'Love Is...'- A Visual Talisman and PrayerArt by Rev.Bola A
My friends, love is the essence of true prosperity.
Love is one of the most powerful motivating forces that we know of. Love can carry us to great lengths and great heights of achievement. This day I recall the message that a grandmother used to write on the cards she sent out with her hand knitted socks and sweaters at Christmas. "there's love in every stitch. " and clearly there was. For it was only the power of love which could possibly have motivated her to continue knitting long after her joints were swollen, nearly frozen stiff with pain that resulted from her rheumatoid arthritis. There's the love that knits the members of a family together in the face of conflict and problems that would tear apart any lesser bond. There's also the work we do out of love. For those of us who work in the not-for-profit sector or in the church, the motivation is not primarily money, or fame, or power. It's love that motivates. In the case of ministers such as myself, it's the love of god that keeps us going. And I will wager its true for most people who are reading this article. Whatever your occupation or avocation, if you do it out of love, you're much more likely to succeed than if you're simply in it for the money.
Love is satisfied in God. Love is Jesus Christ.
While we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
Love is not a mushy acceptance of false teachers. John writes, "this is love, that we walk after his commandments" (2 john 6), and that involves standing firm for the doctrine of Christ. The whole purpose of Christ's coming was not to "accept us as we were" but to rescue us from what we were and to change us into what he wanted us to become. If Christ is truly dwelling in us, then we will want to do the same for those to whom we "[speak] the truth in love" (Eph 4:15). Why do some call themselves “Christians” and yet deny the the truth of the bible?. To me this is what it all boils down to; one either accepts the holy bible as the inspired truth of God, and acts by it, or you don't.
Love is that hand that wields it. For me, to live is Christ - to show forth daily in charity and humility his own earthly round of prayer, labor, obedience unto death. This is not to be abject and weak; it is to be subject and strong, as he was subject to his own creatures. To live is Christ. To live his selfless, sacrificial life to the hilt, the only way in which it can be lived; to give him room to live in me as he wishes, without opposing or obstructing his plan; to make his plan-which is the glory of the father and the salvation of souls-my own one plan, and to live out my life for that same end for which he in his turn was consumed, even to death on a cross. This is to be strong and tranquil, to possess true joy-not passing pleasure, but full and lasting joy, because it is his and it is he. Here is the key to an understanding of my Dominican way of life; to live is Christ. And if a moment is ever reached in which it ceases to be Christ and narrows down to self, then from that moment it ceases to be a life at all; it becomes a rather pointless existence. For me, a daughter of Dominic, the “lord-like one”, to live is Christ.
Love is now no longer a mere “command”; it is the response to the gift of love with which god draws near to us. In a world where the name of god is sometimes associated with vengeance or even a duty of hatred and violence, this message is both timely and significant. For this reason, i wish in my first encyclical to speak of the love which god lavishes upon us and which we in turn must share with others. That, in essence, is what the two main parts of this letter are about, and they are profoundly interconnected. The first part is more speculative, since i wanted here—at the beginning of my pontificate—to clarify some essential facts concerning the love which god mysteriously and gratuitously offers to man, together with the intrinsic link between that love and the reality of human love. The second part is more concrete, since it treats the Ecclestial exercise of the commandment of love of neighbor. The argument has vast implications, but a lengthy treatment would go beyond the scope of the present encyclical. I wish to emphasize some basic elements, so as to call forth in the world renewed energy and commitment in the human response to God's love.
Love is altruistic. True love is also empathetic and seeks to lift others up. When we are just self-seeking, we are selfish and unconcerned with eternal values or with serving our lord. By doing this, we fall into a trap, not because of god's vengeance, but because we are not doing as we should. As a result, natural consequences will take over. God's precepts are for our benefit and protection; he gives us what is best for us, just as loving parents would do for their child. The fullness of love makes our relationships real and centered upon godly directions. By not placing ourselves first, we are able to place Christ first and we end up with a better deal. We can seek the love of 1 Corinthians 13, and this will compel us to share our richness as Christians with both ourselves and with others. So, out of our completeness in Christ, we can build ourselves up in him, casting away what has hurt us, what causes us to fear, and what is wrong, replacing it all with biblical character and values. This will be the foundation upon which to create the lasting bonds with Christ and others, as we glorify our lord and live in and for his church (prov. 6:33; john 12:24; Eph.
