“I have loved you with an everlasting love.” (Jeremiah 31:3)
It’s that time of the year where classrooms begin to decorate walls and bulletin boards with the theme of “love.” People in the United States, as well as other countries around the world, begin to decorate their businesses or homes to celebrate Valentine’s Day. As the holiday approaches in the month of February, flower bouquets are wrapped with heart covered paper, teddy bears holding hearts that say “I love you,” and Valentine grams are some of the few expressions of love people use to give their sweetheart or loved ones. February is thus dedicated as the month of love.
However, despite the expressions of “love” mentioned above, the word “love” still has a deeper meaning which goes beyond gift-giving. These thoughts lead me to reflect on how God loves and how I am called to reflect the image of God’s love in my life.
In the Gospel, St. John wrote: “There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:25). If all the books in the world cannot contain the many things Jesus has done for us, it makes me think of how God’s love is infinite and immense for you and me.
In our daily speech, we use the word “love“ to express our affections or sentiments in a multitude of ways. From revealing our feelings for a friend to expressing ourselves about a favorite snack, movie, weather, pop star, etc., it seems that the word “love” is a common word in English used to express a variety of things towards a person or material things. As such, there seems to be no word in English to differentiate the various degrees of “love”. In contrast, Greek has different words to describe “love” in all its ranges.
In Greek, love can be defined as eros or romantic love. Eros love speaks of sexual passion or the intense physical attraction between two persons while philia love, or affectionate love, refers to an expression of close friendship, friend to friend, or as a bond in a family relationship such as children loving their parents. The highest form of love is agape. That is, love for the sake of others, a “sacrificial love and unconditional love.” It is this love that I wish to expound upon as I reflect on how God loves.
God has loved us individually even before he formed us in our mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5). I imagine that the whole universe was formed in the form of a heart-shape to show God’s love for you and me. God has prepared us a giant cosmic cradle with the sun and moon, the river and the seas, the mountains and hills, the flowers and grass, etc. All nature was already created to welcome us even before we took our first breath. The beautiful flowers in the garden were blooming and the little birds in the backyard were already singing when they heard us crying from our cradles. I thank God for the gift of life and acknowledge that God is the source of all life.
After creating the world, “God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild animals, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26). The fact that God had created us in His own “likeness” and allowed us to be stewards of His creation speaks of His special love for us as he set us apart. He was intentional in creating us and He has a special plan and desires for each one of us to know Him, love Him and imitate Him totally with our whole heart and soul.
Being made in the image of God, we are able to relate to God personally. We have a mind to think and a heart to love. I imagine that if God did not create me according to His image, and instead created me in the image of a tree or a bird, I would not be able to know Him, love Him and worship Him the same way as human beings are able. I might not have the freedom to make choices and be responsible for my choices. I might not know how to thank God for His goodness and appreciate His message of love through His wonderful creation. God did not create me as an object, or as a tree or a cat, but a human being with a heart to love and a mind to seek the meaning and the purpose of life. I am not created to live by natural instinct like an animal would. Rather, God has woven into the human heart a desire to love and be loved by God Himself. As we deepen our relationship with God, we become more like Him as we grow in our love for Him.
God did not stop loving us even after Adam and Eve sinned. In fact, he demonstrates his mercy as He sent His only son, Jesus Christ, to become one of us, able to “sympathize with our weaknesses” and “has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus Christ is the perfect image of God’s love who shows us the way, the truth, and the life in the Father. (John 14:6). “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” (John 3:16). Jesus Christ loves us like His Heavenly Father who loves His people from the beginning of creation to the end of the world.
Ultimately, God has given us a supreme example of agape love through Jesus when He gave up all of his glory to become a babe born in a manger and died for us on Calvary. Jesus said: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13). He has shown this form of love to mankind “in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). God’s love is unselfish, sacrificial and unconditional, reflecting all the characteristics described by St. Paul when he defined Love: “Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails...” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). God loves us not because we merit it or make Him feel good about Himself, but He loves us because He is love, and love is His name. His love is unconditional as Jesus Christ loved us from Bethlehem to Calvary, and from Calvary to the empty tomb. His Resurrection sheds light on our destiny as it is our ultimate hope to die and rise with Christ.
If I could sum up the definition of love, I would say, “Love is God, and God is Love.” This belief brings me much joy and peace to reflect on God ‘s love. Please join me to pray:
Lord, you are the source of joy and happiness. You are love and in your love, we are living. We were made in your image; renew us to be like Christ. May your love bind us together according to your image. Your love for us is sacred, incomprehensible and unconditional. You have sacrificed and died on the Cross to save us from the fires of hell. Transform us to be like Jesus Christ and strengthen our Faith, Love, and Hope so we can become Your image to one another. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
May this reflection give you a taste of God’s love and may it be sweeter than chocolate on Valentine’s Day.
Comments