Christ and the primacy of love.

We cannot begin to understand the depth of Christ's love for us unless we try to love others as John reminds us: 'The man who does not love cannot know God because God is love'. We cannot reach Christ bypassing humanity. The Vatican Council also reminded us that by his incarnation, the Son of God, in a certain way, united himself with every person.

One of Christ's most sobering and inspiring utterances must surely be: 'Whatever you did to one of these, my least brethren, you did to me'. Our neighbour is a mystery, both revealing and concealing God. Christ loves us but he wants us to love his brothers and sisters, in imitation of him.
Love means involvement with other people, deep, warm, Christ-like concern for people, and not a cold, routine attachment. In his human dealings as reflected in the gospels, Christ never once refused identification with any human being, sinners and outcasts, if they were sincere. He never rejected them but accepted each as a person, with potential and worth. We are all creatures of flesh and blood and our attraction to others is, broadly speaking, fourfold: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Ultimately, the spiritual attraction - character, goodness, moral integrity - is primary and endures.

All sins are basically against love. A refusal to love is the essence of sin. Because I love people and they gradually get to know me, does not necessarily mean that they have encountered Christ in me. Authentic love means this: if I am imbued with the notion of Christ as brother, others must encounter Christ in me because I am supposed to be a witness to Christ, that my love and concern is but a dim reflection of Christ's love.

Dr Dominian, the eminent English psychiatrist, has commented: 'Human love is an instrument we can use to explore the mystery of divine love'. When we experience love, either in giving it to others or in receiving it, then we begin to get some idea of what we mean to God. St John tells us that we only love God because God first loved us!

Being limited creatures, we constantly tend to put limits to Christ's love and power. When God takes us back into his love, as in the parable of the prodigal son, there is something in us that arouses doubt, because we are so limited in our love, because we cannot understand the God who is love. Christ's whole life is a confirmation of this parable. He understands and accepts the human condition of frailty much better than we can.

The Jesuit martyr, Robert Southwell, expressed so succinctly the beauty of love in one line: 'Not where I breathe - but where I love - I live'. And the whole gamut of love, with all its complexities and requirements, would seem to find its perfect synthesis in the immortal prayer attributed to Francis of Assisi:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light,
Where there is sadness, joy
Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console,
To be understood, as to understand,
To be loved, as to love.


 

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