Love is the very essence of what we mean by God. God is love. Jesus is love. God was in Christ. This was the experience that sought to find verbal forms in such concepts as the holy trinity, the incarnation, the virgin birth. It is not the creedal words that are sacred but the reality of the experience that lies behind the words, that is where holiness is met. The God who is love cannot be approached in worship except through the experience of living out that unconditional quality of love. That is why the church must be broken open and freed of its noninclusive prejudices. That is why slavery segregation, sexism, bigotry, and homophobia tear at the very soul of the church. A church that calls itself the body of Christ cannot reject or oppress or define pejoratively one who is the recipient of the overwhelming love of God. To do so is to deny Christ. It is to play church. When that occurs, the marks of death are seen in that institution. Those marks are present when the refusal to upset the religious folk becomes a higher priority for the church than the search for truth or the demand for justice. Those marks are present when the church bends to accommodate the racists without hearing the cries of the rejected victims of racism.
Love is an experience of real deeds in the divine and in the human dimension of true love. The dynamics of love turn into mutual or plural interaction as a follow up from a departure point which has to be the personal experience of the own and one self. It seems to be the nature of things in spiritual processes in both, the human and divine order of love. Here is more likely where personal and self knowledge might urge the very beginning of love by self knowledge and love. This fact is reflected making sense in the stipulation commending to love others like loving oneself. In animal life as essential component of human life being also essentially rational, it is a given matter of fact to consider the instinct of self preservation and the species preservation asserted as a natural law of self love. It is also by analogy on higher level of life assertiveness and self preservation the characteristic of life spiritually alive as human and divine on whatever level of life. Human sexuality in christ is very obvious reality since he owns a real human nature and is a real man. He also was highly aware of his manhood and expressed it in many and remarkable expressive and impressive ways. It seems to me that the anger of Christ throwing out merchants and else at the temple is very good example of his divine manhood. Passions and tendencies from his human soul and sensitivity are highly evident. It was also obvious his kindness and gentle approach to women in several occasions. Love is shared by meeting physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of individuals and families in our community.
Love is always directed by infinite wisdom; and therefore in everything in which he commands or restrains us, love is his only motive. The service which we are required to render him is only a love-service. It consists wholly in love, and its spontaneous fruits and results. He requires nothing but what love will willingly, and joyfully, and spontaneously do. He requires us to love him; and surely this requirement cannot be grievous, inasmuch as he presents to us infinite reasons for loving him. Christ's yoke is easy because the state of servitude into which we voluntarily enter, is a state of the highest liberty, the truest, most perfect liberty. It is just that course of life and conduct which, above all others, a loving heart prefers. It is really doing just as we please. A heart that loves Christ supremely, is the only heart that really takes this yoke of Christ. Now this loving state of mind prefers above all other courses of life just that which Christ requires. It is therefore doing according to our own highest pleasure to do his pleasure; and therefore his service is the truest and highest liberty.
Love is a spirit. Experience the heart felt love of Christ which is beyond knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of god. Lord, you will show me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Love is respectful.
Love is to be shown, not only in words, but in deeds, in personal ministry and sacrifice. Christ says, "not every one that saith unto me, lord, lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that does the Will of my father which is in heaven. " in his prayer to his father he said of his disciples, "as thou hast sent me into the world, even so have i also sent them into the world. " in the commission which He gave to His disciples he included all who should believe in him to the end of time. "go ye into all the world," he said, "and preach the gospel to every creature. " "heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils:freely ye have received, freely give. And by the holy spirit, through the Apostle Peter, we are admonished, "as every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Thus it is that God desires to fulfill for us His purpose of Grace. By the power of His Love, through obedience,fallen man, a worm of the dust, is to be transformed, fitted to be a member of the heavenly family, a companion, through eternal ages, of god and Christ and the holy angels. Heaven will triumph; for the vacancies made by the fall of Satan and his host will be filled by the redeemed of the lord.
by Rev.Bola (Oct2009)
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