"A New Season"
"A Time to Love"
In The First Letter of John,
St. John says it succinctly: "God is love" (1 John 4:8.16). God is both
tender and intense love! "Of all human words with their richness and their
limitations, it is this word, love, that gives the best idea of the mystery of
God the Trinity" (Dictionary of Biblical Theology; "Love", p. 325). As
we enter this new season of love, trust that the Trinity and Mary have gone
before us--as love always does--to prepare this season of grace for us: "I am
going to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2).
My life work as a contemplative intercessor is to be "rooted and
grounded in love" (Eph. 3:17). "Love" has created the world. "Love" has saved
the world; and "The love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the
holy Spirit" (Rom. 5:5). There is need of only one thing: Love! God is love. I
only have need of God: "With age-old love I have loved you" (Jr. 31:3).
Before I can believe in God's love for me, I
need to experience His personal love for me. I need to be overwhelmed by
God's Goodness and His kindness:
"The path of goodness has a name; it is called
love; in it we can find the key to every hope, for true love has its
root in God himself" (Pope John Paul II. Agenda For the Third Millenium; p. 89).
God desires intimacy and closeness with me. As
I begin to experience God's unconditional acceptance and welcome, and the
hospitality of His love for me, I begin to believe in His love. I begin to
believe because I begin to change as I experience the truth of His love for me!
One day I will be convinced--a true believer. The root meaning of the
word, convince, is "to conquer". Do I dare allow love to conquer my heart?!:"We
have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us" (1
John 4:16).
Love is really the only proper lens
through which to "see" life through and to live life through. God's love
imparts a new vision in my heart--a new vision for life. I can let go of
"yesterday's yeast"; now, I can let God's love be the leaven of my life: My
life lens! When I have experiences of being overwhelmed by God's personal love,
I begin to experience my heart more as a "garden within" : A place of
overwhelming personal presence; this presence is that of the indwelling
Trinity. I begin to feel more "at home" in my heart. God's love truly makes my
heart a home.
God is most interested in--most
focused upon--the "interior landscape" of my heart. He desires it to be a "land
flowing with "milk and Honey": The milk of the holy Spirit and the honey of His
word. God desires my heart to be " a land of the free and a home of the
brave"--a true "heartland"! It takes courage to stand in the certain truth of
God's love for me at all times. Yet, I am never so free as when I dare to
believe in this foundational truth.
The truth is that God sees beauty
within my heart: "For the Lord delights in you" (Is. 62:4); "You are lovely"
(Songs 2:14). Do I believe this? I am precious to Him. Do I believe this? Is
this not, in fact, the truth?: I am dearly loved by God. I am dearly beloved. I
am His: "You are mine...you are precious in my eyes...I love you"
(Is. 43:1,4); and what's more, "My love shall never leave you" (Is.
54:10). I am both loved and loveable. God desires to have access to my whole
heart--to have me open more to His presence. Love desires to make its home in
my heart fully and permanently! Home is where the heart is. Home is where God's
love is. God is as close to me as my heart.
It's really all about falling in love
with God--falling in love more and more to the point of letting go
completely--letting go of myself, my life, my way...me! With God, all is
relationship and communion. True freedom is found in belonging to Another
completely: "More delightful is your love than wine!" (Songs 1:2).
Questions:
1) Can
I recall and describe my most recent experiences of God's love for me?
2) When
(in what circumstances) do I struggle most to believe in God's personal love
for me?
Scriptures:
Any scripture from the text; Is. 43:1-4; Is. 54: 10-12; Zeph.
3:17-18A;
