In the first reading this morning from the first letter of John, the Apostle John uses the word "love" nine times. That is a lot of times in a very short reading. I grew up Methodist, and I remember that in Sunday school, one of the major themes we learned was that God is love. Yes, love is of God - it comes from him. If we love others, we have been begotten by God and we know God. John says that we do not show love to others we cannot possibly know God, for whoever is without love does not know the God who is love. Love is not a warm, fuzzy feeling, although love may include that feeling at times. The love that God calls us to involves sacrifice. Jesus, his life, and his ministry modeled and exemplified what God is for us. God revealed what love is to us by sending his only-begotten Son into the world to give his life for us. Hopefully, on our journey as disciples, we strive to learn more about God's love. Let us remember the opening line of our reading today: "Beloved, let us love one another."
We celebrate the saint Elizabeth Ann Seton today. It is appropriate that we celebrate her on the day our reading is about love, because she exemplified God's love in her life. She was born to an Episcopalian family in North America in 1774. She became Catholic after the death of her husband while on a trip to Italy. Her father was a great example of someone who lived a life of charity toward others. Elizabeth Ann Seton gives us a great example of faith today as the first American born Catholic to be beatified, as the founder of the first American religious community for women, the Sisters of Charity, as the founder of the first American parish-affiliated Catholic school, and the first American Catholic orphanage. May we unite our prayers with the prayers of St Elizabeth Ann Seton today.
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