On the Mystery of Love
We keep hearing about this word “LOVE,” and because of its frequency, we tend not to give it much thought, what it really means.
Perhaps because in the English language, we use this same word in various circumstances referring to different things. The Greeks had three words for Love: Eros, Philia, and Agape.
The way I love chicken is not the same way I love God and neighbor. So, what do we mean when we talk about Christian love, which is the love of God and neighbor? The Love of God and neighbor go hand in hand: we cannot truly love neighbor without, first, having the love of God, and we cannot love God and hate neighbor. The more we love God, the more we discover the beauty of our true self, then we can truly love neighbor.
So, what does love of God mean? The love of God is a principle that gives meaning and purpose to our lives. It is a power that shapes our very existence. This power is the breath of God that dwells within us. It is the spiritual side of our lives. A principle that makes us be like GOD. It is the Capax Dei: the Capacity to know and be in dialogue with God.
The command to “be holy, for the Lord your God is holy,” is also an invitation to enter into the life of the most blessed Trinity. And once we are deeply rooted in the life of the Trinity, then we can truly, love neighbor. This Divine command, “be holy,” is also a command to “be love.” Likewise, it is also the same as the command, “be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Love is complete, it is perfect, it is not wanting, it simply gives. If we do not become love itself, how can we be able to give love? How can a young man promise a young woman, a love that he does not have, and therefore cannot give? We are a product of love, and that makes us love itself. And we must remain in that love, we must drink and have our fill from the fountain of love, and become love, then, we can give love.
St. Paul compares this gift, love, to other marvels such as the ability to speak many languages, the ability to foretell the future, to high levels of intelligence, and to strong faith. And he proves that love is more precious, more powerful, and more desirable. In other words, to be love, is superior and more noble than to be famous for language abilities. And in fact, love is the source of all the other gifts and talents. Love is a creative power that gives birth to life. It is a power that fashions every little detail of the creature and preserves the creature in existence. Love is a unifying principle. It gives shape and beauty, and joy to every creature. Love never ends, it is like an endless stream flowing and giving sustenance to every life. When we love, we become an endless gift of love to God and neighbor.
In contrast to love, sin is a rebellion, a refusal “to be love.” Sin causes great damage not only to our own lives, it also causes damage to our neighbor, and to nature at large. When Adam and Eve sinned, even the soil was cursed. When Christ was crucified, even the sun refused to shed its light, and there was darkness at midday. Yet even nature responds well to the gift of love. When an artist sits down to paint an image, the product is a delight to behold. When a musician puts together notes that yield the most delightful sound, and when a landscaper gives design to nature, all we behold is love in its physical form, and that gladdens our hearts. Love communicates itself through the physical beauty and goodness of the world. Every human person is beautiful and is an extension of Love that is God himself, a beauty that is endless because love is endless.
So, yes, we can love, if only we choose to be love. And love has been poured into our hearts by God. And we have seen what love looks like after the example of our Lord, Jesus Christ. The gospels tell us that, “As our Lord drew near to Jerusalem, he said to his disciples, ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written of the Son of Man by the Prophets will be accomplished.’” In other words, the Crucifix is the summation, the totality, the consummation of love. The whole event of the Paschal mystery is a demonstration of the fullness of God’s love for the human. Therefore, the Crucifix is the fountain, an endless stream of love from which we must drink, and immerse ourselves, both mind and heart. Then, we can truly love neighbor. And we know that the Holy Sacrifice of Mass is a re-enactment of Calvary, the sacrifice of love. At Mass we receive this love. Here is a love that is patient, a love that is kind, a love that bears all things. A love that prays for enemies, a love that is forgiving, a love that is the complete gift of self.
“Be holy, for God is holy,” “be love, for God is love,” and “be perfect or be complete, for God is perfect and complete.” We can do this by our daily continuous prayer, frequent reception of the body and blood of our Lord, daily meditation on Scripture, spiritual reading, practicing acts of charity, and constant meditation on the mysteries of the holy rosary. And lastly, seek to live a simple and humble way of life. Because love is very strict with the arrogant and the proud, but love is forthcoming with the humble and the simple.
Given on the Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Quadragesima Dominica, February 19th, 2023. By Fr. Wasswa.
Comments