How to love when love is gone


Thursday of the 4th week of Lent


John 5:31-47

This 30th day of Lent, we are confronted with a grim reality of our human nature - no matter how much God loves us, we still choose to love ourselves instead of him.

In the first reading, God's disappointment is so overwhelming;  Moses' plea is not even enough to appease him.  There seems to be a deeper dearth here - the emptiness of love.  Still, God chooses to give man another chance.

In the Gospel, what Jesus taught is actually a theology of who he is - the Son of God who testifies to the Father.  But his message was rejected by the Jews, for their hearts were far away from God.

This is one of the greatest pains we can ever bear - when the other whom we love stops loving us.  What do we do?

First, let our love be magnanimous.  Jesus testifies to the love of the Father.  There is no other love greater than that.  When we love, we give witness to the triumph of God's love even in failures.

Second, we continue sharing love even if love is not reciprocated.  The pharisees seem to deprive the people with God's word that serves as light to their lives.  We reciprocate with unconditional love.

Third, we connect with all other loves.  We affirm love from all corners.  Just as Moses gave testimony to God's love; and so did Jesus, we too affirm love in our lives as coming from God, whether it be from our parents, friends, or a loved one.

We simply give witness to love.

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