Do we know what we have?

I reflected today on my constant striving to be as perfect in loving my neighbour as possible! God loves me with a perfect love, so why should I not aim at the same with my neighbour? But then there is an important difference: I am not God! My very being, limited as it is will cause pain and suffering in the other and at time it will cause anger and frustration. In this pain I have a great chance to go beyond the appearance and be a little like Jesus on the Cross: go beyond the pain to love without analysing it. It remains still painful because I don’t like seeing anybody in suffering, but there is another dimension, ie that of the plan of God for me and all involved. That plan will not reveal itself unless I am in an attitude of love towards the other in the first place. My instinct often tells me that I have to defend myself, or only explain myself, my reasons, my way of thinking, but as good and right that may be, if I do this it has to be an act of love for the other! For that there needs to be the right moment, ie I need to be ready to be free from my mistake and the other needs to be free from his pain! Then, being free to love one another we are able to meet… in Jesus present amongst us. 

What I am describing needs God’s time scale, not mine or the others! Yet all too often we want to “sort things out”, “be open and honest”, have no “hidden agenda”, which is all good and positive. But if there is no love, no mutual love there is nothing gained! Beside does love towards my neighbour harbour any kind of ill feeling, or resentment? This is my daily challenge: to love with God’s love being naturally limited as his creature! The only key, model, example is Jesus Forsaken by the Father on the Cross. He became nothing out of love for me, for us and by giving all he received all: He took us to the Father. He did not analyse, justify, defend, but he “simply” loved giving his life. Living a collective spirituality his presence amongst us is an added gift to love. What more can I want: God amongst us! Do we know what we have?