Greetings on this the Thursday after Epiphany
Readings: 1 John 4:19–5:4; Psalm 72:1-2, 14 and 15bc, 17; Luke 4:14-22
Summary
Beloved, we love God because he first loved us. A better translation is We love because he first loved us.
What is love? Love is both a noun and a verb for you English majors so you don’t get annoyed with my reflection.
Love is a person and cannot exist without a person (as essence and action).
- There are persons A and B.
- A loves B.
- And you remove A you do not have “loves B” you simply have B.
Love then describes the nature of the relation between A and B, unidirectional, reciprocity is not assumed, we simply are saying A loves and A loves B. A can also love C and D and E.
Then we can say love is an expression of relation A unto B AND love is an essence of A. A possesses love essentially otherwise it cannot give love. Noun and verb.
What about B?
In quantum physics we talk about the observer effect. Observing is not passive without effect. Observing (measuring) actually changes the object fundamentally. Thus new meaning to the phrase: We love because he first loved us. The very observation (deliberately weak description) of the divine person upon us alters us. And since we are observed from the beginning of time, we can say with confidence, we are made in the image and called to the likeness of God. We are built to love ‘B loves A, too’ but not forced to love.
Receiving Love
If Object B is actively changed by the Subject A, why is there a need for trust (faith)? Because the origin of love by nature desires the nature of love to be reciprocal not consequential. So while it is impossible to be defined without the Subject A (God, if you missed it – B has it’s origin in A), A and A loves B, yet enforces no reciprocity. Or if you prefer, love is the only real response to love.
Extreme Example for contrast
God loves the Evil One. God imprinted love within the Evil One. The Evil One, by choice, rejects both his own essence, and the call of reciprocity of that essence. He is self-tortured by his very nature in contradiction to his own will. He spends his ‘time’ shielding himself from love and attempting to remove the urge to reciprocate. Awful stuff.
Reflection
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. In our gospel portion today, Jesus affirms the love of God for us and the not simply passive observations but the active observer effect. Jesus, as man, experiences (by free will) the Love of God and describes his reciprocity many times in sacred scripture. Here he describes the effects on the person of B (me = B).
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Personal Reflection
Human love is both simple and complicated, yes? How many people across time and cultures have written, sang, philosophized about love? A Ba-zillion, rough guess. But in faith we do simplify the the reality thus:
We were made by Love (noun), we were made in love (verb) and we are called to reciprocate love (noun – essence and verb – action).
Mic drop. AI says this phrase is good but needs expansion. Really? Literally just borrowing from the current colloquial terms. Eek!
Let this be your prayer today: Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled [in B me] in your [in A me] hearing.
Sacred Readings full text: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010925.cfm
Peace be with you,
Deacon Gerry