The Goal of Life

 

Despite all the words of Scripture, the catechism and the greatest theological minds, the goal of life is to obey but one all-encompassing commandment:  to love.  “I give you a new commandment: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so also you should love one another (Jn 13:34).”  The apostles spent 3 years close to Jesus to learn how to love in that way.

The Agape love that Jesus commands is a total giving of ourselves --- total, but when and how?  For someone we perceive as being in need we often give advice or write a check, or --- horrors! --- say “you deserve the situation you are in.”  Those are not loving actions toward them, much less agape love.  For some people in need the best thing we can give them is a quiet hug; and then they know we are with them.  Together, we may then consider how Jesus would have us love them, putting them first, totally giving of ourselves.  Jesus was moved to stop His plans and help anyone He saw in need.  His commandment is that we should love that way.  And not obeying a commandment of Jesus is a sin.

When we reflect on Jesus’ commandment, we usually think it only applies to how we treat our neighbor, but I perceived more:  As I have loved you, He said.  In our lives, we will all make mistakes or have troubles befall us.  And unless we live in a cave, there will probably be someone around us who will perceive our troubles and, trying to obey that commandment themselves, will try and take loving actions toward us.  And if we reject their love, “I’m okay, don’t bother,” we are again breaking that commandment.  Agape love isn’t tossing all we have to some charity; love makes a connection, like a hug.  It takes two.  Often when loving us through the actions of others, Jesus is acting like Simon the Cyrene, whom HE let help Him carry HIS cross.  Agape love is a total giving of ourselves, so we can have room for Jesus’ love.

However, unsaid in Jesus’ words of commandment, that connection between two persons is a critical point of love.  We fail that commandment when we involve no one else.  Self-love is the total opposite of total self-giving.  There is no other person involved in self-love.  That seems to be the root sin of our culture these days, pride, selfishness, and even anger are all bursting from us when we don’t get things the way we want them, as we think “I have a right to them”.  That was the first sin, in the Garden of Eden by Eve, as she said “I want that and so I’ll take it” despite what God or anyone else said.        

Whether failing to love, to accept love, or only self-loving, we have so many failures to obey that one commandment in America these days; the lines for confession should be endless.  In failing to obey that one commandment, we are failing to love God.  And if we could only become as the Prodigal Son, He would welcome us home, with mercy. He always loves us.

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For me, in recent years, I seem to notice that Jesus gives me a little slap up the side of the head when I don’t get His point.  Tonight as I read a reflection on tomorrow’s Gospel, I felt that gentle slap.  Luke 7:36-50 is about when the woman came up behind Jesus while He dined, and crying tears she washed His feet, dried them with her hair, and applied ointment.  The Pharisees saw and thought this was wrong, but Jesus said: “Her sins must have been forgiven her, or she would not have shown such great love.”  Her forgiveness wasn’t like she had gone to confession; she was forgiven when she accepted His total love; then she was able to love.  Jesus said to her: “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”  She accepted His love (His actions and all He preached as from God), so now she could love with that total love of self-giving.  Fr. Bartunek in his book, The Better Part, comments on that Gospel (#175) saying: “We give Him a chance to show HIS love in the confessional, and we can accept gift of HIS love by resolving to change, to do as He commanded: love as I have loved you.” 

In reflecting on this passage and comments, I am reminded of what St. Theresa of Calcutta said: “He thirsts for ME.”  God loves us first, and if we accept that love, then we can love as He does.  Awesome.