One of God's Beloved
Following the Commandments, in context
God is wildly in love with you. We often think that God only loves perfect people. We look around and see someone who we think is better than us and assume that he or she must be the one whom God truly loves. We are too broken, messed up, and unlovable for God to take us into account.
When I arrived at the seminary for the summer program in 1999, I remember seeing some of the brothers washing windows. It seemed to me to be a tremendously unsatisfying job. It also seemed peculiar to me the way they would hang halfway out the window to try to clean the outside of the windows. The risk seemed to me to outweigh the reward. I asked one of them, “Why are you doing this?” He apparently did not speak English very well. He understood the question, but had to ask for help to formulate his answer. “I am one of God’s beloved.” I did not immediately understand his answer.
Eventually, I recognized what he meant. He was happy to be doing God’s will in that moment. Because his actions glorified God, he knew he was loving God. And because he loved God, he was certain of God’s love for him. He understood himself as one of God’s beloved.
Perhaps, we need to worry a little less about whether God loves us and focus more on whether we are demonstrating our love for God. Jesus gives us the key in today’s Gospel.
If you love me, you will keep my commandments (Jn. 14:15).
If we want to show God that we love him, we do what he has asked us to do. Imagine a couple that is having a dispute about how to keep the house clean. The wife has begged her husband to take off his muddy boots before he comes into the house. He tracks in a ton of mud and feels attacked when she recriminates him. “Why do you keep tracking in mud all over the floor I just cleaned?” Very soon, it becomes about more than just a clean household. It becomes about love and respect.
He might have the temptation to defend himself. I just brought you flowers, only three days ago. Of course, I love and respect you. There is something that rings true about this. But if she is asking for something as simple as removing his muddy boots, can we say he truly respects her while refusing to do this easy task?
Jesus frames the concept of following the Law in the context of a relationship. If we are going to have a relationship with God, we need to follow his Law.
Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me (Jn. 14:21).
Our tendency is to want to rebel against anyone telling us what to do. But much of our path of conversion begins when we recognize that God is in charge, instead of us. Pope John Paul II reflects on this in his encyclical on the renewal of moral theology, Veritatis Splendor.
Acknowledging the Lord as God is the very core, the heart of the Law, from which the particular precepts flow and towards which they are ordered (Pope John Paul II, Veritatis Splendor, 11).
When we follow his commandments, we are affirming with our actions that God is the Lord. For us, the word “lord” is used almost exclusively in a religious context and so we see it almost as another name for God. In its origin, however, “lord” would exist also in society and implies a recognition of value and a desire to give honor. It may be helpful for us to take this into account if we are going to have the right relationship with God in our speech and actions.
God loves you, and that will never change. Instead of questioning God’s love whenever you encounter the small crosses of your life, focus on showing your love for God by fulfilling his commandments. Our life is all about loving God and others. God doesn’t just love perfect people. He loves each one of us. How do you show your love for God? Commit to attending Mass every Sunday. Make sure you go to Confession at least once a month. Spend five minutes every morning, talking to God about everything you need to do that day. God is wildly in love with you; do your best to fall wildly in love with him.