The Father’s love

April 28, 2016 Thursday 5th Week of Easter

1st Reading: Acts 15:7–21 Gospel: Jn 15:9–11

Jesus said to his disciples, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; remain in my love. You will remain in my love if you keep my commandments, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.“I have told you all this, that my own joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.”

D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE (Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)

“What is the advantage and the disadvantage of having a wife?” someone asked. “The advantage,” replied another “is that she’s there when you need someone by your side; the disadvantage is that she is still there when you want her out of sight.” Human love is vulnerable to the sway of emotions. Today you love someone; tomorrow you despise that person’s presence.

But experience also tells us that it is not impossible to take the level of our love to higher planes. With a little sacrifice, we can go the extra mile of loving others unconditionally. The problem however is that few people are willing to go the extra mile. Some even abuse love. Many expect unconditional love. But how many are willing to give it to the full? Only Jesus.

In today’s Gospel Jesus tells us that he loves us with the Father’s love. We know how far the Father can love us. If he did not withhold from us the life of his only Son is there anything he will ever withhold from us? His love for humanity knows no measure. In contrast our love is always measured, and the measure is often profitability. A husband was sad because his wife said she’d only believe in his love if she could get a diamond from him for a gift on her birthday. In disgust the husband bought her a pack of playing cards and placed the diamond card on top of the pile. If she felt insulted, good for her! It was so mean of her, in the first place, to calibrate her love upon material gifts.

God’s love is never conditioned by “return on investment”. If it were so conditioned, what can we give God in return? Can we ever match God’s love with anything? Even if we offer our lives to God, nothing is added to his greatness. In the preface of the Mass the presiding priest rightly prays: “Our prayer of thanksgiving adds nothing to your greatness but makes us grow in your grace”.

Notwithstanding our worthlessness God loves us like no other. We can proclaim without any fear of contradiction that nobody really loves us the way God does. God’s love is the only love we can truly rely upon. All other forms of love are bounded. In God alone can we rest assured that we are loved for who we are, not for what we have and for what we can do or give! —Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email: dan.delosangeles@gmail.com.

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