What is love?

 

What is love?  Is it a feeling?  An emotion?  A drive or a desire for something or someone?  Of course, the secular understanding of love is much different than a divine understanding of love.  Oftentimes the secular view of love is more self-centered.  To “love” someone or something is to want to possess that person or object.  “Love” from a secular view focuses upon the attraction and desire.  But true love, from a divine perspective, is very different.

For example, I reflected today on a single line from John’s Gospel: The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him. [John 3:35]

The line tells us two things: First, we’re told that “The Father loves the Son…” But then we’re given a definition of that love.  We’re told that love in this case results in the Father giving “everything over” to the Son.  When we consider the word “everything” in this passage, it’s clear that this can only refer to the Father giving Himself to the Son in totality.  Within the life of the Father, everything means His very essence, His being, His personhood, His whole divine self.  The Father does not say, “I want;” rather, the Father says, “I give.”  And the Son receives all that the Father is.

Though this is deep and mystical language, it becomes very practical for our lives when we understand that divine love is not about wanting, taking, desiring, feeling, etc.  Divine love is about giving.  It’s about the giving of oneself to another.  And it’s not just about giving some of yourself away, it’s about giving “everything” away.

If the Father gave everything to the Son, does that mean that the Father has nothing left?  Certainly not.  The beautiful nature of divine love is that it’s never ending.  The more one gives themself away, the more they have.  Thus, the gift of the life of the Father to the Son is infinite and eternal.  The Father never ceases to give, and the Son never ceases to receive.  And the more the Father gives Himself to the Son, the more the Father becomes the essence of love itself.

The same is true in our lives.  It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that love should only go so far.  But if we’re to strive to imitate and participate in the love the Father has for the Son, then we must also understand that love is about giving, not receiving, and that the giving must be a gift of everything, holding nothing back.  We must give ourselves away to others without counting the cost and without exception.

I think it’s good to reflect often upon our own view of love.  To look at it from a practical perspective as we think about the people whom we are especially called to love with a divine love.  Do you understand your duty to give yourself to them completely?  Do you realize that giving yourself away won’t result in the loss of your life but in the fulfillment of it?  Ponder the divine love that the Father has for the Son and make the radical and holy choice today to strive to imitate and participate in that same love.

My loving Lord, the Father has given all to You, and You, in turn, have given all to the Father.  The love You share is infinite and eternal, overflowing into the lives of all Your creatures.  Draw me into that divine love, dear Lord, and help me to imitate and share in Your love by fully giving my life to others.  Jesus, I trust in You.