What is Life?

 

The men’s group met this morning and watched some videos on the upcoming Father’s Day.  The Edgar Guest poem and Scott Hahn’s interpretation of Scriptural references to fatherhood were then discussed by the men.

A lot of the discussion reflected events of the men with their children and grandchildren.  Much differing from one another, yet much the same.  We all had our own perception of a good father, and/or the father our kids allow us to be.  I have no children, but opined that it seemed sad to me that so few parents bring kids to the adoration chapel to spend time with God and, if at all, it is usually mothers bringing their kids.  I rarely see fathers bringing their sons, a key example of modeling and teaching which most fathers are missing.  “No,” some offered in a differing viewpoint, “It is the mothers that kids look to for wants/needs and teaching; fathers are disciplinarians in a family.  And I thought:  God the Father is not a father of discipline only --- as the Old Testament Jews often saw Him --- but I was quiet.

Leaving the meeting, I saw the bright sun peeking through the morning clouds, shining on me.  I often feel as if that is a personal event, and then a thought suddenly came to me: “What is Life?”  And the answer came just as quickly: “It is an opportunity to love”. 

I pondered for a moment on how those thoughts related to fathers and their kids, and while I could create a relationship, that did not seem to be the point of the thoughts.  The questions asked weren’t relating to earthly fathers, I realized, but to our heavenly, Eternal Father.  Why did He create life?  His act of creation was an opportunity for God to love, doing what is the essence of His Being: God is Love.  From His viewpoint, the life He created was an opportunity for His creation to love, for it was made in His Image.  At his best, man is the image of his Spiritual Creator Father, so man loves.  The Father could not have created anything more valuable to Himself.

I see the morning sun so bright.  A mirror reflection is not the sun itself, but it is almost as bright.  I think God created us to be that way, as mirror images of Himself.  A mirror can spread the sun’s light, and man can spread God’s love.  Jesus said: “Love God, and love your neighbor as I love him” --- like a mirror image.

What is life?  From God’s viewpoint, it is an opportunity to love, and the focus of that love (man) can image His love, spreading it farther.  God is Spirit and cannot grow in human terms, but in man He can see growth in love.  And to help us understand God, He sent His Son as a man, to show us what His Love looks like.  He gave Jesus a human life, and an opportunity to show man what growth in love, perfect love, can look like (although every man is created as a unique being).  Man can’t be God, but man WAS created to love.  When we reflect on our children (and our neighbors), that is what we should reflect on: am I loving as I was created to be?  If we do that, even if only like a dim image of the sun, our children and the world will see that love, and God the Father will shine on us.

The Roman historians described the early Christians by saying: “See how they love one another.”  That’s as good a definition of Christ’s followers as you can get.