No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
In the first
book of the Bible we learn that the Lord fears the possibility of men becoming “like
one of us.” Not only do they know good and evil as a result of eating from the
tree, they might have endless life.
Then the LORD God said: See! The man has become like one
of us, knowing good and evil! Now, what if he also reaches out his hand to take
fruit from the tree of life, and eats of it and lives forever?
The LORD God therefore banished him from the Garden of
Eden, to till the ground from which he had been taken. He expelled the man,
stationing the cherubim and the fiery revolving sword east of the Garden of
Eden, to guard the way to the tree of life.
In today’s gospel the Lord reverses that policy. He invites us to
become like God in our love for one another. The way is open to us through a
tree which was not found in Eden. We need have no fear of a cherubim or
fiery, revolving sword when we approach it. The cross can be found anywhere
we look, in city and in countryside, in solitude and in crowds. It will find
those who are not even looking!
The way of love is invariably marked by a
cross. This is where romantics stumble. Lovers looking for love don’t
expect it to be a difficult road. Right Person will make me happy; and pleasing
Right Person will be a simple matter of being myself. He or she will find me
adorable. The relationship will be heaven-sent, as natural as a key to its lock
and a lock to its key.
The entertainment industry likes to make that
boring boy-meets-girl plot more interesting with daunting challenges and
insoluble problems which are resolved in a happy ending. Rarely does the story
end in failure. I saw Pygmalion on stage in Ireland several years ago,
and the movie My Fair Lady a few years later. In the original, there was
no reconciliation. Henry Higgins was unbearable and Eliza Doolittle had no
further need of him. But the musical movie had to end with Audrey Hepburn’s
silent re-entrance. They could not leave well enough alone.
Because our faith, unlike Hollywood, teaches us to expect the
cross it prepares us better for the challenges. Life is not supposed to be
easy; love is frankly impossible to those who cannot bear disappointment,
frustration and suffering. But when we take up, embrace and carry the crosses
the Lord has meted out to us, we find joy, satisfaction and our God-like
capacity for love.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.