Reflection
We do not exist for ourselves alone and it is only when we are convinced of this
fact that we begin to love ourselves properly and thus also love others. What do
I mean by loving ourselves properly? I mean, first of all, desiring to live,
accepting life as a very great gift and a great good, not because of what it gives
us, but because of what it enables us to give to others.
Thomas Merton
Prayer
Lord, grant that I may not so much seek
To be understood as to understand
To be consoled as to console
To be loved as to love.
Action
How can I share my joy in the gift of life today?
Suggested Reading
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
1 Corinthians: 12
Only when we have the courage to cross the road and look in one another’s eyes
can we see there that we are children of the same God and members of the
same human family.
Henri J. M. Nouwen
Everything that is in the heavens, on earth, and under the earth is penetrated
with connectedness, penetrated with relatedness.
Hildegard of Bingen
The value of life is not in its duration, but in its donation. You are not important because of
how long you live, you are important because of how effective you live.
Myles Munroe
If you truly believe in the value of life, you care about all of the weakest and most vulnerable
members of society.
Joni Eareckson Tada
Only the unity of all can bring the well-being of all.
Robert Muller
The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather
than upon mere survival.
Aristotle