Meine Leibe
Γεια σου, Δ.Α.!
Do I want to love the same way El Señor Jesus loved?
Normally, it is a question that I would answer yes. But it is always wise to know first what that means before deciding to do it. I guess, it is a little bit like marriage?
El Señor Jesus, having loved His own people, he loved them until the end. You've heard that, right? But what does that mean? I have some ideas of what that might mean...
Let's start by answering who is 'his own people'? As a first guess, we could it say 'It's his friends!', sure. However, on John 1, 11, we can see that 'his people' did not accept Him. Nevertheless, El Señor Jesus came to the world for them. But He also came for those who accepted Him. With this, we can basically say that 'having loved his own people' would mean basically everybody. Those who accept Him, as well as those who don't accept Him. Those who ignore Him, as well as those who search for Him. Those who thirst for Him, as well as those who thirst for the world. In essence, He has an inclusive love, an universal love, a love for all humanity. This, in a way, questions me and invites me to also have an universal love.
In this love for humanity, I have those who are near me, as well as those who are far away from me. I also have my friends, as well as those who don't consider me as a friend, don't want to know of me, or just people I haven't met yet. I also have those who share my same believes, culture or religion, as well as those who don't share them.
'His people' means everybody. And to love like El Señor Jesus is to have a fraternal gaze to all humanity.
No pressure...
There is another part that I also was reflecting upon here: 'He loved His people until the end'.
'until The end' here, I think, has a sense that it cannot be unlinked from the previous premise: 'He loved His people...' This could mean until the end of life. But I think it means much more than that. El Señor Jesus said that there is no greater love than to give one's own live for those one loves.
Well, to give my life I understand it as to serve, to look after (and put in first place) the happiness of the other. Yes, it can also be understood in a literal way as in to die for someone. At the end of my life. So, in a way, the end of my life can also become a moment of a great love. I think I might be stretching it a bit here (I'm no philosopher, but if you could correct me I'll be happy to listen!), but it's a bit of a paradox: While we could have loved for our whole existence in life, the end of my life (like int he case of our Lord), can become the moment of great Love. After all, there is no greater love than to give one's own life, right?
So, this sentence 'He loved His people until the end' can mean until the end of life. But it can also mean until Love's extreme. To push love until its farthest reaches, loving without measure, loving above and beyond. And the context of this sentence goes into this sense too: Jesus knowing that He was going to pass from this world to His Father. He loved us until love's extreme until through death.
(heh) Again, no pressure...
To love like El Señor Jesus... It is demanding, don't you think?...
I've told you before that 2017 is the year of love for me. I want to love like Christ, but it's not an easy task. I am flawed, and I don't do all the good I would love to do, and instead I do all the bad I do not want to do.
To love like El Señor Jesus... It is tough...
I cannot do it through my own means...
There are moments when it is easy. There are moments when it is difficult. When we look at El Señor Jesus during the last supper, we see Him calm, serene. A few hours later, at Gethsemane, there is agony and anguish: Take this cup away from me, but let your will be done and not mine. That episode sort of reflects our own life.
We want to love, and there are moment where everything is calm, everything is Ok, everything is easy. However, there are moments where it is difficult to love. There are moments where it is very demanding to love. There are moments where it would seem impossible to love.
But we're not called to (I'm not called to!) love when it is just easy. We are also called (I am also called to!) to love when it is difficult to love. That is how El Señor Jesus's love is: To love until love's extreme, To love until the end. To love in good and in bad.
This love that I've been reflecting about, I believe it is a model to follow. This model that El Señor Jesus proposes (actually, everything that He proposes in general is like that), 'To love one another as I loved you' is an invitation to imitate El Señor Jesus in his love. The good thing is that He give us the necessary tool (Grace) to achieve this.
When He invites us to love like Him, He doesn't do it without promising us some sort of help to make us capable to love. He doesn't leave us alone to our own forces to figure out how to love. In a way, I feel that part of the beauty of how He works in our hearts is that He give us love, He invites us to love, and He makes us capable to love. To love through happiness, to love through anguish; to love through light, to love through darkness; to love until love's extreme, to love until the cross.
I have to admit that I started writing this post Thursday close to midnight (I actually fell asleep while writing! :P). Why so late? Well, after all of this reflection, I needed to go find El Señor Jesus. I am very lucky to live close to Montreal's Cathedral, so I went to mass and after that I stayed to adore Him there. I went to the Blessed Sacrament.
I believe that in adoration I can open my heart to El Señor Jesus. It is there that I know I can get the grace to imitate his Love. It is important for me to adore El Señor Jesus. I do believe I need to do it more often. That is something I am thirsting for. To have a rhythm for adoration in my life. It is important for me since it goes hand in hand with my vocation to love.
During that time of adoration, I felt at peace. I prayed for those who love me and those who don't; I prayed for you and for your happiness as well as the happiness of those who have come and gone through my life. But above all I prayed and asked Him to bind me to His love.
