2 April 2025
In his book, ‘Life of the Beloved,’ Henri Nouwen speaks of us becoming aware that we are already loved by God in the most real sense, yet there is the need to grow into this, to make it part of who you know yourself to be. This is not the frail love of the young couple as they suddenly discover each other. Nor is it even the love of the elderly couple celebrating their 65th anniversary, though it is much closer. The one sacrificing their life for another comes really close, too. All of those still fall back on the actions being the chosen expression of the love that is in the heart. God’s love for us is deeper still. All actions are mere whispers of what is, for God is love. Love expresses itself in all spontaneity, not as an act of the will, but rather because it is the will.
We cannot grasp this, nor in any fashion become this, except for Love to dwell in our hearts by His Spirit. For the Spirit is love as the Father is love as the Son is love. With that kind of force implanted within us, we can know something of love beyond our human capacities. In that vein, consider the words of Paul to the Romans, using love in place for Father, Son, and Spirit: “What the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, Love did. Love condemned sin in the flesh by sending itself in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering, in order that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to Love.” (Rom 8:3-4) This is the process of becoming the Beloved of God. We are no longer motivated by our human weaknesses. Instead, it is love that motivates us to will and to do all things that will be in unity with the Lord’s love.
If Jesus is Love, and we can rightly say so, then it is love which is the bread of life to us. To act out of love is to share our lives as one would bread to another. Each time we see Jesus feeding the multitudes, or his disciples at the table, we see a love that cannot not be given. Love would not do otherwise than feeding the crowds or committing ones very flesh and blood to those who follow him. This is why being the beloved is so hard, though. We would rather feed ourselves. It is our own appetites that drive our instinct and motivate our wills. How then can we love if we are so prone to be ignorant of another’s hunger? As promised, Loves’ Spirit, which is love, dwells within us. We need not worry, we must not worry, for that once again points to our own hunger. We must trust, and leave the rest to Love.