Sometime last week I took a look at someone's Blogger profile, and was struck by how she defined herself: "I'm madly in love with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament."
This confession of love has been sticking with me; it comes to mind sometimes at the genuflections during the consecration, or when I first arrive in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament if I'm opening the church in the morning quiet. What a thing to say! I mean, anyone who is trying to live the Christian life has fallen in love with God on some level, but to make the claim so vividly and viscerally just strikes me.
St. Peter Chrysologus was in the Office of Readings yesterday:
"Love does not reflect; it is unreasonable and knows no moderation. Love refused to be consoled when its goal proves impossible, despises all hindrances to the attainment of its object...It is intolerable for love not to see the object of its longing."
To be in love with someone is to arrange one's life around being in the presence of the beloved and to actively seek opportunities to do good for the beloved. I want to be in love with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament that way!
4 comments:
I appreciate your last paragraph, Father, because usually I find claims of "I love Jesus" to be shallow and repulsive... little more than emotional exclamations with no resulting action, which, as we know, isn't love at all, but chemical reactions. :-)
If I could spend my life contemplating one thing, it would be love: what it isn't, and what it is.
thanks for sharing this, Fr. C! i, too, appreciate the last paragraph in your post. i agree that part of what really "being in love" with Jesus absolutely IS to arrange our life so as nothing can interfere with being in His prescence. i know that i try very hard to make sure that nothing (except circumstances beyond my control, like inclement weather) comes between the time i spend in Adoration with the Lord. and, yes, "actively seeking opportunities to do good for our beloved Jesus" is part of what spirituality is all about. PEACE! ~tara t~
Great post, Father.
Thom, I agree wholeheartedly. I grew up hearing "Jesus is my friend" which I always thought was repulsively banal and euphemistic. I personally hesitate to even say I love God/Jesus. I think mostly because true agape love requires one to sacrifice everything for that person, which I am so unable to do. I can say I am in absolute awe, respect, gratitude and admiration of God; so much so that I try daily to contemplate His existence, His creation, His plan and how I can do anything to glorify Him through my petty existence.
I just came across this... it was a good reminder for me that that is my ideal, what I hope for. Because I fall so short of actually living my life that way... Please pray for my perseverance!
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