Love fills up the abyss that exists between
My greatness and your nothingness—Sr. Faustina’s diary 512 (4)
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‘Nothingness’ is an interesting term. Is it possible for such a state to exist? Everything that is in the Universe ‘stands out’ exists to some degree. What about ‘God’, does the term apply to that which is Infinite? To say God is ‘nothing’ is not a false statement, since ‘thing-ness’ flows from which is not a ‘thing’. Yet in that ‘no-thing-ness’, is Infinite potential and creativity and yes, love.
If God is indeed love, then it makes sense that it is love that fills up all things and unites God with all of his creation, and especially with those who can relate and return love.
This morning at Vigils the reading at the second nocturne talked about love and the soul. The more a soul loves the greater it is. To love leads to more love, it flows freely from one heart into another if it is true. God’s love is true, infinite and beyond my comprehension, yet I am called to grow into this love and to allow Christ’s life to grow in me and to become another Christ. To allow his eyes to become my eyes, his heart my heart, his feet and hands mine as well. I am called to incarnate love.
In the reading this morning it says that if a soul is without love, which is filled with hate and indifference, then in the end it is truly nothing, for I become truly myself in my relationship with love. The less I love the more brutal I become and empty of true humanity, which is shown me in Jesus Christ as well as great saints through out history, no matter their religious affiliation. As Christ Jesus said, “Those who are not against me are for me… a lesson sad to say, seldom learned. For I can be too quick to categorize and judge, when I am commanded not to and for good reason, I do not see deep enough nor do I love enough to see truly into the heart of another.
In this world it is a battle to grow in love, for the easier choice is to do otherwise. That is why Christ told us to love our enemies; it was not a recommendation but a command. Why, well because Christ Jesus loves his enemies as well. He forgave them on the cross, so I am called to open my heart and to allow Christ Jesus to love in me and through me.
In the last judgment scene in Matthew, people are invited into the kingdom because they loved others, fed them, visited them in prison etc. He said in doing those acts of mercy out of love and compassion they did it to him. In that scene the people asked, “When Lord did we do this?” He responded: “When you did it to the least, you did to me”. A reversal of values that we are called to embrace and to grow into through grace….you judge a tree by its fruits, they do not lie, nor can they be hidden, they are there for all to see.
Yes it is a struggle, not easy, perhaps impossible without grace’s healing work. There is failure, yet I am called to continue and to grow perhaps slowly into a state wherein I find ourselves loving others with the actual Heart of Jesus Christ. In Christ Heart are all hearts, the more I understand that the more I grow in becoming truly Christ like.
Br. Mark Dohle, OCSO
Holy Spirit Monastery
