January 8. When Jos finally admitted his addiction to alcohol in his late twenties he shared that it felt like a new beginning in life.   “My last few years were hell. I was very unhappy at home as my dad had insisted I continue with my B Com comm studies which I hated. I got more and more depressed and that caused more and more trouble until I eventually left home. I already had been drinking but my friends didn’t help with that. Then I met Amy who was able to break through the walls I had built around myself. She was a committed Christian and had been an alcoholic. She brought God back into my life after having abandoned my faith for years. She convinced me, “God hasn’t abandoned you.”

Beloved:  let us love one another, for love is of God and he who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God for God is love. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be expiation for our sins. 1 John 4:7-10.  

Pope Francis: Kindness is an attitude that is gentle, pleasant and supportive, not rude or coarse. Every now and then miraculously a kind person appears and is willing to set everything else aside in order to show interest, to speak a word of encouragement and to listen. Kindness ought to be cultivated because it entails esteem and respect for others.  FT 223. Reflect and share.