I let St Therese of Lisieux speak about love. She died at a very young age of twenty four. She has not left much writing yet some time before she died she made a retreat that left a deep impression on her heart. She wondered what her vocation truly was. Well we could have told her. Surely you know what your vocation is. Your call is to be a religious sister, a Carmelite nun. However, she would say that this was only a part of it. There was something much more. At this stage she was confined to bed because of her serious sickness. Yet, her heart was not confined to her room. Her heart wanted to embrace the world. She wondered what was happening to her and at the end she shouted "I know what my vocation is. My vocation is to love as Jesus loves".
This kind of love has two distinctive characteristics. In the first place love is much more than feeling good about someone. Feelings change. I might feel good about someone at one moment, but at the next moment I might not feel so good about that person. So what am I going to do? Stop loving? Unfortunately this is the kind of love that is constantly being portrayed on TV, in the papers and books, and on the radio. It is always a conditional kind of love. I love you as long as I agree with you. I love you as long as we are compatible, as long as you look nice, or as long as you appeal to me. Jesus' love is different from this. He simply loved. His love was not only or simply motivated by feelings, but was the result of a decision. He decided to love whatever the cost entailed. It follows that what Jesus is commanding us to do is to make a decision to love irrespective of how I may be feeling.
The second characteristics of the love of Jesus is that He decided to love forever. This is an awesome reality. How often have I turned my back on him. How often did I do things my own way. How often I did not reflect what God's way and word was guiding me to and I did things my own way or as I felt. Nevertheless He never stopped loving me. He never stopped caring for me, encouraging, loving and forgiving me.
This kind of love has inspired so many people and many people have become a source of blessing to others as they put this kind of love into practice. Not so long ago a very dear parishioner was diagnosed with cancer. She had to undergo so many tests and towards the end was confined to her bed. She was the mother of five children. Towards the end several parishioners took it in turn to stay with her and her family twenty four hours a day. Her death hard to take as it might be, was also a tremendous source of so much unity and peace among those present.
How many stories have we heard of parents who in spite of being disappointed or hurt through the attitudes and behaviour of some of their children still leave the door open for them. They still remain keen to serve and to provide the best for their families. How many priests, religious and lay people are found all over the world simply giving of themselves animated and inspired by the experience of God's love for them. This is bringing the face and the heart of Jesus into the lives of others. This is bringing the human touch of our church in so many situations of need.
There is still one other characteristic which is challenging and at the same time so fulfilling. The decision to love and for ever cannot be only for those who are known to us or to those who mean something special or are important to us. It is addressed to everyone irrespective of race, gender, or religion. The reason is because God loves everybody. He created everybody and every human person is precious to him.
The first reading of today taken from the book of Acts is pivotal in the Church's understanding of the love of God. The first Christian community was exclusively Jewish. The first people to become part of the Christian community were all Jews. However, not long after, non Jews started to take interest in Jesus Christ and some were asking to join the Christian community. This is what happened to Peter as he was faced with the request of Cornelius, a Roman and therefore a non Jew when he requested baptism. Peter realised immediately that "God does not have favourites, but that anybody of any nationality who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to him".
How can we become such powerful witnesses? Praying this pray often may be a very good start. "If only the heart was right I could give so much more. But very often Lord my heart is empty, unyielding and weighed down with worry. It is often sad and lonely and very often wounded. Lord touch my heart and heal it, so that I may be able to bear the fruits of love. Whenever the opportunity presents itself to be of service to someone, let us take it and be a servant to the best of our ability. In this way we have taken another step in deepening our knowledge and our relationship with our God. In this manner we have taken another step to become powerful witnesses of the living, resurrected Jesus".
God bless.
