Listen:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39)
Reflect:
As we celebrate this fourth week of advent of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, known as Christmas by billions of people around the world, we should remind ourselves that it is all about Love. God first loved us before we loved him. The word of God says he sent his son Jesus Christ to redeem us from our sins. So that we may have a relationship with him, our Creator.
Christmas season often involves planning and preparations. We often think of traveling and being with family members, friends in our lives or with our neighbors. This is because our love is mostly expressed to our family and friends as they are closest to us and colleagues at work places as they are near us. We have a meal together, we go out and spend time together, buy gifts with whatever resources God has provided.
This year I was privileged to spend Christmas celebration with some of the sisters of LSM, Community in Uganda at St. Augustine Institute of Training in Nsambya Uganda. We shared drinks, snacks and exchanged some gifts. In addition, I introduced “2025 Year-End Examen mini-course” prepared by Ms. Terri La Brie. We recounted events such as births, marriages, illnesses, answered prayers, ministries and thanksgivings in their lives in the past year. We are grateful to God for seeing us through this year and granting us the grace to go through the challenges of this year.
Prayer of Response:
Dear God, teach us to love you in our daily lives as we strive to be like you and depend on you.
Questions to Ponder:
- How do you love the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul?
- How do you love your neighbor as yourself?
Breath Prayers:
Join us in praying breath prayers each day. We invite you to write your own as well.
Inhale (Breathe in): Teach me Lord,
Exhale (Breathe out): to love You with my all.
Inhale (Breathe in): Teach me Lord, to love my neighbor.
Exhale (Breathe out): to love
—Submitted by: Margaret Okello
Dr. Margaret Okello is a recipient of honorary doctorate of Philosophy in Christian Leadership and Business, at Veridian Christian University, Texas, USA, June 2025. Her career gave her the opportunity to work with people from different parts of the world, including Africa, Asia, United States of America (USA), Australia and Europe. She has worked with Lifesprings International Uganda as Dean of Lifesprings School of Ministry in Uganda, oversees Lifesprings retreats, conferences in Uganda and is a writer for Lifesprings Tuesday devotions. She is a public speaker and a mentor to women and girls and assists in coordinating other NGO International projects in Uganda. Margaret is married and a mother of two and one adopted adult.