Gospel Thought for Today
16th November: Memorial of Saint Margaret of Scotland
Gospel: John 15:19-17
Jesus said to his disciples:
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
“I have told you this so that my joy might be in you
and your joy might be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Reflection:
Love one another.
St Margaret of Scotland, daughter of the Saxon king Edmund “the Exile”, married King Malcolm III of Scotland. Blessed with eight children, Margaret was an influential force in her marriage and in her nation. She read aloud to her illiterate husband, encouraging him a love of learning and a spirit of prayer. The King and country followed Margaret in her works of mercy for the sick and the poor. During her reign, churches were adorned with art and monastic life flourished. She is one of Scotland’s patron saints. As Christians, we are commanded by our Lord to love. It is not just a simple request or appeal that we can ignore. It is a command that we must follow. Following it will serve as a sign that we are Christians. Whatever walk of life we have, God gives us a lot of opportunities to love. It may be a simple chat with a loved one to see how their day was. It could be saying “Good morning” to the person we always meet at the bus stop or smiling at a neighbour who is under the weather. It could be helping in various ministries in the parish or assisting in a local charity. Let us not lose those chances today. Let St Margaret be our inspiration.
- How do you stay in Christ’s love?
- How are you as a friend of Christ and of others?
- How do you observe Jesus’ command to love?
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word today. Through the prayers and example of St Margaret of Scotland, may others see You in us in the way that we love one another. Amen.
