home-bodies
"After she and her household had been baptized, she extended us an invitation: 'If you are convinced that I believe in the Lord, come and stay at my house.' " —Acts 16:15
A house is not the same as a home. A house is a building where people stay. A home is a family where people love. For a house to become a home we need to receive the Lord's love and then love Him with all our hearts (Mt 22:37). Then we can love ourselves, love our neighbors as ourselves (Mt 22:39), and even love our enemies (Mt 5:44). This love of Christ turns our houses into homes.
Love is often contagious. When someone enters a home and is loved, he may accept your invitation to love the Lord totally. Thus, a home is not only a place of love, it is a place of conversion. This makes it also a place of forgiveness, reconciliation, repentance, healing, deliverance, joy, prayer, peace, and holiness. A home is a taste of heaven, for Jesus promised: "Where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in their midst" (Mt 18:20). Let's go home.
Prayer: Jesus, come and stay at my house and turn it into a home.
Promise: "I have told you all this to keep your faith from being shaken." —Jn 16:1
Praise: Rick and Sophie's home is so filled with God's love that visitors often say they love being there so much they have a hard time leaving.
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Giles H. Pater, November 15, 2001
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, November 16, 2001