Love

God loves me not because I feel it, but because He wills my good. He died for me on the Cross to give me the Spirit so I can discipline myself to get to heaven. I AM LOVED. 

Love is to will the good of the other. 

Love is not a feeling it is a choice. 

Love is a discipline. 

We Love God: (disciplining ourselves to follow the commandments)

Love of neighbor: (telling them the truth of God’s love so they can discipline themselves to get to heaven)

We love our neighbor as we love ourselves; Love of self: (see below)

Discipline is the strongest and highest form of self love. 

It's choosing what's best for you in the future, rather than what's easy for you in the moment. 

Self-discipline is an act of self-love that involves consistently caring for and respecting yourself. 

Self-discipline builds confidence and trust in yourself by doing what you say you're going to do. By aligning your actions to your thoughts. From thinking, to doing, to being. 

Self-discipline involves ignoring current pleasures for bigger rewards to come. It is quite literally telling yourself that you will delay instant gratification and comfort for better things to come in the future. 

True self-love is how you manage yourself in the face of adversity. What you are willing to do to create the version of yourself you admire the most.

True self-love is hard. It is the hardest yet most rewarding thing you can ever do.

Lessons from John 16-17

God loves me because I love and Believe in Jesus that He came from the Father. 

John 16:27

for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father.

God gave Jesus authority over every man. 

All men that God has given Jesus, Jesus will give eternal life to. 

Eternal life is knowing the Father the only true God and Jesus whom The Father has sent. 

John 17:2-3

just as You gave Him authority over all mankind, so that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

Jesus has revealed the Name to the chosen men. The Father has given Jesus the chosen out of the world. 

Those chosen men were the Fathers and He gave them to Jesus. 

Those chosen men follow the word of the Father. 

Those chosen men came to know that all the father has given Jesus comes from the Father. 

The words Jesus speaks are from the Father and given from Jesus to those chosen men. 

Those chosen men have received the words from Jesus. 

Those chosen men truly understood that Jesus came from the Father. 

Those chosen men believe that the Father sent Jesus. 

John 17:6-8

“I have revealed Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have followed Your word. Now they have come to know that everything which You have given Me is from You; for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me.

Jesus has given the words of the Father to the chosen. 

The world hates the chosen because they are not of the world. 

Jesus does not want us out of the world. He wants us to sanctify the world. 

Jesus asks the father to keep us safe from the evil one. 

The chosen men are not of the world just like Jesus is not of the world. 

The chosen are to be sanctified in the Truth. 

The Word of the Father is Truth and this is what sanctifies. 

Jesus sends the chosen men into the world. 

John 17:14-18

I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I am not asking You to take them out of the world, but to keep them away from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. Just as You sent Me into the world, I also sent them into the world.

Jesus has made the Name of the Father known to the chosen men and will continue to make it known. 

The reason it will continue to be made known to the chosen men is so that the Love which the Father has for Jesus will be in those chosen men (the love of God for Jesus-his beloved son-will be in men) and Jesus will be in those chosen men. (God loves the chosen as much as he loves Jesus in the chosen)

John 17:26

and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

The reluctance of individuals to embrace the light, as articulated in John 3:19, can be understood through various theological and scriptural insights. The passage states, "And this is the condemnation, that light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light"[^11]. This preference for darkness over light is rooted in the nature of human sinfulness and the moral implications of one's actions.

1. **Love of Sin**: The primary reason people resist the light is their attachment to sin. As noted in the writings of Augustine, individuals who love their sins tend to flee from the light, fearing that their deeds will be exposed as evil[^3]. This aversion to light is not merely a passive choice but an active preference for the comfort of darkness, where their sinful actions can remain hidden.

2. **Fear of Exposure**: The fear of being judged or exposed plays a significant role in this dynamic. The light symbolizes truth and moral clarity, which can reveal the hidden faults and sins of individuals. As Ambrose of Milan points out, those who avoid the light do so because they are afraid of having their hidden actions brought to light, which can lead to shame and accountability[^7]. This fear can lead to a conscious decision to remain in darkness, where one feels a false sense of security.

3. **Moral Relativism**: The tendency towards moral relativism also contributes to this phenomenon. Pope John Paul II emphasizes that the original sin has darkened humanity's capacity to know the truth and weakened the will to submit to it[^6]. This condition leads individuals to seek illusory freedoms that are detached from the truth, resulting in a preference for darkness, which allows for a more subjective understanding of morality.

4. **Cultural Influences**: The societal context can further exacerbate this inclination. Clement of Rome discusses how evil instruction and wrongful associations can obscure the truth, leading individuals to embrace darkness rather than seek the light of God[^4]. In a culture that often celebrates moral ambiguity, the temptation to remain in darkness can be particularly strong.

5. **Spiritual Blindness**: Finally, spiritual blindness is a significant factor. John Chrysostom notes that those who commit sin are often unable to perceive the nature of their actions, likening their state to that of someone who is drunk or mad[^9]. This lack of awareness can lead to a preference for darkness, as individuals may not recognize the light's value or the consequences of their choices.

