How much of our lives are based on love! Love gets us up in the morning, keeps us going through the day, and gives us rest at night. When we know that we’re loved, everything flows. When we struggle to feel loved, everything is harder. It is love, according to the poet Dante, “that moves the sun and all the other stars”.
No wonder that Jesus teaches that to love God above all, and your neighbour as yourself are the greatest commandments. The love that Jesus calls us to give is unconditional: “all” is repeated four times. And that’s the hard part. Why would Jesus call us to do something this challenging?
He wants us to enter into God’s love. Jesus knows, because he is one with God, that love is at the heart of our lives, and of the whole universe. When we lose touch with love, when we turn away, we wither and die, like a plant without water. We call that sin, and its something anyone of us can experience.
So how can we, ordinary, imperfect people show unconditional love? We need to know that we are loved. Our families and friends can show us this love. But even when we don’t always feel it from the people in our lives, we need to know that God loves us. His love is shown in Jesus on the cross, and amazingly offered to us when we turn away, when we don’t deserve it or earn it. What a gift.
But love doesn’t sit still or stay in our grasp. It lives only when it is given back, and shared with others. Jesus shows us the priority in these two commandments. In acknowledging God as the source of all love, we love him back. This means that our whole lives are offered back to him. We offer our heart, mind, soul and strength to our Creator, who has given all to us as a gift. Our priorities, our thinking, our reflections, our efforts should all be directed to him.
To love others as ourselves comes out of acknowledging God first. Then we know him as Father of all, Father of Jesus. We see his love visible on the cross as love for all. Then it’s our turn, not merely to tolerate or like others, but to be willing to sacrifice for them.
We are made for love. To love God and our neighbours isn’t just a command to obey, it’s our destiny and our fulfillment. When we love unconditionally, we truly prepare the way for Jesus and his Kingdom, we help create a little piece of heaven on earth.