wicked;
and he shall take away the sins of many,
and win pardon for their offenses.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17, 25

R. (Lk 23:46) Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me.
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
R. Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
For all my foes I am an object of reproach,
a laughingstock to my neighbors, and a dread to my friends;
they who see me abroad flee from me.
I am forgotten like the unremembered dead;
I am like a dish that is broken.
R. Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
But my trust is in you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my God.
In your hands is my destiny; rescue me
from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors."
R. Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your kindness.
Take courage and be stouthearted,
all you who hope in the LORD.
R. Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

Reading 2 Heb 4:14-16; 5:7-9

Brothers and sisters:
Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus, the Son of God,
let us hold fast to our confession.
For we do not have a high priest
who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but one who has similarly been tested in every way,
yet without sin.
So let us confidently approach the throne of grace
to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.

In the days when Christ was in the flesh,
he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears
to the one who was able to save him from death,
and he was heard because of his reverence.
Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered;
and when he was made perfect,
he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

Verse Before the Gospel Phil 2:8-9

Christ became obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name which is above every other name.

Gospel Jn 18:1—19:42

Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley
to where there was a garden,
into which he and his disciples entered.
Judas his betrayer also knew the place,
because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.
So Judas got a band of soldiers and guards
from the chief priests and the Pharisees
and went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.
Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him,
went out and said to them, "Whom are you looking for?"
They answered him, "Jesus the Nazorean."
He said to them, "I AM."
Judas his betrayer was also with them.
When he said to them, "I AM, "
they turned away and fell to the ground.
So he again asked them,
"Whom are you looking for?"
They said, "Jesus the Nazorean."
Jesus answered,
"I told you that I AM.
So if you are looking for me, let these men go."
This was to fulfill what he had said,
"I have not lost any of those you gave me."
Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it,
struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear.
The slave's name was Malchus.
Jesus said to Peter,
"Put your sword into its scabbard.
Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?"

So the band of soldiers, the tribune, and the Jewish guards seized Jesus,
bound him, and brought him to Annas first.
He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas,
who was high priest that year.
It was Caiaphas who had counseled the Jews
that it was better that one man should die rather than the people.

Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus.
Now the other disciple was known to the high priest,
and he entered the courtyard of the high priest with Jesus.
But Peter stood at the gate outside.
So the other disciple, the acquaintance of the high priest,
went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter in.
Then the maid who was the gatekeeper said to Peter,
"You are not one of this man's disciples, are you?"
He said, "I am not."
Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal fire
that they had made, because it was cold,
and were warming themselves.
Peter was also standing there keeping warm.

The high priest questioned Jesus
about his disciples and about his doctrine.
Jesus answered him,
"I have spoken publicly to the world.
I have always taught in a synagogue
or in the temple area where all the Jews gather,
and in secret I have said nothing. Why ask me?
Ask those who heard me what I said to them.
They know what I said."
When he had said this,
one of the temple guards standing there struck Jesus and said,
"Is this the way you answer the high priest?"
Jesus answered him,
"If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong;
but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?"
Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

Now Simon Peter was standing there keeping warm.
And they said to him,
"You are not one of his disciples, are you?"
He denied it and said,
"I am not."
One of the slaves of the high priest,
a relative of the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said,
"Didn't I see you in the garden with him?"
Again Peter denied it.
And immediately the cock crowed.

Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium.
It was morning.
And they themselves did not enter the praetorium,
in order not to be defiled so that they could eat the Passover.
So Pilate came out to them and said,
"What charge do you bring against this man?"
They answered and said to him,
"If he were not a criminal,
we would not have handed him over to you."
At this, Pilate said to them,
"Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law."
The Jews answered him,
"We do not have the right to execute anyone, "
in order that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled
that he said indicating the kind of death he would die.
So Pilate went back into the praetorium
and summoned Jesus and said to him,
"Are you the King of the Jews?"
Jesus answered,
"Do you say this on your own
or have others told you about me?"
Pilate answered,
"I am not a Jew, am I?
Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me.
What have you done?"
Jesus answered,
"My kingdom does not belong to this world.
If my kingdom did belong to this world,
my attendants would be fighting
to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.
But as it is, my kingdom is not here."
So Pilate said to him,
"Then you are a king?"
Jesus answered,
"You say I am a king.
For this I was born and for this I came into the world,
to testify to the truth.
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."
Pilate said to him, "What is truth?"

