How do you hear the Easter message? How do you hear God’s word of love? Scripture abounds in statements about love; many so familiar we barely hear them: “God so loved the world that he gave…”; “Greater love hath no man than he lay down his life…”; to Peter, “Do you love me? Yes Lord, you know that I do….”; “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another…”; the answer to the questions of the greatest commandment, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all…”; “God is love”. But what do these words mean to you and to us? Our answers define much of our journey, so take some time this month and reflect.
St. Bernard, the abbot of Clairveaux in the 12th century, wrote a letter to Aimeric, On Loving God. Aimeric had asked why and how God ought to be loved. “I answer: The cause of loving God is God himself. The way to love him is without measure.” Love, he says, evolves in these degrees: First as a bodily creature, by nature, humans love themselves for their own sake. Second as that love reveals that we are not creator we come to love God for our own good. Third as God meets our frequent needs humanity comes to love God for God’s sake, a more pure and freely given love. Last in brief moments of union we glimpse the final degree of love when we love ourselves for the sake of God, the way in which Bernard imagines the resurrected body loves.
We are not St. Bernard, but we are on the same journey; we are a part of a community defined by love.
In light of the Easter story how do you
love God?
love your neighbor?
love yourself?
In light of your answers what do you do
for and with God today?
for and with your neighbors today?
for and with yourself today?
and what do you hope for tomorrow?
Blessings, Caroline
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