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A
monthly letter from the Glenmary Vocation Office |
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August 2007
How Is God Calling Us to Love the World?
Who or what do you love more than yourself?
This question is very important in discovering what God may be calling us to become or do. My question is asked first on the assumption that you love yourself and for many, this may not be the case. Many confuse love of self with selfishness or narcissism. But that’s not the case. A healthy love of self comes when one recognizes and respects that he/she is created in the image of God, is bestowed with many gifts and has value because of these things.
God call us to love and respect ourselves. And we are also called to love God and our neighbor. We all know the two great commandments:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength,” and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mk 12:30-31)
Furthermore, Jesus says, “There is no greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13). The first letter of John states, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.” (1 John 4:20-21). And remember what Jesus says in Luke’s gospel, “But to you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:27-28)
Any search for God’s Spirit begins with God, who is love and calls us to love unconditionally. As we grow in our understanding of love, we grow in our ability to know God and serve him. Really, when a person chooses a vocation—marriage, religious life, dedicated single life—that person is making a decision about who and what they love.
For example, a man who chooses to marry a woman is saying, “I will love you more than myself.” To love his wife more than himself means placing her wants over his, going where she wishes to go, taking time to listen to her and going the extra mile to help her. And the same is true for the wife. Have you witnessed a husband going to the nursing home everyday to care for his wife suffering from Alzheimer’s? I have. The love is clear.
Likewise, when one chooses to be a priest or brother, he is saying that he loves others more than himself. Those who choose monastic lives are willing to love their community of brothers more than themselves. Those who choose teaching are giving their love to the students. Missionaries love those in need of knowing the Gospel and the poor among us. Glenmary Father Bill Smith, at age 81, learned Spanish so he could help offer Mass for the immigrants living in our mission lands. Such sacrifice is a sign of a deep love for others.
If you notice, besides love of self, I am assuming love of God. All Christians are called to love God. The decision we make when we choose a vocation is how much are we able to love beyond ourselves? How much are we willing to sacrifice for the sake of others, even our enemies? How best can we demonstrate and live our love for others? How is God calling us to love the world?
The more we grow in our understanding of love—both of ourselves and of others—the better spouse, the better religious, the better priest, the better person I will be. Period. “I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.” (John 15:11-12)
