I have so much to say about love, but I’m stuck. I’m stuck pondering and being in awe of God’s love. In all honesty, I have mixed feelings about writing this letter. I feel like a hypocrite because as much as I have loved, I’ve also hurt others. Though, I have to understand that I am not God. I am not perfect like He is, and I can only repent for not showing others the face of God, and His unconditional love for them. Yet, that’s exactly what God wants from us. To keep our eyes on Him.
June, as you may know, is the month dedicated in the Catholic Church to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We know the boundless, burning love that Jesus has for us, but did you know that our devotion to His Sacred Heart began with Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, a French nun who received several apparitions of Jesus between 1673 and 1675. This is when Jesus had asked the Church to honour His Sacred Heart and called on believers to offer acts of reparation on behalf of those who reject Him, remain indifferent to His love, or commit sins against Him.
The people God calls us to pray for are the very ones we might consider are undeserving of it. This is how deep God’s love is for us. He provides mercy to those who have fallen into grave sin. Murderers, adulterers and persecutors are people whom He still desires salvation for. Consider Saint David the King, whom the Lord sought as a man after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:14), yet committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged the death of her husband, Uriah (2 Samuel 11). In the same way, Saint Photina, the Samaritan woman at the well, lived a life marked by broken relationships and shame. Yet, she encountered Christ and became one of the first to proclaim Him as the Messiah, and led many others to faith (John 4). So, if God can bring such sinners to transformation and repentance, then the sins committed by you, your friends, and even those who have hurt you, are surely not beyond His forgiveness. The lives of the saints remind us that we are never too far away from His love and mercy.
From this, the highest form of love is revealed as agape (/əˈɡeɪpi/ or /ɑːˈɡɑːpeɪ/), a Greek word for unconditional, sacrificial and selfless love. It is the word used to describe God’s love for us, and the type of love we should aspire to have for our neighbours. Throughout Scripture, we see His love consistently displayed as humanity repeatedly falls into sin and failure; yet God does not ever abandon His covenant nor does He refuse to give up on us. He continually renews His covenant beginning with Adam and Eve, through many other prophetic stories such as Abraham and David, and ultimately fulfilled in our Lord, Jesus Christ. For He is devoted to His children with His steadfast love and unwavering mercy.
Now consider the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: a heart crowned with thorns, pierced, and aflame with divine love, with a cross above it and rays of light radiating outward. It is a powerful reminder of Christ’s agape revealed through His crucifixion. Through His freely offered life comes the forgiveness of our sins, and the fulfilment of God’s covenant. So that by grace through faith that works in love, may we be saved (Ephesians 2:8–9; Galatians 5:6). This is the love of our God, who so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
With that said, let us not be selfish, but instead be selfless by extending His love to others rather than keeping it to ourselves. While we must care for our own salvation, we too must look after the salvation of others. This begins with loving our Saviour Jesus Christ, imitating His agape love, and allowing the Holy Spirit to shape and guide our hearts into loving both our friends and enemies. Love knows no bounds. Even an ex who has left deep wounds is still worthy of love. The best friend who betrayed your trust remains worthy of love. Your parents who may have failed you, are still worthy of love. Loving others does not mean abandoning healthy boundaries or ignoring injustice, but rather, it means willing their good and their salvation. God remained faithful to you even in moments when you have hurt others, fallen short or even turned away from Him.
Just like King David, seek God’s heart. Seek the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Seek agape. Remember that faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13).
With all my heart, Venice Renee
"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matthew 18:20
