The Price of Love

“Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger,
you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted;
but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands,
and someone else will dress you
and lead you where you do not want to go.”

John 21:18

Initially I had mixed thoughts about the title I gave to this reflection. Love shouldn’t cost us anything, for it should be freely given and freely received, so wouldn’t saying the “price” of love be contradictory? In the Scriptures we hear about the “pearl of great price” and St. Peter tells us that we were not redeemed by any perishable sum of gold or silver. So indeed there is a price that comes with love, but not a quantifiable, monetary one. The price of the greatest love is God Himself.

After rising from the dead, Jesus appeared to the Apostles and on one occasion talked one on one with Peter. Jesus asked Him three times “Do you love me?” Each time Peter answers in the affirmative and Jesus charges him with a mission (for a more in-depth reflection on this encounter, click here). At the end of the conversation, Jesus tells Peter that he will be led to where he does not want to do, and isn’t this a big part of love? When we love someone we will sometimes have to do something or go someplace we’d rather not.

True love requires sacrifice. No one normally seeks out sacrifices — that wouldn’t be true love for the intention would be something other than wanting the good of the other. If we wake up in the morning and think, “Hmm, what kind of sacrifices can I seek out today?” I think it might come from a place of pride. But rather, we might think and pray, “Lord, how I can serve you today? Please give me the courage and strength to step outside of my comfort zone to see you in the other.”

Today we celebrate the sacrifice of the martyrs St. Charles Lwanga and his companions. They were young Ugandan Christians who rejected to break the moral laws when they were asked to do so by their political ruler, and as a result were martyred. Because they received and experienced the love of Christ, the sacrifice of His love, they were able to do the same — to lay down their lives in witness to the love of Christ. That is the price of love.

Our Giftedness

“Father, they are your gift to me.”

John 17:24a

The month of June is dedicated to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, the very heart that bled for us, that nourishes us and saves us, and that which makes us the beloved of the Father. In His prayer, Jesus says to the Father that we are the Father’s gift to Him. We, flawed men and women, in our weakness and brokenness, are the Father’s gift to Jesus, and Jesus takes great joy and delight in that gift.

Our giftedness that comes from the Christ is not in our talents or in the things we do well, but rather in our weakness, brokenness, and vulnerability. It is such because is it only we recognize our weakness are we able to see and experience the power of God and the great love with which He loves us. It is our brokenness that the Lord wants us to bring to Him so that He might make take what is broken and turn it into a new creation.

Brothers and sisters, in life there will be times when we feel defeated and times when we feel hopeless or weary. At those times we may be tempted to turn inwards to ourselves, but that is from the enemy. It is precisely at those times that we must turn outward and look up to the Lord and give to Him our defeat, hopelessness, despair, sorrows, weariness, and frustrations because when we do, He will not shame us or be disappointed in us or remind us of our sinfulness or scold us for our lack of faith, but rather He will gaze upon in tenderness and remind us of our giftedness and belovedness. “You are my beloved, and I will take care of you.” May we claim our giftedness in Christ by offering up to Him our brokenness and weakness today.

Witnesses Who Look Up — Homily for Ascension Thursday

Happy Ascension Thursday! Today we look back on the past 6 weeks of Easter, rejoicing in the Resurrection of Our Lord, conquering sin and death, and look forward to Pentecost Sunday in 10 days where the Holy Spirit descends upon the apostles. But right now we look up as we celebrate Jesus being taken up to heaven who is continually at work for us. Although Jesus ascended into heaven, this does not mean He has left us. In fact, He is ever more so present to us.  

Imagine an 18 year old leaving home for the first time to go to college or moving out to someplace new, leaving behind family and friends and starting a new adventure. Although there is a physical absence of family and friends from back home at school, yet he knows they are still there. He also knows that if he’s going through a tough time or needs advice or support, he can always reach out to them and they will be there for him. It is the love in the relationship that makes that possible – the presence of the other even in the midst of absence. That is what the disciples of Jesus was coming to learn as Jesus ascended into heaven, that Jesus remains with them even as He returns to His Father. 

“You are witnesses” Jesus tells them as He prepares to return to the Father. Witnesses of all that He has done. Witnesses of His suffering and death. Witnesses of His resurrection. Witnesses of His love.  Not only this but Jesus tells them that He will send the promise of the Father to them – this we will come to see later as the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. “You are witnesses,” some of the final words Luke tells us Jesus says on earth. To be a witness means to have walked him and known him, and to share this with others. Jesus reminds them of who they are and in doing so, invites them to a deeper relationship with Him, even after He has gone to the Father for He will send the promise of the Father to them. In ascending and sending the spirit, Jesus remains with them. In the seeming absence of Christ in the world, He is present. And how we do know this? We are told the disciples returned to Jerusalem with great joy, praising God.  

“You are witnesses.” We are called to be witnesses, brothers and sisters. Witnesses to the love of God in our lives and in our world. Witnesses to the joy of the Resurrection, the joy of everlasting life. Witness to the joy that Jesus has won for us. We are called to remind those around us that Jesus has not left us. He is here! Like the disciples, we are here today, returning to the place of faith, the place of worship, praising God.  

Jesus has not left us, He’s right there in the tabernacle and in our hearts. In fact, in a few moments He will be made very present to us again on the altar. This Jesus who has ascended to heaven is present to us here and will never part from us. So, brothers and sisters, let us always rejoice in the presence of God in our lives and in doing so, bearing witness to Him who has called us.