ALL WE NEED IS LOVE

ALL WE NEED IS LOVE

JOHN LENNON

When Jesus traveled through Judea going from town to town to spread the Good News, he received mixed reviews.  Some, especially the poor, embraced him with enthusiasm, others, not so much.  There were threats to the status quo in his words, which frightened many.  After these journeys, Jesus returned to his home on the Sea of Galilee at Capernaum.  If he hoped for a respite from the constant round of pleas for help, he was disappointed.  As soon as the townspeople knew he was there the cry went up; “Jesus is back!” On one particular day a group of men whose friend was bedridden came to their friend and said, “He’s here, Jesus is back.  We’re taking you to him.  No arguments, we’re going! “  While Jesus miraculously healed the man, at the same time he could not have missed the love these men had for one another.  They were so bold; they tore the roof off the house to make sure Jesus could not avoid their friend.  I can imagine Jesus smiling!  That is the kind of love he wants for everyone.

From the very first, God called on the human race to love. He decried useless blood sacrifices and called for peace among us.  Jesus is the image of the unseen Father (Col 1:15) and since Jesus is all love, it follows that the Father is all love.  Each of us, created by God, has the ability to love within ourselves and from the very first God calls us to love one another.  We do.  Examine closely the worst events in this country in the last year.  You will see that following or during the event, the love of people for one another is startling real.  The problem is that evil is so noisy and good is so quiet. Be that as it may, we mustn’t doubt our love for one another is strong, but as always, if we don’t express it who will know?  We must make love louder.

Recently at Mass, Fr. Jim Andres prayed;  “Lord, forgive us for our lack of enthusiasm for your Word.”  Is that the problem?  Are we complacent and interested only in our own spiritual life and take it all for granted?  Have we become so used to the Crucifix that the incredible show of love behind it has lost its power to motivate us?  Do we drowse during the readings and come away with nothing?  Our faith needs reinvigorating if the answer to any of those questions is ‘yes’. We ought never to have to pray Fr. Jim’s prayer.  Enthusiasm for Christ’s message of genuine love is critical if we are to make a difference.

Blessings,

Carol Lemelin OPA