In summary, the aversion to light as described in John 3:19 is a complex interplay of love for sin, fear of exposure, cultural influences, and spiritual blindness. These factors collectively contribute to a profound resistance to the transformative power of the light that is offered through Christ.

[^1] [Homily 28 John 3:17-20 2](https://www.magisterium.com/?page=documents&document=695dda9d-74ef-4a6d-a12e-24d5b4bee8da&ref=2)

[^2] [Tractate 12 John 3:6-21 13](https://www.magisterium.com/?page=documents&document=21ae7dac-56b0-4123-b03d-ef0b0ed1fe05&ref=13)

[^3] [On the Duties of the Clergy Book I. Chapter 14. 54](https://www.magisterium.com/?page=documents&document=c71fffec-9e44-4c89-8202-88c8fca83bd5&ref=Book%20I.%20Chapter%2014.%2054)

[^4] [Veritatis Splendor 1](https://www.magisterium.com/?page=documents&document=d073ad6f-d216-49d8-9add-639629648741&ref=1)

[^5] [The Clementine Homilies Homily 1. Chapter XVIII](https://www.magisterium.com/?page=documents&document=9f4de3f6-535a-4371-9c5f-893dcc444030&ref=Homily%201.%20Chapter%20XVIII)

[^6] [Homily 5 John 1:3 4](https://www.magisterium.com/?page=documents&document=f3f8ec2c-cc9e-4afc-8fd2-504d34ef0e09&ref=4)

Lessons from John 15

Jesus is a vine

The Father is the gardener

Christians are branches on the vine of Jesus

If there is a branch with no fruit the Father cuts it off

Every branch with fruit gets pruned for more fruit

The Word of God cleans 

Remain in Jesus

I must Let Jesus remain in me

If I don’t remain in Jesus I cannot bear fruit

If I don’t bear fruit I will be cut off then burned

If I remain in Him I will bear fruit 

If I remain in Jesus I can ask whatever I wish (for fruit?) and it will be done to glorify the Father

Fruit glorifies the Father and proves discipleship of Jesus

The Father loves Jesus

Jesus loves me like the Father loves Jesus but I must choose to remain in Jesus 

If I continually obey the commandments of Jesus I will remain in His love 

Jesus kept the commandments of the Father and therefore remains in His love 

Jesus has told me this truth so I can have Jesus’ Joy that will make me full of Joy. 

John 15:1-11

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and dries up; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved 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. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

Jesus commandment is to love others just as Jesus has loved me. (Told me the truth about how to truly live-remain in Christ)

Greater love is to be willing to lay down your life for the truth that will save your friend 

You are Jesus’ friend if you obey the commandment to love other (telling them truth)

You are a friend because he has let you in on the things of the Father that saves. 

Jesus chose me

Jesus appointed me to bear fruit and that it would remain

Whatever I ask the Father in Jesus’ name he will give me what I need 

John 15:12-17

Disciples’ Relation to Each Other

“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another.

The world hates Jesus

The world will hate me too 

Because I was chosen out of the world it will hate me

Since they persecuted Christ they will persecute me

If they follow Jesus they will follow me

Because Jesus came and explained sin, and did the miracles of God as proof of His message, there is no excuses for sin

If someone hates Jesus they also hate the Father

The Holy Spirit Jesus sends to me from the Father

The Holy Spirit is Truth 

The Spirit comes from the Father and testifies about Jesus

I also will testify about Jesus because I am with Him

John 15:18-27

Disciples’ Relation to the World

“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they followed My word, they will follow yours also. But all these things they will do to you on account of My name, because they do not know the One who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. The one who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. But this has happened so that the word that is written in their Law will be fulfilled: ‘THEY HATED ME FOR NO REASON.’

“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, namely, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, He will testify about Me, and you are testifying as well, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

Everyone is on their way to hell because of Adam plunging the world into sin. 

God has predestined some to heaven. Even those he has predestined have the continual choice to keep turning to Him or leave. 

He offers sufficient grace to encounter (the burning bush of God) at every moment to all men. (In nature, in history, in other Christians, etc)

It is our responsibility to respond by inquiring what this is about (the burning bush) when we are in His presence we have a choice to believe and take our sandals off to be on holy ground [obedience] or turn away and move on)

Salvation is non parallel tracks. One is going one way, the other going opposite direction. 

Grace is built upon grace and it is offered every moment. 

We must not put obstacles in front of it. 

(raincoat in the rain, umbrella to keep out the ray of sun)

God is not obligated to save anyone but he does want all to come to him. 

God loves everyone and takes care of everyone. But he loves everyone differently. He gives different graces to different people based on His will. 

You cannot compare yourself to another, you will only be as holy as he wants you to be. You are given the graces he chooses to give. You can accept or reject not dictate, you can request but not demand.