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by Rev. Fr. V.V. Paulose, Toronto, Canada
“For the lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior… With his love, he will calm all your fears.” (Zephaniah 3 :17)
God’s love and his spiritual presence is a time
tested truth. The four letter word 'love' is the most abused, misused,
mismanaged and misunderstood word in English dictionary. Even a six and half
year old child says love is a bad word! Why is it so? Because our society
confuses love and lust. Unlike lust, God’s love is directed outward toward
others, not inward toward ourselves. It’s truly utterly unselfish. This kind of
love goes against our natural inclinations. It is like a tree that gives shade
to those who come and sit under it. It is like a lamp that gives light those who
sit around it. It is like a rose flower that sends fragrance to those who pass
near it. God’s love has no quid- pro –quo (not expect anything in return). It is
truly unconditional love.
Victor Frankl was a great neurologist and psychiatrist. He was saved from Nazi’s
concentration camp. His wife and mother were murdered by Nazis; his father died
in the camp. According to him, life has meaning under all circumstances, even
under the most miserable ones, unchangeable suffering also. He writes - "We
stumbled on the darkness, the accompanying guards kept shouting at us with the
butts of their rifles". His wife’s thought came to his mind in that dark night
in the camp. He continues, "My mind clung to my wife’s image.. with uncanny
acuteness. I heard her answering me, saw her smile, her frank and encouraging
look… her look was then more luminous than the sun which was beginning to rise."
The truth is that love is the ultimate and the highest goal we can dream of
reaching. The salvation of man is through love and only in love. For the first
time in my life, I was able to understand the meaning of the words, "The angels
are lost in perpetual contemplation of an infinite glory."
There is no life with out love. We are born in love, live in love and die in
love. That’s life. Today, Jesus' unconditional love helps you to face your
pains.
Jesus, thank you for your love. Let us taste your loving presence. Make us an instrument of love so that we can love our families, coworkers, friends and our enemies. Let today be a new day of love in our life. We ask this in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
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