Today’s readings at Mass give us a powerful message of hope and love for living a life with God. We are never alone on our journey of faith, Emmanuel – God is with us. From the very moment we were conceived God called us his beloved children, as the prophecy of Jeremiah in the first reading confirms “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you came to birth I consecrated you”. God loves us and never abandons us. His goodness and providence knows no bounds, he is the way, the truth and the life – the means to salvation and eternal happiness are found only through following him.
But following God isn’t always easy. The world in which we live often challenges us to conform to what the culture is telling us rather than the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is often an unequal world where Christian values are suppressed and where the message of the media promises a ‘false happiness’. We are frequently told that the accumulation of material goods, wealth and power will make us happy but only too often we discover that this joy is short-lived. Many people have been wounded by superficial experiences of love – a type of love today’s culture tries to say is real love, leading to a loss of hope, emptiness, depression and despair and making it easy to forget how precious life is!
However there is an alternative. Choosing to be a follower of Christ presents a radical response to the ‘pressurised’ culture of today and offers a way of life that upholds the beauty of real authentic love. It is possible to love ‘differently’ in this way – for when we experience a personal encounter of God’s love ourselves and realise his loving plan for our lives, we can share this love and joy with others. This is authentic love. We are loved first by our Creator, and by remaining in his love he promises us the happiness of eternal life with him. Saint Paul in today’s second reading reminds us what it really means to love as a disciple of Christ:-“Love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous; love is never boastful or conceited; it is never rude or selfish; it does not take offence, and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins but delights in the truth; it is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes”. Love truly is a gift from God. We give thanks to God for loving us unconditionally and pray that we may love others just as he has loved us, always listening for his guidance in our lives.
