I am loved – absolutely, extravagantly, simplistically, and aboundingly loved.
My recent excursion to the Philippines affirmed me many times over of just how important it is to recognize this love.
The community in which we belong is certainly a very selfless community. We give until we can no longer, and then some. We give of ourselves because we love the Lord so much and there is, further more, nothing more we can do than to respond to it through charitable works and tireless service. We blossom, as such, in to genuine servants of God – ready to do his will, and generously extending far beyond our own reaches only because He commands it.
Though in order for us to give love, we must know wholeheartedly that we have received it. In order for us to wholeheartedly receive love, we must also wholeheartedly give it. Yes, love is beautiful because it is self-giving. It is an intimate exchange between lover, and beloved.
Beloved.. Being loved. Could it be this simple? I vividly recall my infancy: an adolescent version of me affixed in my mother’s arms. There was nothing more that I cherished than being carried by those who loved me; my mom, my dad, and my nanay (or grandmother) are the first people that come to mind. What I cherish so deeply about those memories is the simplicity of being loved. When I was in my mother’s arms there was no need to ponder why I was there. There were no questions of, “How must I respond to this love she was giving me?”. There was no “discernment” on what this love is leading me to do. There were no questions of “If I am so loved, what can and should I do to make sure I receive more of it?”.
In fact, there were no thoughts involved whatsoever. Simply a circumstance. In my mother’s arms, in my father’s arms, in my nanay’s arms, I was loved, and that was enough. It was an inseparable Truth and divine existence – me, in the state of being loved. This, times infinity, is the same love our Lord has for His beloved. Though often we choose to ponder it, dissect it, dismiss it, surrender to it. The first response that we must always have when addressing it is not a response at all. We need simply to be in it. Be loved. Be in Love. Be Love. Be affixed in our Lord’s arms just as we were when we were children. The rest will come naturally and supernaturally. We must first be His beloved.
Quite often, it’s easy to fall prey to judgment of others. I know for me it may be the hardest vice to overcome. Truthfully, whenever I go to the Philippines, my humility is often tested. I’m not sure if it’s the uncomfortable looks they give foreigners (like myself), or the different reverence they have for the Holy Mass, or simply for the lack of understanding they have for the faith (being dramatically different than where I’m from). In times like these, Jesus’ compassion becomes a sincere prayer of mine. During this particular excursion, I go back to the simple message that I am loved, and I am His beloved.
He also affirms me that in being loved, and in being His beloved, I, also, must understand this Truth: Love of God is constant and present. It is unchanging from person to person. Personally, I have built a significantly intimate relationship with the Lord and ironically, without my knowing, I have taken pride in it. We often fall prey to being proud of this fondness and because of it, we are lead to forget that our Lord God is equal for all. Those who have a lacking relationship with God are the ones He comes to all the more because they do not reciprocate the transcendent love of Christ. The distance between our hearts and His are not any closer than with the ones who are broken. They are both intimately one, just as ours, as His beloved, become intimately one. He is a constant. He loves us inconceivably and without measure. We, as his universal church, are His beloved – unchangingly and presently loved.
Love of God is constant and present. Love of God is like the sun. It is eternally present. We can see the sun. We can feel the warmth of its sunlight and its presence is undeniable. Some people often say, that we have a choice to acknowledge God. Yet for Christians like us, we know that the only choice we have is to close our eyes, yet the sun does not cease to exist. The Love of God continues to touch us. No matter how unwelcoming the weather, the sun is always constant, and present. For those who welcome the sun, it’s easy to recognize this truth, our only response is to bask in it, immerse in it, be carried by it, be touched by it. For those who welcome the Lord, we need only to bask in him, immerse in him, be carried by him, and be touched by him. God is constant. God is present. God is love.
.. And I am His beloved.
