Tuesday, January 07, 2014

Let Us Love One Another


By Beth DeCristofaro

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God .… In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins. (1 John 4:7, 10)

When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.  (Mark 6:34)

Piety
O my God, I love Thee above all things, with my whole heart and soul, because Thou art all good and worthy of all love. I love my neighbor as myself for the love of Thee. I forgive all who have injured me, and ask pardon of all whom I have injured. Amen. (Act of Charity)

Study
Wonder what it was like to be there when Jesus taught the crowd then fed them.  I’m reminded of times that were deeply moving, awe-inspiring or electrifying.  At an anti-war rally in D.C. the atmosphere was exciting, adrenaline producing and I left with a renewed hope for the future even though, due to the thousands who were there with me, I could not see any of the featured speakers.  Way back in 1979 Pope John Paul II visited Boston.  I joined hundreds of others lining the streets of “Comm Ave” and (I think!) got just a glimpse as his cortege passed by.  Our spirits were stirred by this shared witness to our faith.  At the Atlanta Olympics we were exhilarated to watch the success of our women gymnasts despite being so far up in the stands that I could barely see a back flip performed.  Moments of deep meaning, excitement, shared values can be awesome.

The thousands of people who surrounded Jesus must have had varied experiences of the miracle.  Some were front row participants, some were most likely so far in the back as to need explanations.  Some might have been distracted by responsibilities like watching children or dealing with pain or illness.  Were there pickpockets paying attention to their victims rather than their Savior?  What lessons learned?  What faith inspired?  But also what might have been missed of those grace-filled moments? 

“Only one attachment…to which the spirit is actually or habitually bound is enough to hinder the experience…of the delicate and intimate delight of the spirit of love, which contains eminently in itself all delights.”  This quote of St. John of the Cross was in an essay addressing fears which keeps us from God.  John the Evangelist clearly says:   everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.  Like those in the back of the crowd or those behind obstructions in the vast crowd, we can doubt God’s love for us and withhold it from others.  We need to continuously keep our eyes and attention on our Shepherd who teaches us many things and feeds us in spite of ourselves.

Action
Read some of the action suggestions on the USCCB website concerning poverty, immigration, social ministry.  As you read, do you recognize resistance to some of “those people?”  Why do you withhold your love?  What within you needs to be loved so that you might love?  

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