Word to the Wise
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 - St. John Neumann, CSSR - Bishop
[1 John 4:7-10 and Mark 6:34-44]Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. [1 John]
There is an old expression: "I may not be able to define it, but I know it when I see it!" This could easily apply to the reality we refer to when we use the word, "love!" We can experience it, but when we try to define it, it gets very "slippery" and the words begin to multiply! I heard a rather clinical definition once that went something like this: "When someone else's welfare matters to you more than your own, a state of love exists between you." What does the word of God mean, then, today when it says to us: God is love.? John tries to give a definition or proof of God's love by pointing out that "God sent his only-begotten Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins." In short, we experience love first of all by BEING loved! This is true in the natural as well as the supernatural level. We learn to love from our parents. It is one of the most important tasks of a parent: to teach a child how to give and receive love! But the parent must first love the child and only gradually does the child learn to return that love. It may well be that we will experience love most through our physical senses and the actions of fellow humans: parents, friends, community or even strangers, but sometimes love comes to us in ways that cannot be "felt" but still experienced. God's love will often fall into that category. The very nature of God is relational as we know from our trinitarian faith. God cannot help but love us. We humans are often demanding "signs" and "proofs" of God's love just as we often do with our human lovers. An acquaintance that behaves in this fashion can be very tiresome! In any case, in this season of Christmas/Epiphany we have been given a reminder of the God who is love because God put skin on love by becoming a human being! When we need to think of God's love, we can think of Christmas and Easter - gifts that continue to give. AMEN