The theme of today’s readings is God’s love. We often hear about God’s love in our readings at Mass. In fact, last Sunday, the second reading from the first letter of John stated that God’s commandment that we are to follow is this: “we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as (Jesus) commanded us.” Today’s second reading, also from the same first letter of St John, states that the centre of all living is love. It is not only the center of Christian living, but should be at the center of any kind of life.
There are so many saints that have exemplified God’s love in their lives and in their ministry. The first saint I thought of in regard’s to God’s love was St Elizabeth of the Trinity, a Carmelite nun who was born in France in 1880. She was a gifted musician and pianist. And she was also very rambunctious and strong-willed as a child. Until the time she entered the Carmelite monastery at the age of 21, she worked with troubled youth and performed many charitable works in the city of Dijon. Her fellow nuns noted her great spiritual joy. At the time of her death at the age of 26 from Addison’s disease, she believed that God had a special mission for her in eternal life, that through her prayers and intercessions, she would help lead souls to a deeper encounter with Christ Jesus. Here is a quote from Elizabeth the Trinity about God’s love: “In the morning, let us awake in love. All day long let us surrender ourselves to love, by doing the will of God, under his gaze, with him, in him, for him alone…And then, when evening comes, after a dialogue of love that has never stopped in our hearts, let us go to sleep still in love.” I love her idea of us abiding in god’s lives at different points of the day, of being conscious of his love and allowing that love to live within us.
Another saint I associate with God’s love is St Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits. I have always been drawn to St Ignatius and the missionary spirit of the Jesuits, and grew even closer to him when I journeyed to his home town of Loyola, Spain to pray his spiritual exercises for an entire month in 2019. Born in 1491, Ignatius spent his young adult years as a solider. After being hit by a canon ball that shattered his leg at the Battle of Pamplona at the age of 29, he had a profound religious conversion that ultimately led him to the priesthood. Here is his quote about God’s love: “Love is shown more in deeds than in words.” Ignatius knew that anyone can say a pleasant word. But it’s a person’s deeds that truly show their love of God and the love of their faith, which is evident in his profound spiritual transformation. As Catholics, we must also remember to do more than just speak about the love of our fiath. We must show that love with loving deeds and actions.
The lives of Elizabeth of the Trinity and Ignatius of Loyola illustrate that our faith is not just a religion or a set of rules that are tacked onto an otherwise secular life. Our Christian faith is a vision of how our human lives can be lived out in fullness. Our faith teaches us how to be a real person. St Irenaeus Lyon stated: “The glory of God is a person fully alive.” Indeed, a person is only fully alive when he is full of love. Because such a person then truly reflects God, who is love. This also reflects something that Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said: “Where there is love, there is God.” Notice that Mother Teresa did not say where there are Christians, there is God, or where there is the Church there is God. It is love that should characterize our life of discipleship. Love is a way of life for us. It is an internal attitude that should influence everything we do and say and think.
The love we express out of our faith is to be unconditional. Sometimes people will love us back; sometimes they will not. Sometimes, even though we want to love people, they may reject us. Sometimes, another person cannot return genuine love as they may not be capable of doing so at that moment. That is all the more reason why we need to reach out to them. People often learn to love by being loved.
As disciples of Christ, the most important thing is not that we are clever or successful or rich or famous. The most important thing is that we are able to pass on the love of God, just as Jesus loves us, just as Jesus is loved by the Father. Our love may empower others to be loving too. To be able to reach out in love and to experience being loved is God’s greatest grace.
No comments:
Post a Comment