"A New Season"
"Relationship" (Relational Love: part
13)
All human beings share a common nature
which is called human. At the Incarnation God 'took to himself' our nature; in
doing so, he 'took to himself' in a new way all human beings: "By his Incarnation,
he, the Son of God, has in a certain way united himself with each man" (The
Sixteen Documents of Vatican II: Gaudium et Spes
22:2). Through the Incarnation God has become one of us in our flesh and blood.
Hence, he has formed new "blood relations" between himself and each person and
among all of humanity. Now, the deepest "blood lines" are those that unite each
of us to God and, as a result, to one another--and consequently, call each of
us to a 'relational love' for all of humanity: "Jesus knew and loved us each
and all during his life, his agony, and his Passion and gave himself up for
each one of us" (CCC 478).
The shed Blood of Jesus is redeeming,
reconciling and expiatory. It is Blood that has been shed for me personally and
for all of humanity universally: "He is expiation for our sins, and not
for our sins only but for those of the whole world" (1 John 2:2). In the
Roman Catholic Eucharist each of us receives the unique sacramental presence of
the Body and Blood of Jesus. Hence, the Eucharist also celebrates the value and
worth of all "flesh and blood" humanity. Our sharing in the Flesh and Blood of
the Lamb is the ultimate identification with the world that he came to save.
Every Eucharist calls me to love not only the unique flesh and blood of the
humanity of Jesus; it also calls me to love the flesh and blood of my own
humanity as well as that of all people--that of believers and unbelievers,
friends and enemies: All!: Jesus "continually loves the Eternal Father and
all human beings without exception"
(quoting Pius XII's encyclical, "Hauerietis aquas" (1956): DS 3924.
There can be only one way for an
intercessor: "Everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God" (1 John
4:7)--and, therefore, everyone begotten by God is called to love everyone!
As a contemplative intercessor, I must 'see' the world and engage humanity, not
from the world's perspective, but from God's perspective which is that of
relational love. God still 'so loves' the world the that He has created,
redeemed and continues to sanctify.
Questions:
1) Is
there an area in my life where I struggle to let go of the world's perspective
for God's perspective?
2) Is
there a group of people or an ethnic group that I struggle to love?
Scriptures:
Any scripture from the text; Psalm 24:1; 2 Co. 5:14,19; 1
Tim. 2:4
