“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13).
It is very easy for me to love my children.
Although they can try my patience, they are my children – born of my body and hope of my soul. And so, it is very easy for me to love them.
It is also pretty easy for me to love my husband, who is the father of my children. Though we – like most couples – have our differences, we are a team with a history together and as we work together in the best interests of our family, we join together in most things and that shared work allows my to love my husband relatively easily…
I love my parents and siblings as well. After all, I have known them all of my and (in the case of my siblings) their lives… And knowing them for so long, it is easy enough to love them because even when they disappoint me, I am able to see past their behaviour to the source of their choices and the triggers of their decisions.
And thinking about that today it occurs to me that this is surely how God the Father feels about me. He sees my sins and though I wound Him, He understands why I have done these things and is waiting for me to realise the extent of my fall so that I can apologise to Him for it…
We are told that “charity”, which is another word for “love” is the greatest of the three theological virtues of faith, hope and love.
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13).
And I have been reflecting on why Charity – or love – is the most important virtue… And it occurs to me that it is because without charity we cannot live out the new commandment to love one another as God has loved us…
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” (John 15:13-14).
Saint Josemaría in “Friends of God” at 230 said, “Charity with everyone means, therefore, apostolate with everyone. It means we, on our part, must translate into deeds and truth the great desire of God ‘who wishes all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth’. If we must also love our enemies (here I mean those who regard us as such, for I do not consider myself an enemy of anyone or of anything) we have all the more reason for loving those who are simply distant from us, those whom we find less attractive, those who seem the opposite of you or me on account of their language, culture or upbringing.
And it occurs to me today that I must do more, for I have not yet laid down my life for my friends…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.