When he had said this,
he again went out to the Jews and said to them,
"I find no guilt in him.
But you have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at Passover.
Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?"
They cried out again,
"Not this one but Barabbas!"
Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged.
And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head,
and clothed him in a purple cloak,
and they came to him and said,
"Hail, King of the Jews!"
And they struck him repeatedly.
Once more Pilate went out and said to them,
"Look, I am bringing him out to you,
so that you may know that I find no guilt in him."
So Jesus came out,
wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak.
And he said to them, "Behold, the man!"
When the chief priests and the guards saw him they cried out,
"Crucify him, crucify him!"
Pilate said to them,
"Take him yourselves and crucify him.
I find no guilt in him."
The Jews answered,
"We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die,
because he made himself the Son of God."
Now when Pilate heard this statement,
he became even more afraid,
and went back into the praetorium and said to Jesus,
"Where are you from?"
Jesus did not answer him.
So Pilate said to him,
"Do you not speak to me?
Do you not know that I have power to release you
and I have power to crucify you?"
Jesus answered him,
"You would have no power over me
if it had not been given to you from above.
For this reason the one who handed me over to you
has the greater sin."
Consequently, Pilate tried to release him; but the Jews cried out,
"If you release him, you are not a Friend of Caesar.
Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar."

When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus out
and seated him on the judge's bench
in the place called Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha.
It was preparation day for Passover, and it was about noon.
And he said to the Jews,
"Behold, your king!"
They cried out,
"Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!"
Pilate said to them,
"Shall I crucify your king?"
The chief priests answered,
"We have no king but Caesar."
Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.

So they took Jesus, and, carrying the cross himself,
he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull,
in Hebrew, Golgotha.
There they crucified him, and with him two others,
one on either side, with Jesus in the middle.
Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross.
It read,
"Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews."
Now many of the Jews read this inscription,
because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city;
and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.
So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate,
"Do not write 'The King of the Jews,'
but that he said, 'I am the King of the Jews'."
Pilate answered,
"What I have written, I have written."

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus,
they took his clothes and divided them into four shares,
a share for each soldier.
They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless,
woven in one piece from the top down.
So they said to one another,
"Let's not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be, "
in order that the passage of Scripture might be fulfilled that says:
They divided my garments among them,
and for my vesture they cast lots.
This is what the soldiers did.
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother
and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary of Magdala.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved
he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son."
Then he said to the disciple,
"Behold, your mother."
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

After this, aware that everything was now finished,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
Jesus said, "I thirst."
There was a vessel filled with common wine.
So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop
and put it up to his mouth.
When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,
"It is finished."
And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.

†Here all kneel and pause for a short time.†

Now since it was preparation day,
in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,
for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,
the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken
and that they be taken down.
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first
and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,
they did not break his legs,
but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,
and immediately blood and water flowed out.
An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true;
he knows that he is speaking the truth,
so that you also may come to believe.
For this happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled:
Not a bone of it will be broken.
And again another passage says:
They will look upon him whom they have pierced.

After this, Joseph of Arimathea,
secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews,
asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus.
And Pilate permitted it.
So he came and took his body.
Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night,
also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes
weighing about one hundred pounds.
They took the body of Jesus
and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices,
according to the Jewish burial custom.
Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden,
and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried.
So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day;
for the tomb was close by.


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Meditation: Isaiah 52:13–53:12

Good Friday of the Passion of the Lord

He . . . opened not open his mouth. (Isaiah 53:7)

It has been a long-standing tradition to observe a kind of sacred silence between the hours of noon and three o'clock on Good Friday—the hours when darkness fell over Jesus as he hung on the cross. We join the spectators who were there on Calvary in a silence of sadness at the sight of Jesus suffering so deeply. We also join the silence of the "many nations" and "kings" in the first reading who are "startled" and left "speechless" (Isaiah 52:15). Like them, we are shocked at the cruelty that was visited upon this innocent man.

For the spectators on Calvary and the dignitaries in the first reading, the silence is dramatic enough. But for us there is another layer to this silence. Ours is the silence of a people who see their own sins in the sufferings of Christ. In the cruelty of his tormentors, we see a reflection of the way we can sometimes treat each other—maybe not as extreme, but still with a passion that we know is wrong. Every lash of the whip chills us. Every desperate gasp for air pierces us. We are left wordless with sadness over our sins and awe at his mercy.

But there's someone else who is keeping a sacred silence today. In the first reading, it's the servant himself. Isaiah describes him as "a sheep before the shearers" who "opened not his mouth" (Isaiah 53:7). No words of protest, denunciation, or complaint. He was innocent, but he submitted to his tormentors with a humility that we can only begin to comprehend.

Like this tormented servant, Jesus also maintained a humble, prayerful silence throughout his passion. His entire life up to that point had been one long march toward Calvary. Everything he said or did led up to this act of pure and selfless love. He had said all he needed to say; all that was left now were the "seven last words" that still ring in our ears.

Today, try to enter into this sacred silence. Gaze at the crucifix, and see the love that brought Jesus there. Imagine his silent testimony as he stood before his accusers. Let his silence wash over you and fill you with wonder, gratitude, and love. Remember, Jesus did all this for you.

