Prayer of the Christmas season

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Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Glory to God in the highest
and peace on earth to the people he loves.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

1 John 4,19-5,4

Let us love, then, because he first loved us. Anyone who says 'I love God' and hates his brother, is a liar, since whoever does not love the brother whom he can see cannot love God whom he has not seen. Indeed this is the commandment we have received from him, that whoever loves God, must also love his brother. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God, and whoever loves the father loves the son. In this way we know that we love God's children, when we love God and keep his commandments. This is what the love of God is: keeping his commandments. Nor are his commandments burdensome, because every child of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world -- our faith.

 

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The apostle's audacity in saying that love in Christians is perfect underlines the originality of Gospel love that is not man-made, since it is the very love of God. A love that binds God to his children in an indissoluble manner. John reiterates that our capacity to love comes from having God's love poured into our hearts. In all the pages of the Bible, the love God pours into hearts is not an abstract and empty sentiment, it is not a romantic and psychological attitude; on the contrary, it is a very concrete, carnal love, in the sense that it urges us to touch the flesh of the poor, to approach them physically, to care for them concretely. It urges as well as to involve oneself in the life of the community of believers and work for the transformation of the world. This is why the apostle can say that it is not possible to love God if we do not love our brothers and sisters, if we do not care for the poor, if we do not involve ourselves in making the world more fraternal. "For those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen." The love of God is indivisible from the love for brothers and sisters. The entire Scripture is shot through with this conviction, which with Jesus reaches its climax: one must love not only those who love us, but everyone, even one's enemies. Then love reaches perfection.