This Kind of Love | June 2

Click here to read the daily readings from the USCCB website. 

Once again I accidentally deleted my blog as I tried to post it... so we'll try it again.

"Beloved:
Wait for and hasten the coming of the day of God,
because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames
and the elements melted by fire.
But according to his promise
we await new heavens and a new earth
in which righteousness dwells.

Therefore, beloved, since you await these things,
be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace.
And consider the patience of our Lord as salvation.

Therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned,
be on your guard not to be led into the error of the unprincipled
and to fall from your own stability.
But grow in grace
and in the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.
To him be glory now and to the day of eternity. Amen."

I love, love, love this first reading. I know I post the link to the readings above, but I just wanted to share this reading in its entirety. Paul talks about our response to Jesus's immense love for us. But let us first consider not our response but that which we are responding to.

Among Jesus’s last words on the cross were “I thirst.” These words are full of meaning. I’m sure that He was truly thirsting for water after his long and exhausting walk with the cross and subsequent crucifixion, but even deeper than that He thirsted for our love. He felt His love for us in His very body and felt His desire for us to love Him back like we feel the need for water on a hot day of physical labor. Just take a moment to imagine that love. Imagine what it feels like to love someone to the point that it hurts. Imagine what it feels like to love someone so much that you feel it not just with your soul but with your body. That’s what Jesus means when He cries, “I thirst.”

This is the love that we’re invited into. How do we even begin to understand that love, let alone respond to it? “Be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace.” Be eager to draw close to Him, to be worthy of Him. I got married last week. I was so eager to enter into the Sacrament of Marriage with my now husband. I was so meticulous in getting ready that day, but the most important part of that morning of preparation was going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I wanted to be clean of the even stains of my sin on this beautiful day. How much more for Jesus? How much more should I be eager for that when I receive my Blessed Lord in the Sacrament of the Eucharist?

How is it that we’re called to respond to the immense love of Jesus? “Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.” Prayer. Just as I will get to know my husband more and more for the rest of my life, so too will I get to know the perfect lover of my soul, Jesus, for the rest of my life. Today I wrote in my journal, “Which part of Your heart are You revealing to me?” To grow in knowledge of Jesus certainly means studying His life and the teaching of the Church, but more intimately it means getting to be acquainted with His heart. How are you Jesus? Consider getting a cup of coffee with Him. Sitting down to a beer. Show Him your favorite song and tell Him about why you love it! What happened today that made you happy or sad? Tell Him about it. Jesus is a person.

 

-Amanda Benner, Director of Evangelization