March 27, 2018: Love Believes All Things - Week 8 - Divine Mercy
March 27, 2018: Love Believes All Things - Week 8 - Divine Mercy
Do you have in your life someone in whom you’ve lost your trust and confidence in the past, yet you still continue to love? The most common example may be your spouse, children, siblings, and parents. What helped you continue to believe or trust in the person?
Today’s topic is “Love believes all things.” Pope Francis offered this insight. “Belief [in someone]… is taken more in the sense of what we mean by ‘trust.’ This goes beyond simply presuming that the other is not lying or cheating. Such basic trust recognizes God’s light shining beyond the darkness, like an ember glowing beneath the ash.” Love believes all things, trusting in the “ember glowing beneath the ash.”
A good example of trusting in the “ember glowing beneath the ash” is Our Lord’s love for Judas and Peter. Jesus knew that in their weakness, both would betray him. He also knew the “embers” of goodness in both of his disciples which can be fanned into flames of love. So Jesus allowed them freedom to love him or hurt him, allowing them to make the mistakes and ready to forgive them when they repent. Pope Francis observed, “Love trusts, it sets free, it does not try to control, possess and dominate everything. This freedom, which fosters independence, an openness to the world around us and to new experience, can only enrich and expand relationships.”
There is fear in us that if we fail in some way, God will withdraw his affection and love. However, what we recall during this Holy Week, our Lord’s Passion and death, is contrary to our fear of abandonment. We learn even more about his mercy as we walk the journey of Via Dolorosa, especially if we see it through the eyes of Judas and Peter. Likewise when we believe in a person beyond their weakness and failures, we imitate Our Lord who trusted in his disciples despite their betrayal.
Is there someone in our lives in whom we are too focused on their weaknesses and failures, in whom we fail to see the goodness? Can we ask the Lord during this mass and Divine Mercy Chaplet, to bring to our mind a person whose goodness we need to affirm? Can we trust Jesus that goodness in the person will triumph in time?
Today’s topic is “Love believes all things.” Pope Francis offered this insight. “Belief [in someone]… is taken more in the sense of what we mean by ‘trust.’ This goes beyond simply presuming that the other is not lying or cheating. Such basic trust recognizes God’s light shining beyond the darkness, like an ember glowing beneath the ash.” Love believes all things, trusting in the “ember glowing beneath the ash.”
A good example of trusting in the “ember glowing beneath the ash” is Our Lord’s love for Judas and Peter. Jesus knew that in their weakness, both would betray him. He also knew the “embers” of goodness in both of his disciples which can be fanned into flames of love. So Jesus allowed them freedom to love him or hurt him, allowing them to make the mistakes and ready to forgive them when they repent. Pope Francis observed, “Love trusts, it sets free, it does not try to control, possess and dominate everything. This freedom, which fosters independence, an openness to the world around us and to new experience, can only enrich and expand relationships.”
There is fear in us that if we fail in some way, God will withdraw his affection and love. However, what we recall during this Holy Week, our Lord’s Passion and death, is contrary to our fear of abandonment. We learn even more about his mercy as we walk the journey of Via Dolorosa, especially if we see it through the eyes of Judas and Peter. Likewise when we believe in a person beyond their weakness and failures, we imitate Our Lord who trusted in his disciples despite their betrayal.
Is there someone in our lives in whom we are too focused on their weaknesses and failures, in whom we fail to see the goodness? Can we ask the Lord during this mass and Divine Mercy Chaplet, to bring to our mind a person whose goodness we need to affirm? Can we trust Jesus that goodness in the person will triumph in time?
