Baptismal Obligations -Part II
Everything!
Why do I say that.
Everything!
Why do I say that.
Is not God the father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit synonymous with Love?
Did not the Triune God send his only begotten son to us to be our savior; to suffer under Pontius Pilot, be crucified, died, and buried for our sins? We know that he died, was buried, and descended into hell and then rose again on the third day to restore us to God.
What better demonstration of love can be experienced than to offer in sacrifice one’s only son to redeem all of us here on earth?
What does our father in heaven ask of us in return? An easy answer. Our Lord Jesus Christ gave the two greatest commandments. The first is love the lord your God with all of your heart, your soul, and your mind. The second great commandment is to love one another as God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit have loved us. Treat all individuals as we would want to be treated. We were made in God’s image. Therefore, we need to understand that God is in all of us, and we need to acknowledge the same and treat those we interact with accordingly. If you love, then you will see the face of God in the person that you love.
Thus, love is the foundation of our existence. The reason we are here on this earth. Love is why we, as disciples, need to empty ourselves to the Lord in order to effectively interact with the people we meet daily and share with them the gifts that our Father has given us freely. As outlined by St Paul in 1 Corinthians, 13: 2-7, 13 ‘If I have the gift of prophecy and, with full knowledge, comprehend all mysteries, if I have faith great enough to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give everything I have to feed the poor and hand over my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. Love is not jealous, it does not put on airs, it is not snobbish. Love is never rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not prone to anger, neither does it brood over injuries. Love does not rejoice in what is wrong but rejoices with truth. There is no limit to love’s forbearance, to its trust, its hope, its power to endure. There are in the end three things that last: faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love.’
The ability to love is a prime tool in the disciple’s tool kit. Reliance on the love of God matters a great deal.
God Bless you.