LIVE IT TODAY: Thursday, May 7, 2026
Remain in My love, and My joy will be in you and make you complete.
LIVE IT TODAY: Thursday, May 7, 2026
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GOD’S DECLARATION TO YOU TODAY
Remain in My love, and My joy will be in you and make you complete.
INVOCATION
Come, Holy Spirit! Through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother Mary, open my heart to hear and receive all that You desire for me. Draw me ever more deeply into the Love and Life of the Blessed Trinity!
GOSPEL | John 15:9-11
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.”
EVERY DAY QUESTION
What struck you? Challenged you? Inspired you? What questions did it raise?
GOING DEEPER
Obedient love is the pathway to complete joy.
Are you chasing happiness—or receiving the joy that only comes from remaining in Christ’s love?
Jesus reveals something astonishing: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you.” This is not a diminished version of love—it is the same divine love within the Trinity extended to us. Infinite. Personal. Unchanging. This is the love we are invited to remain in.
Again, He uses the word menō—remain, abide, dwell. This is not a passing experience; it is a sustained relationship. But He immediately connects it to something we often resist: obedience. “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love.” Love is not proven by emotion, but by alignment.
This confronts a common misunderstanding. We often separate love and obedience, as if obedience restricts freedom. But Jesus reveals the opposite: obedience is what sustains us in love. Joy grows where obedience flows.
And what is the result? Joy—His joy—within us. The Greek word chara speaks of a deep, abiding gladness rooted in God Himself. This is not circumstantial happiness. It is a fullness that cannot be shaken by external conditions. Jesus doesn’t offer partial joy—He offers complete joy.
In our homes, this is critical. We all want joyful families—but joy is not created by entertainment, comfort, or ease. It is cultivated through shared love, sacrificial choices, and consistent obedience to God. When we forgive quickly, speak truth, serve generously, and live faithfully, joy takes root.
And notice Jesus’ model: “just as I have kept my Father’s commandments.” He does not ask of us what He has not lived Himself. His entire life is a demonstration of love expressed through obedience—even unto the Cross. And that obedience leads not to loss, but to resurrection.
So the question becomes: where am I resisting obedience—and therefore resisting joy? What command of Jesus am I avoiding, delaying, or redefining? Because the path to fullness is not hidden—it is revealed.
Today, choose to remain. Not selectively. Not conditionally. Fully. Parents, lead your families into this love. Teach your children that obedience is not about control—it is about connection. Pray over them by name. Live what you believe. And watch as the joy of Christ fills your home—deep, steady, and complete.
“Jesus makes charity the new commandment. By loving his own ‘to the end,’ he makes manifest the Father’s love which he receives. By loving one another, the disciples imitate the love of Jesus which they themselves receive.” (CCC 1823)
LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS
In My Heart: Where might I be resisting obedience—and therefore missing out on the fullness of Christ’s joy?
In My Home: How can we cultivate a family culture where love is expressed through faithful obedience?
In My World: How can I be a witness of Christ’s joy through the way I live and love others?
FAMILY LIVE IT
Make some time today to gather together and, going around … share one command of Jesus that you want to live more faithfully.
Then pray together as a family. Lay hands on each person and pray over them by name:
“Jesus, fill [Name] with Your love. Help them remain in You. Give them the strength to obey Your word and the joy that comes from living it. Free them from every lie that obedience is a burden. Let them experience the fullness of Your joy.”
Pray for a deep awareness of God’s love, freedom from resistance or fear, strength to live in obedience, and joy that overflows into every part of life.
Daily Challenge: Choose one specific act of obedience today—and do it immediately with love.
DAILY PARENT & GRANDPARENT BLESSING
LORD JESUS CHRIST, let Your holy anointing be upon each of our children, grandchildren, and godchildren this day and week, including all to whom they are called in vocation, and all future generations! In Your Sacred Name we claim them for You! We renounce all whispers, lies, and influences of the Enemy! We pray right now that each know Your loving Presence, be forged in virtue, and be flooded with an abundance of Your Holy Spirit to live fully their identity and mission in You now and through all eternity, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother! Amen.
PARENT BLESSING PROJECT: bit.ly/ParentBlessing
GOING VERTICAL
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Just as the vertical beam upholds the horizontal beam of the Cross, so too does undistracted, dedicated daily turning to God as our lifeblood uphold and strengthen every part of life. Start with just three minutes. Wait patiently for the breakthrough beyond the noise. Let Him speak.
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Yes, charity is the new commandment, but note that Jesus makes clear that it is HIS charity: "Remain in MY love." And he makes clear that remaining in his love will ensure that we "keep his commandments." Simply feeling "love for others" on our own cannot be enough. HIS love must flow through us as the sap of the vine flows through the branches. Without his love, the branches cannot bear fruit. Likewise, the first reading, from Acts 15, makes clear that those "who seek the Lord" will hear us "invoke his name." It is not enough for us to say to seekers, "come on in, go ahead and keep on sinning, it's okay because WE love YOU." They are seeking THE LORD, not a nice comfy place with folk music, people who champion all the right woke causes, and tolerate their lifestyle choices. We must offer them Jesus, not simply "welcome" and accommodation in our spaces. Yes, the Apostles, led by the Holy Spirit, decided not to impose circumcision on Gentile converts. But they DID require them to change their lifestyles.