The Good News, The Bad News

7 Jan

Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also must love one another.
No one has ever seen God.
Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us,
and his love is brought to perfection in us.  (1 Jn 4:11-12)

Yesterday, we reflected upon some incredibly good news:  God is love and that God’s love for us is unconditional and eternal.  That, indeed, was incredibly good news, especially since we realized that there are many people who may not love us as God loves us.  We may not even love ourselves as God loves us.  But God redeems us from all of that.

The “bad news” for us might come in today’s reminder, though:  “If God so loved us, we also must love one another.”

We are not very good at that.  We do not like to think about having to love one another.  Oh, sure, for some, it is easy.  We do not mind loving the people who love us.

However, to love unconditionally, as God does, means that we have to love all people — those who love us as well as those who do not.  Those who mean to do us good as well as those who mean to do us ill.  Those who want to see us with God and those who would like to pull us away from God.

We must love all people as God loves them and as God loves us.

That takes a lot of work.  It takes a lot of faith.  It takes a lot of trust.

In order to love people as God loves us, we need to base our love in God Himself.  We will not find the wherewithal to do it any other way.

God is love.  Let the love of God prompt us — teach us — how to love this day.

FAITH ACTION:  Ask God to give you the grace to love all people who come into your life today.