In adoration, I am loving and by adoring I receive the grace to love.
Do I want to love the same way El Señor Jesus loved?
Normally, it is a question that I would answer yes. But it is always wise to know first what that means before deciding to do it. I guess, it is a little bit like marriage?
El Señor Jesus, having loved His own people, he loved them until the end. You've heard that, right? But what does that mean? I have some ideas of what that might mean...
Let's start by answering who is 'his own people'? As a first guess, we could it say 'It's his friends!', sure. However, on John 1, 11, we can see that 'his people' did not accept Him. Nevertheless, El Señor Jesus came to the world for them. But He also came for those who accepted Him. With this, we can basically say that 'having loved his own people' would mean basically everybody. Those who accept Him, as well as those who don't accept Him. Those who ignore Him, as well as those who search for Him. Those who thirst for Him, as well as those who thirst for the world. In essence, He has an inclusive love, an universal love, a love for all humanity. This, in a way, questions me and invites me to also have an universal love.
In this love for humanity, I have those who are near me, as well as those who are far away from me. I also have my friends, as well as those who don't consider me as a friend, don't want to know of me, or just people I haven't met yet. I also have those who share my same believes, culture or religion, as well as those who don't share them.
'His people' means everybody. And to love like El Señor Jesus is to have a fraternal gaze to all humanity.
No pressure...
There is another part that I also was reflecting upon here: 'He loved His people until the end'.
'until The end' here, I think, has a sense that it cannot be unlinked from the previous premise: 'He loved His people...' This could mean until the end of life. But I think it means much more than that. El Señor Jesus said that there is no greater love than to give one's own live for those one loves.
Well, to give my life I understand it as to serve, to look after (and put in first place) the happiness of the other. Yes, it can also be understood in a literal way as in to die for someone. At the end of my life. So, in a way, the end of my life can also become a moment of a great love. I think I might be stretching it a bit here (I'm no philosopher, but if you could correct me I'll be happy to listen!), but it's a bit of a paradox: While we could have loved for our whole existence in life, the end of my life (like int he case of our Lord), can become the moment of great Love. After all, there is no greater love than to give one's own life, right?
So, this sentence 'He loved His people until the end' can mean until the end of life. But it can also mean until Love's extreme. To push love until its farthest reaches, loving without measure, loving above and beyond. And the context of this sentence goes into this sense too: Jesus knowing that He was going to pass from this world to His Father. He loved us until love's extreme until through death.
(heh) Again, no pressure...
To love like El Señor Jesus... It is demanding, don't you think?...
I've told you before that 2017 is the year of love for me. I want to love like Christ, but it's not an easy task. I am flawed, and I don't do all the good I would love to do, and instead I do all the bad I do not want to do.
To love like El Señor Jesus... It is tough...
I cannot do it through my own means...
There are moments when it is easy. There are moments when it is difficult. When we look at El Señor Jesus during the last supper, we see Him calm, serene. A few hours later, at Gethsemane, there is agony and anguish: Take this cup away from me, but let your will be done and not mine. That episode sort of reflects our own life.
We want to love, and there are moment where everything is calm, everything is Ok, everything is easy. However, there are moments where it is difficult to love. There are moments where it is very demanding to love. There are moments where it would seem impossible to love.
But we're not called to (I'm not called to!) love when it is just easy. We are also called (I am also called to!) to love when it is difficult to love. That is how El Señor Jesus's love is: To love until love's extreme, To love until the end. To love in good and in bad.
This love that I've been reflecting about, I believe it is a model to follow. This model that El Señor Jesus proposes (actually, everything that He proposes in general is like that), 'To love one another as I loved you' is an invitation to imitate El Señor Jesus in his love. The good thing is that He give us the necessary tool (Grace) to achieve this.
When He invites us to love like Him, He doesn't do it without promising us some sort of help to make us capable to love. He doesn't leave us alone to our own forces to figure out how to love. In a way, I feel that part of the beauty of how He works in our hearts is that He give us love, He invites us to love, and He makes us capable to love. To love through happiness, to love through anguish; to love through light, to love through darkness; to love until love's extreme, to love until the cross.
I have to admit that I started writing this post Thursday close to midnight (I actually fell asleep while writing! :P). Why so late? Well, after all of this reflection, I needed to go find El Señor Jesus. I am very lucky to live close to Montreal's Cathedral, so I went to mass and after that I stayed to adore Him there. I went to the Blessed Sacrament.
I believe that in adoration I can open my heart to El Señor Jesus. It is there that I know I can get the grace to imitate his Love. It is important for me to adore El Señor Jesus. I do believe I need to do it more often. That is something I am thirsting for. To have a rhythm for adoration in my life. It is important for me since it goes hand in hand with my vocation to love.
During that time of adoration, I felt at peace. I prayed for those who love me and those who don't; I prayed for you and for your happiness as well as the happiness of those who have come and gone through my life. But above all I prayed and asked Him to bind me to His love.
In adoration, I am loving and by adoring I receive the grace to love.
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