Love is Never Defeated

03-21-2021Gospel Meditation© LPi

Any good teacher or parent will tell you that once a lesson is really learned it doesn't need to be taught again. When we internalize things we have learned, they become a part of who we are and influence how we perceive and interact with our world. The same is true for the law God has written upon our hearts. Once humanity learns this lesson, we will simply know it to be true and act accordingly. Sometimes, it is hard to get people to learn the lessons they need to learn. They are often distracted, disinterested, conflicted, misdirected, or just too stubborn and unable or unwilling to see what is right before their eyes. Understanding that God is in a loving and committed relationship with those fashioned and formed in God's own image, seems like such a simple lesson to learn. But history and experience has proven that it is not.

We struggle with faith, especially when that faith asks us to learn something very particular about ourselves. We must, like a grain of wheat, fall to the ground and die. Because God's DNA is at the very core of who we are, there are specific pearls of wisdom that must be acquired before we can live a full life. One very powerful lesson is that it is not the task of the world to tell us who we are and what has meaning, but God. For many, death is not an opportunity for greater life but a permanent ending to the life they have known. Jesus knew every dimension to what it means to be fully human because he was! He knows the joys, limitations, sorrows, frustrations, wonders, suffering, opportunities, and joys of the human experience. Jesus can teach us a wealth of knowledge and life's lessons from his example, especially obedience.

When we accept the law God has placed in our hearts and gain wisdom from it, then when we suffer we learn to listen more attentively to the Voice behind that law. We naturally flee to our Creator for inspiration, consolation, hope, direction, and comfort as we navigate through this time of darkness. We will not need to run from it, subdue it, fight it, or be overcome by it because we will know, having internalized this profound lesson before, that God will bring new life. God's law is love and love never fails. Even in the moments of Jesus' deepest despair, he glorified the name of his Father. What he learned allowed him to put everything in perspective and be obedient to the tender, loving Voice that echoed within. As Lent quickly winds down, may we learn the same! Then, may we gain the fortitude and wisdom to help others see what is right before their eyes.

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