ultimate dimensions, its theoretical and practical
implications, its
source, power and goal, its pattern, ways and
manifestations.
Though it is an
endless exercise, it would always be
worthwhile since from that effort is derived everything
that is true,
good and proper to us. Especially if done in earnest,
such effort
generates vitality, health, meaning and joy in our life.
As much as
possible we should try to stay clear from an
understanding of love that is based only on feelings,
instincts,
sensual urges, or on some social trends and fads that
often trivialize
and distort love even as they make a lot of hype about
it.
Not even should
we rely merely on some ideological,
philosophical or cultural and historical factors. They
may give
something valuable, but if they are not grounded on the
real source
and power, which is no other than God, they can mislead
us.
God, for sure,
is everything that we need to go to not
only know but also live the true love meant for all of
us. He is the
creator, the source of all things good and true, the very
foundation
of reality.
He is the very
author of love who loved us first and
continues to love us no matter what. We can only love
properly if our
loving is based on his, if it is inspired and energized
by his. No
true love exists, much less, prospers, if it does not
begin and end
with God.
This love, in
its fullness, has been revealed to us by
Christ. More than that, this love, again, in its
fullness, is given to
us by Christ through the many instrumentalities he
himself has left
us—his living word, his sacraments, the Church, etc.
That is why he
makes himself the standard of our loving.
“A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one
another, as I
have loved you…” (Jn 13,34) We should let these words to
sink deep in
our mind and heart, making them the soul of our life.
And how does
Christ love us? Aside from the basic goodness
of creating us and endowing us with such great gifts that
we have
become the masterpiece of God’s creation, he has forgiven
us our sins
by assuming all our sinfulness and dying to it to rise
from it.
In this way, he
gives us the means to liberate ourselves
from our sinfulness. It is for us to die with Christ so
that we too
will rise with him. Our death should not just be a matter
of the
collapse of our vital organs. It has to be a death with
Christ. We
have to be more attentive to the religious dimension of
death than to
its physical aspects.
And that means
we have to love God and everyone else all
the way, in spite of all. If we look at Christ closely,
we know that
he was very compassionate with everyone. He gave special
attention to
the sick, the deaf, dumb and lame. This is an attitude
that we should
continually develop in ourselves.
And more than
those who were sick, Christ gave utmost
attention to sinners. He knew these were the ones who
needed the most
of him, who needed what truly mattered in our life, our
own eternal
salvation and joy with God in heaven.
If we are
interested in fathoming the love of God for us,
we have to examine ourselves and see the kind of attitude
we have
toward those who may have offended us. This is where we
can see
whether we have true love for God and for others.
Does our reaction
toward those who may have offended us
one way or another reflect Christ’s reaction toward
sinners? Are we
quick to forgive and forget? Are we even willing to bear
the
consequences of their misdeeds, yes, even all the way to
the cross?
This is the
litmus test of our love. We have to be wary of
our tendency to pursue the cause of justice outside of
the context of
charity. To be sure, justice without charity is not true
justice. At
best, it may appear like justice, but it would end up only
as a shell
without the substance.
We need to
remember that we have to distinguish between
the sin and the sinner. The sin, we have to hate, but the
sinner, we
are obliged to love and to do everything to convert him
into a saint.
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