Reflection
The insistence on always having what I want, on always being satisfied, on always being fulfilled, makes love impossible. To love we must grow to the maturity of giving without concern for getting anything special in return. Love becomes the luminous presence of God when we relinquish the need to control our lives and the lives of others.
Ilia Delio
Prayer
May I learn the true meaning of selfless love.
Action
Through advertising our economic system teaches instant gratification. We are told all the things we must have, what we need to make us happy. This will be intense during the coming season of Christmas shopping. What will I give? What will I get? Think about ways in which you can avoid being caught up in this mentality.
Suggested Reading
Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Philippians 2:4
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2
All life demands struggle. Those who have everything given to them become lazy, selfish, and insensitive to the real values of life.
Pope Paul VI
Selfish persons are incapable of loving others, but they are not capable of loving themselves either.
Erich Fromm
No person was ever honored for what he received. He was honored for what he gave.
Calvin Coolidge
The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving.
Albert Einstein
It is possible to give without loving, but it is impossible to love without giving.
Richard Braunstein
He who obtains has little. He who scatters has much.
Lao-Tzu
I recognize that I have the ability to be selfish, but I also recognize that you can’t be happy if you only care about yourself at the expense of other people.
Russell Brand
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