Tribute to Love

Thanks to Jennefer for the link to this video. It is here , however, as a tribute to my Uncles who cared for their wives like this man and to my neices and nephews who cared for my sister, their mother, in a similar way. It is a tribute to the kind of love Jesus and the Church are calling us to - giving oneself away for the sake of those we love - Agape, in Greek.

Due to the events of today (The departure of Benedict XVI) I would quote from the ending of John's Gospel (21:15-17) when Jesus Challenged Peter to do likewise.

 

'When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love (agape) me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love (like a friend) you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs."

 

He then said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love (agape) me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love (like a brother) you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep."

 

He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love (agape) me?" Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." [Jesus] said to him, "Feed my sheep.'

 

Love Requires Freedom

Yesterday I had the privilege of officiating at my Grand nephew’s wedding. David and Eiledh have been friends since high school. Their college careers took them to different locations but now, to the joy of their families, they have chosen to enter together the life-long vocation of marriage. The ceremony featured bagpipe accompanied processions in tribute to the bride’s Scottish heritage.

The scripture readings they chose for their wedding provided excellent lessons on the subject of just what kind of love God calls us to in the marriage covenant. The first truth is that such love must be freely chosen. On Friday a favorite author, Roxane Salonen, wrote the following paragraph on this very subject on her blog.

“If only (we)understood we are not here to learn to be happy. We are here to learn to draw near to our Creator so that when we are called into the next life, we will be inclined to choose, on our own accord, Love. Forced love is not love; it defies the very definition of true love, which is freely given and chosen. And so it is that God, who desires our happiness but knows that our choosing Love is even more important than our attaining happiness, allows suffering. He does not cause it, but in His wisdom, He steps aside to let the world He created happen as it might. In this way, we are freed to choose Him, in spite of suffering, in spite of our continued failure to find perfect happiness in this life.”

Roxane and her husband have been married for some time and have a energetic family of young children but but her posting is about the loss of their son Gabriel. It is tough to contemplate suffering and death on a wedding day but the love to which David and Eiledh aspire has the power to overcome all of life’s troubles."

To read Roxane's complete essay click here.