The way to God

WE often wonder how it is to be with God all day. We’ve been told we should try our best to be with God. But how can that be, when we do not see him, much less, touch him?

One answer that can be offered are some words of Christ right before he entered into his passion and death. To his apostles he said: “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another, that as I have loved you, you also love one another.” (Jn 13,34)

This is the way to God—to love our neighbor as Christ has loved us. To be with God is not so much to be physically with him as to love one another. Being with God is a spiritual and supernatural reality. It’s not simply a sensible reality.

It’s in how we think, how we feel, what we believe in, what we discern in the material reality that envelops us. It’s not so much in what we see and touch outside us. It’s how these external things affect us internally, how they move and stir our mind and heart, our will and desires.

Remember what our Lord said: “The kingdom of God comes unawares. Neither will they say, ‘Behold, here it is,’ or ‘Behold, there it is.’ For behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Lk 17,21)

To be with God is an internal affair. For this, we need to be born again. “Unless a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (Jn 3,3) And again, “No one has seen God at any time. The only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has revealed him.” (Jn 1,18)

In short, to be with God is to be born again. To be born again is to be with Jesus, to follow him who is the fullness of the revelation of God to man. To be with Jesus is to love one another, for as St. John said: “No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” (1 Jn 4,12)

That’s also why St. John said: “How can he who does not love his brother whom he sees, love God whom he does not see?” (1 Jn 4,20) Let’s again examine St. John’s logic:

“Let us love one another, for love is from God. Everyone who loves is born of God, and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 Jn 4,7-8)

We have to love one another, but doing it the way Jesus has loved us. This is the key, the secret to be with God. This is the way to God. We need to find out if we are truly loving one another the way Christ has loved us.

This is the challenge, for often we ignore others, and just remain in the sensible level in our attitude toward them. In fact, because of this disposition, we tend to be judgmental, critical and even hateful of the others. We hardly go beyond the externals in our dealings with others.

We have to make the necessary changes, training ourselves, especially our mind, will and heart, to be constantly interested in others, the way Christ is interested in each one of us.

It’s an interest, a love that goes all the way and that knows how to do it with prudence and naturalness. It is not the showy, sentimental type. It rejoices in suffering, precisely considering the cross as the culmination of that kind of love.

Remember St. Paul’s hymn to charity: “Charity is patient, is kind, does not envy, is not pretentious, is not puffed up, is not ambitious, is not self-seeking, is not provoked. It thinks no evil, does not rejoice over wickedness, but rejoices in the truth. It bears with all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Cor 13,4-7)

We need to put these words into action. Charity is an always active and operative love that makes use of the immediate and little things of the day to express it. It does not wait for more dramatic occasions to show itself.

We need to constantly ask ourselves, “Is this how we love others? Do I do my best to love others with a love that transcends my preferences, my likes and dislikes, my character and temperament, etc.? Do I love until it hurts?”

It’s actually both easy and difficult, feasible and impossible. But it’s up to us to choose which attitude to take.