In the early 1930s, a very poor family of a mother, father and a young son were crossing the Atlantic from Europe to live in the United States. Since they only had money to pay for third-class passage on the ship and virtually nothing with which to buy food on the ten-day voyage, they made enough cheese sandwiches to provide for their meals. However, on the morning of the last day of the crossing, the boy cried out in desperation, “I can’t eat any more cheese sandwiches! I’ve got to have something else to eat!”
Hoping their son might be able to purchase an apple or an orange on the ship, the mother and father finally decided to give the boy a quarter. Immediately he rushed out of their small cabin, and several hours later had not returned. As the anguished parents were expressing their concern, the son burst into their cabin and shouted, “You should have seen what I had to eat! I had steak, fish, pie, cake, ice cream…!
The startled parents exclaimed, “How are we going to pay for it?! How are we going to pay for it?!”
“Pay for it?! Pay for it?! All of the food is free! It came with the price of the tickets!”
If any person is determined to journey through this world expecting to be nourished on the love of another human being, he or she may end up starving to death, or at best having to survive on what is comparable to a diet of cheese sandwiches.
But God’s unconditional, transforming love is free, and it comes with our ticket to life. We simply have to know how to receive it. “All have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God. They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus” (Rm 3:23,24). God loves us 100% just as we are; we do not have to achieve, nor are we able to achieve, a certain degree of goodness before he loves us. Again, we are reminded in John’s First Letter that we are only able to love God, ourself and our neighbor because God Has first loved us (cf. 1 Jn 4:19).
A young man who became a monk in a very strict religious community did more penance than the other monks because he believed he was the worst of sinners. But convinced he was not doing enough penance to make reparation for his past sins, he determined to become a hermit. Taking a large crucifix, he went into the wilderness and began to live in a cave. Having placed the crucifix in a corner of the cave, daily he spent hours praying as he knelt before the crucifix.
One day during prayer he thought he heard Jesus say to him, “Do you see this wound in my side? That’s for you. Do you see these wounds in my hands and feet? They are for you. Do you see this blood and filth all over my body? I allowed that for you.”
Suddenly the young monk leaped to his feet, shook his fist at the crucifix and shouted, “God, you are crazy to have died for a sinner like me! And at that moment, the Holy Spirit finally managed to convince him of the truth that set him free. For he was able to internalize what an elderly monk had said to him shortly after he had entered the monastery: “Young man, when you accept the fact that God loves you just as you are, then you will begin to experience God’s infinite love and mercy.”
How, then, are you able to receive God’s transforming love into your life? If I offer you a glass of water and say it is yours, it is not really yours just because I say so. It is only truly yours if you have faith in me that it is a good glass of water, and you take it from me and drink it. Only then will it free you from your thirst.
In John’s Gospel the person referred to on at least three occasions as the one whom Jesus loved is generally thought to be the Apostle John. But since God is love and offers the same love to every person, why is John apparently loved more than the others?
Who was the only Apostle at the foot of the cross? John. Who was the first Apostle at the tomb after Jesus’ resurrection? John. Who was the only Apostle in the boat to recognize Jesus on the shore after the resurrection? John. Because of John’s steadfast faith in Jesus, he was the most open to God’s transforming love especially to be recognized as the Apostle whom Jesus loved.
A shy, young girl attends her first singles’ dance. Sitting fairly hidden in a corner of the dance floor, she is hoping against hope that a certain young man will seek her out and ask her for a dance.
Let’s suppose the young man who has been looking for her finally sees her in the corner. With some apprehension he slowly approaches her and says, “Will you dance with me?”
Only if she says “Yes!” will she begin to blossom and become more of who she is called to be.
Through his unconditional, transforming love for you, God will enable you to become all of who you are called to be if only you are open in steadfast faith to say “Yes” to him–to his love and strength for you to overcome your daily trials and temptations in order to live the GOD, the Good Orderly Direction, that will set you free.
To further illustrate what is meant to be open in faith: When I was four, five and six years old, I used to go hiking with my dad in the woods. When we were deep in the woods I was lost, but dad was the reason I was never afraid; I was certain he knew the way out of the woods. And all he had to say was “Come, follow me,” and in childlike faith I would follow him back to the car. He was the way, the truth and the life–the way to the truth of getting out of the woods to a life of freedom to enjoy a good lunch.
And even if I had known the way out of the woods apart from my dad, it would have not done me any good. As a little child I was not able to get over the barbed-wire fences or across the streams without faith in my dad; only because I had faith in him was I open to his protective love and strength that enabled me to enjoy my journey through the woods with total assurance that all would turn out well. I was sure of things hoped for and certain of things not yet seen because I had childlike faith in my father.
And so Jesus says the same to you: “Have no less faith in me because I love you much more than any earthly father is able to love you.”
In our lack of faith we are not crowding God as he would like. Jesus wept over Jerusalem because we fail to let him love us as much as he desires; that is, too often in times of temptation and trial, we fail immediately to retreat in faith–as do little children to a loving parent when they encounter danger–to Jesus to be open to his protective love and strength to experience the refuge and freedom he affords us. Accordingly, we must program ourselves to live the Faith-Love Principle.
A very easy way to be open to God’s transforming love even when not being tried and tempted is simply to breathe “Jesus;” that is, just silently to the rhythm of your breathing breathe in the first syllable and breathe out the second syllable. Since Jesus means Savior and Healer, your exercise of faith opens you to his ongoing salvation and healing.
Also, “… thus says the lord, … I have called you by name: you are mine” (Is 43:1b). Again, silently to the rhythm of your breathing, breathe in your first name and breathe out the words “I love you,” and in faith know that Jesus is saying that to you. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment…” (1 Jn 4:18a). “Thus we may say with confidence: ‘The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me’” (Heb 13:6).
God wants to love you through others, but if they can’t or won’t co-operate, or if you have no human friendships, you can become independent in the Lord. Jesus is not only your God, Savior and Brother, but he is also your very best Friend. And because he is love and the source of all love, he has more than enough love to fulfill anyone who in faith accepts him as their Lord and Savior.
Finally, since God is always offering his love to us, even when we are sinning, the easiest prayer to pray is, “God, grant that I may be open to your love; grant that all people may be open to your love.” “Draw near to God; and he will draw near to you“ (Jm 4:8a). Jesus is the YES Person–Your Eternal Savior. Say yes in childlike faith to YES, Your Eternal Savior, that you may become all you are called to be by following GOD–Good Orderly Direction that will enable you to say, “I am happy and free! I live the FLP!
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