God's free Gift of Love

I will never forget the first time my wife told me she loved me. We had been dating each other exclusively for a year when she told me to sit down; she had something to tell me. Not the most encouraging way to start a conversation so I was not prepared to hear “I love you”. I was not expecting it for she had always hesitated to say these words. They meant too much for her to just casually say. For my wife, to tell someone you loved them was an ultimate declaration not lightly said and not to be taken back once said.

Her love gave my feelings value. It was a wonderful feeling but with love comes a great responsibility. My next thought was one of apprehension. I had to be worthy of that love. I had to respond in such a way that conveyed my feelings for her and to the love she has for me.

I cannot make my wife love me nor can my wife make me love her. These are choices we both freely make. God’s love is given to us freely. St. Paul tells us God’s love is a gift. It is not something we can earn. God’s love for us is so great that he gave his only Son for our salvation. Through the Son’s death and resurrection, God has made a place for us in heaven. Accepting God’s love is our choice but it can be hard for some. We may spend too much time thinking of our flaws and imperfections. We may not feel worthy of God’s love. We have to remember that Jesus tells us he did not come into the world to condemn. He came into the world to save us. Jesus knows our flaws, he know our imperfections and still he came; freely.

God’s gift of love can be accepted or rejected. God does not make or demand we love him. We are not forced into a decision to love God. God has given us the freedom to respond to his love. Has God's free gift of love been accepted? How are we responding to the acceptance of God's love? Is it heard in our words? It is shown in our deeds? It is the mercy we show to others? Are we feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty and sheltering the homeless? Are we keeping the commandments?

Let this be your prayer today; that your words and deeds be always a reflection of your acceptance of God’s love for you. (Modified version of Bulletin Column dated March 11, 2018)

Praying the Rosary

My Rugged Rosary

The rosary is a prayer that gives us the opportunity to reflect on Jesus and our own lives.  Last Friday I was reciting the Sorrowful Mysteries of the rosary when I came to the third Sorrowful Mystery; Crowning with the Thorns. I reflected on the Roman guard pushing that crown of thorns onto the head of Jesus and the pain it caused when suddenly I saw myself as the guard. I was the one pushing down the crown of thorns. It was a painful thought but I did not want to leave it as I knew it had meaning to me.  As I continued to pray the ten Hail Marys, I realized it was my sins that pushed down that crown of thorns.  These sins occur when I do not return the love God has shown to me.

I moved on to the next mystery; Carrying the Cross.  I continued to reflect on the pain caused by my sins but now I also thought of Jesus voluntarily taking up the cross.  I thought of the cross Jesus carried.  I began to see the cross not being made of wood but being made out of the sins of the world.

Finally I came to the last sorrowful mystery; The Crucifixion.  In my reflecting on the crucifixion, I saw Jesus the loving Son, sacrificing his life for my sins.  I realized it was my sins that made necessary the crucifixion.

The praying of the rosary opened up my eyes to a new way to look at the death of Jesus on the cross.  My sins do cause pain.  God knows my sins even if I do not recognize them.  My sins make the thorns cut deeper into Jesus.  My sins make the cross a little heavier.  My sins make the death of Jesus a little more painful.  I realized my sins have to do this!

The sacrifice of Jesus is for all mankind and for all of time. The pain of his sacrifice must include the sins that I commit today.  Understanding the sacrifice of Jesus in this way opened up a deep sense of love in me.  I felt God's love for me through the sacrifice his Son made for all.  The sins of mankind; past, present and future have been forgiven by this one sacrifice.

Can I come close to imagining a love this strong?  God allowed his Son to endure the suffering and pain caused by my sins of today so I could be forgiven by a sacrifice of love made two thousand years ago.

The Greatest Commandment

These are excerpts from the homily I gave on the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 26, 2014.

When the Pharisees ask Jesus what is the most important commandment,  It is a legitimate question.  It is a question the Pharisees have been debating amongst themselves for generations.  The Pharisees identified 613 commandments in the Torah, the first five books of the Bible.  Two hundred forty-eight were positive, things to do, “thou shall” and three hundred sixty-five were negative, things not to do, “thou shall not”.  Asking Jesus "which commandment in the law is the greatest," the Pharisees are stating that the law comes first and must be followed.

The response Jesus gives to the question is:
“You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul and with all your mind.  This is the greatest and first commandment.  The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus is teaching us that the law comes from our relationships with God, neighbor and ourself.  It defines the reason for following his commands.  Love is part of the greatest commandment because the law flows from God's love for us.  Love comes first then the law follows.

Jesus tells us who our neighbor is by the use of parables.  Think of the Good Samaritan, his neighbor was the total stranger he helped.  We cannot love God if we do not love our neighbor who is also the stranger we do not know.  Love of neighbor is an essential part of our desire to love God.  If we fail in this we fail in our love for God.  If we do not recognize our neighbor as our brother, we cannot recognize God as our Father and we cannot love what we do not recognize.  God makes it quite clear to love either God or neighbor without love for the other is impossible

We read in scripture (1 Jn.3: 20):
"Anyone who says 'I love God' and does not love his neighbor is a liar" for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.”

Let each one of us ask ourself today how seriously we take the Greatest Commandment of all and the second commandment like it.  How do we show love to our neighbor?  Do we notice those people who pass through our daily life as strangers?  If you are not still not sure who your neighbor is recall the words from Pope Benedict.  This is one of my favorite quotes and comes from the encyclical God is Love:
“Anyone who needs me, and whom I can help, is my neighbor.”