Knitting a Conundrum

Dear brothers and sisters, let us look at Christ pierced in the Cross! He is the unsurpassing revelation of God's love, a love in which eros and agape, far from being opposed, enlighten each other. On the Cross, it is God Himself who begs the love of His creature: He is thirsty for the love of every one of us. The Apostle Thomas recognized Jesus as "Lord and God" when he put his hand into the wound of His side. Not surprisingly, many of the saints found in the Heart of Jesus the deepest expression of this mystery of love. One could rightly say that the revelation of God's eros toward man is, in reality, the supreme expression of His agape. In all truth, only the love that unites the free gift of oneself with the impassioned desire for reciprocity instills a joy, which eases the heaviest of burdens. Jesus said: "When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself" (Jn 12:32). The response the Lord ardently desires of us is above all that we welcome His love and allow ourselves to be drawn to Him. Accepting His love, however, is not enough. We need to respond to such love and devote ourselves to communicating it to others. Christ "draws me to Himself" in order to unite Himself to me, so that I learn to love the brothers with His own love.

Pope Benedict XVI, from his Lenten Message, 2007

We are dust, shaped by a God who loves us, loves us enough to die miserably for us, to draw us, to cleanse us, to teach us the ways of love. Do we hear the voice of our Beloved calling us as he gives his all? In the Orthodox tradition, Jesus scourged and crowned is called the Bridegroom. Look what he has done to be ready for his Bride, to prepare his Bride for their life together...he gave everything.

Now is the time to look into our hearts and see how we should respond to that amazing love.

Labels: Following Jesus, Lenten meditations, Love