"Jesus, let your love reduce me to silence today."

Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-17, 25
Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
John 18:1–19:42

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It is only when we look to the Eucharist, to the cross, to the death and Resurrection of Jesus, that sin is revealed to us. Perhaps this explains why Christianity speaks so much about sin: it is in fact only through Christ that sin is truly revealed.
—Christoph Cardinal Schönborn
from Following Jesus Every Day: How Believing Transforms Living

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"Even as many were amazed at him--so marred was his look beyond human semblance and his appearance beyond that of the sons of man-- so shall he startle many nations...". Some saints prayed to know the passion. And Jesus told them how many beatings He took. The numbers are atrocious. One strike was too many. Just like one abortion is too many. His face was unrecognizable, so much blood poured. A couple days ago, I sat alone and my 6 year old son had written me an "I love you daddy" note, beautiful because he had just learned to write out sentences on his own. He had just come out of the bathtub, nicely combed hair, fresh. I hear a fall, he calls to me and his face was bleeding, blood dripping off his chin and his eye had been cut on the side lid. I couldn't believe it, I wasn't sure if I'd need to run to the hospital with him to get stitches. It tore me up inside. I blame myself. I built a custom waterfall feature into my house with huge rocks. On the waterfall hangs all year a large crucifix. I wonder how much it hurt God to see His son purposely beaten and bruised by His own creation. He came fresh from Heaven, beautiful, perfect, and returned to Heaven scarred and marred. I am now planning on tearing down them rocks. God destroyed the Jewish temple built by their own rocks. Never again....

Let us pray: " Father, into your hands I commend my spirit. In you, O LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your justice rescue me. Into your hands I commend my spirit; you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God."
They say our Lord spoke in Psalms. On the cross He also said these precious words of surrender "...into Your hands, I commend My spirit". He promised God our Father fidelity, true Love, and He proved it. By far God's greatest creation, a sign of true love, a sign that cuts through the heart...that affliction I've been asking you to consider, to be crossed with the cross.

"Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him."
They say everyone wants to go to Heaven, but nobody wants to suffer or do anything to get there.
"Christ became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

2cents2

Our Lord told Pilate ""My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world,
my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over ...". His Kingdom is not here. But we are asked to pray "...on earth as it is in Heaven". That true Kingdom, we can bring here as if in a perfect model. But what does that model look like? That King came to show, and we are so messed up that we wanted to mess Him up to look like us...disfigured, imperfect, and ugly. Remember how I said we fail to see spiritual beauty? He made Himself weak and we beat Him up. "It's a dog eat dog world " they say. "It's survival of the fittest" they tout. "It's a rat race" they call it. And the weak? "Oh, offer them assisted suicide, they are not useable anymore. "Get rid of the unborn "THING" they say, it's not even a person anyway". But, take it a step further. How soon you discredit a poor soul. How soon you call someone a wretch and you cast them out of your life. "Oh I don't talk to them anymore...I hate them". Wow. Am I getting too close to the heart? Am I piercing the heart that desires mercy?

The Chief Priests balked "We have no king but Caesar." They resisted being Lorded over. They would have the final say. That is the offering of assisted suicides. You have control. That is the offering of abortions, YOU have control. Control freaks we become. Faithless and insecure. Fear for our own lives. Not Jesus. He was fearless in being true. Fearless in being strong in faith in God. THIS IS THE WAY. And the gauntlet of Roman games ensued, bloodthirst for death. And Jesus said "I thirst". But, "Here is my blood". WOW. He came to quench our thirsts with His own blood. To soothe the soul. To heal the soul. To be one with us by coming inside of us. And if we drink this, His blood, then we are united to Heaven. Think Eucharist. Think the audacity, the tenacity, the amazing feat God has accomplished...to make the impossible, a living reality. That what we have given up on, He does not. I think of suffering souls in this world. I see prisoners with bald patches in hair, super stress. I see people looking for contact in nursing homes. I see people around who are looking down and neglected. I see people that are addicted. Lost souls. How far will Jesus go.

To the ends of the earth.

Pilate said "This Is The King Of the Jews"
Whether they like it or not, He was their King.
Whether we like it or not, He Is King of the Universe.
And He may be your King.
He came so that many would be saved...and that possibility is extended to all...as He extended His arms on the cross.
He says "I Do Love You" believe it or not.
"I know you don't understand Me, but how can you? I am the ALMIGHTY".
I'm at a loss for words Lord.
Everything you did was a contradictory sign, just as foretold to Mother Mary at the Presentation in the Temple. A sign of the cross. And a sword pierced her heart...her Immaculate Heart....Jesus
Precious every last drop to quench our burning souls....

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Deep Love, NO Greater Love

Random Bible Verse1
John 13:34-35 (Listen)

34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Thank You Jesus

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