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God's love for us (Part 1) We all have a deep-seated need to be loved. And we want to know that we are loved. Our Christian philosophy of life begins with the conviction that there is someone who loves us deeply and intensively ... God! God created us, and therefore he holds dear his creation, and His Son, Jesus, whom he sent into this world sacrificed Himself on the Cross in order to save all of us: giving one's life for His sister and brother is the purest way to show love. No further proof will suffice. St. Francis of Assisi, basically a very pragmatic fellow, close to the earth, simple in his outlook on life, fully trusting in the Lord, as shown in his humility and meekness, his obedience and purity, tells us about God's love for us in so many ways. For many years, Catholics and Christians have looked upon God as a rather foreboding figure, not at all in a personal way. And, to tell you the truth, when I was first told that Jesus wishes to be my personal friend, I believe I said something like - He's got enough to do without bothering about little old me. With 6.7 billion people in the world (or something like that), one person is rather insignificant, won't you say? But Holy Scripture tells us that He loves each one of us individually. The world, unfortunately, has a completely different notion of what love is. The world seems to steer us toward carnal love, sex, and that is not what love is all about, unless the sex occurs in the State of Matrimony between a man and wife who are married to one another. And then it is love at its purest, never just "sex." If it is sex, then the marriage is not sound and will eventually fail. There is a purpose in life ... for those who are married, man and woman, procreation, starting a family with children, who will grow up, get married and have children of their own some day - that is our purpose in life, and if we do this, we love God very much. Now, not all people will marry. I, for one, am a bachelor, and there is nothing wrong with that. The world, however, sees something sinister in that; there isn't. I get along with the ladies just fine, but I have taken a Vow of Chastity, and my commitment in life is to be of service to others, the way, I believe, Our Lord wishes me to be and do. I am not placing myself on a pedestal here even though it sounds like it - I just want to indicate that there are possibilities other than marriage. Our life is not an empty life. Our Lord created us each uniquely in his image, and every person on earth has a vocation to do something He designed us for. "Vocation" is usually mentioned only when that purpose leads to one entering the clergy or religious life, but also married people have the vocation to be married. And likewise, single people who feel called to live a celibate life for Our Lord, have a vocation to do so. At least, we hope they do. To be a Franciscan, either a priest, brother, sister, Poor Clare nun, or a lay person, or a married couple, is also a vocation. Not everyone is suited to become a Franciscan, because if you don't feel that you have a vocation, you're just not going to pursue it, right? So when God created us, He contemplated our image and life in His divine mind, and He gave us all a name He knows us by. Chances are it won't be Tom, Dick or Harry but something rather unique. My apologies to the Tom, Dick and Harry-s in this world. I do not wish to slight you in any way. People who tend house, usually the wife, are a very important part of the family. They are the ones giving birth, and are instruments of God's love for children and husband. There is the age-old tension in a family that the husband is the breadwinner and the wife just cleans and cooks - wonderful are those who can compromise and help each other! Everything we do for God is important to God, but everything we do for each other is also important to God. If we constantly worry for one reason or another, either we do not have trust in God, or we lack personal maturity to cope with life. So many people I know take life so seriously that every issue becomes the molehill that turns into a mountain. Chill out! Please! If you realize how much God loves you, you will find out that there is nothing that can't be overcome and when the crisis is over, it usually wasn't all that bad. Right? Of course there will always be difficult people. There are grouches in this world no matter where we go, and those "A-type" personalities, can drive us nuts with their micro-managing nonsense. I have lived with such a person (in a monastery) and it was an education for me. But I got over it, because I do not take life that seriously, and I have found that if you give a problem (e.g. a relationship) too much energy, it will make you miserable. So I let them talk, talk, talk, and I tend to just carry on quietly. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself." [Mat 22:37-39] This love we are to have for God should not be a highly charged emotional love, but a very simple, down to earth love. There are people who quote long sections of Scripture when they ask me to pray for them. That doesn't impress me in the slightest. Or, I once had a chap who insisted on placing his head on the altar and sit there for hours on end - doesn't impress me either. That's nice, but it's too much emotion. I'd rather see to it that my thoughts are with the Lord as much as possible all day long. And thoughts are not shown off, except when it is necessary. When someone is cursing or taking the name of the Lord in vain, that's the right time to say something about it, not in anger, but charitably. Listen to the voice within. Contemplate daily your station in life, that is, examine just how much you love God. If you know you are sinning, especially repeatedly, you must understand that you just aren't loving God enough, and when there is something wrong, we try to correct it, right? And, if you do this often, God sees in the innermost part of your thoughts that you are applying yourself because you love Him! And that is when you will hear His voice. When you do, you will have no doubt as to where that voice comes from. That is not to say that the devil won't try to play tricks on you, but you will discern that he just cannot win, as long as you keep following Jesus. And, eventually, the devil, knowing there is nothing to gain, will leave you alone, and then a wonderful time of peace and inner joy will follow. I have experienced all this myself, first when I was in religious life, and life in general was less complicated and distracting, but even now, as I have no desire to go back on my word to God to live in obedience, chastity and celibacy, even though I am a Franciscan lay person. And I realize this because even though I have many physical problems against me, I am happy and content, even living alone. I admit my place can use a good cleaning, but even this exterior view is less important to me than the practice of pleasing the Lord. We are able to steer clear of trouble when we take the moral code seriously. People who are lax with morals get into lots of trouble. I don't mean that you have to be scrupulously serious about life, but at least be conservative in your interpretations of God's Law. People heap guilt on themselves for sins they have not committed because they are scrupulous. And then, there are also people who do the opposite, who are so lax in interpretation and they will get into trouble every time. To continue to love Our Lord, don't go to extremes, just do your best! Our Lord will work with you, and He will stand by you in case of trouble. And if you think he's not, just pray, just continue keeping this contact. We say that God is like us in all ways except sin - and knowing how we like to be told that we are indeed loved, it would stand to reason that God dearly wishes for us to tell Him that we love Him! And when you tell Him that, mean it! If you love God and you continue to sin, there is something wrong with that love. This gives you something to think about, so I will stop for now... but next time I feel like writing again, I will go deeper into humility. Please stay well, and trust in the Lord always.
Fred Schaeffer, SFO |
