Lately, one of the common conversations, I have had with people is to tell them that God loves them. It seems there are so many people who are lost in anguish and even think that God has abandoned them. God does love us, and we know this because He sent His only Son so that we all will now eternal life. God will always love us no matter what we do or do not do. The love of God is unconditional, and He loves us even when we do not love Him back. That is the essence of the Gospel.
In the 4th chapter of the First Letter of St. John we see that God abides in us,and His love has been perfected in us. But there are a few conditions that are placed upon us. These conditions are not required for God to love us since His love for us in unconditional, but they serve as a guide so that the Love of God will dwell in us and will aide us on our journey towards the interior peace that we are in search of.
St. John shows us the way so we can see the love of God in us. He provides for us four proofs of his love.
1. If we love one another 4:12
2. If we have been given the Spirit 4:13
3. If we confess that Jesus is Lord 4:15
4. If we abide in the love of God 4:16
St. John tells us that if we have love for one another and if we confess that Jesus is Lord we will have God’s love in us and that love will give us the boldness that we will need on that Day of Judgment. In several places in Scripture Jesus commands that we love one another. We do not only have to love those who love us back or love those we like, but we have to love those who hates us and want to do us harm. This is what it means to love everyone.
Loving people who love us back is the easiest thing to do. We do not even have to try and love them, it just happens. But true love, the love of everyone, takes work.
We were all shocked by the recent riots in Egypt over a movie. The United States Ambassador and several others were murdered in these riots. It is an intensely human emotion to want to hate those who carried out these murders. But hatred does not come from God. Hatred is a negative passion that we need to work to banish from our lives if we are going to be true followers of Jesus Christ. To be able simply to love someone takes the love of God working in us and our ability to see that love of God.
This is a difficult part of the transformation of our lives. If we allow the love of God to work in us and through us, we will be able to love all.
