Leaving the Darkness by Love of God and Neighbor
As I've been reading, teaching, and praying over the past few days, a basic theme of God's revelation has come into my consciousness again and again. This significant part of God's plan for humanity has always been true, it has never been negated, and I can recite it as a truth in the same way that I might recite multiplication tables. I am quite sure, however, that God has brought this reality into my line of sight more frequently recently because He knows that I have yet to perfect it as He intends for me. The simple truth is that love of God is inseparable from love of neighbor. Neither of these is attained fully without the other.
It is always true that love of God leads directly to love of neighbor; it leads in no other direction. Two passages of Sacred Scripture have reiterated this to me in recent days. The first of these is from the book of Deuteronomy. As the Israelites wander in the desert, nearing the end of their forty-year communal penance, God speaks to them through Moses. The message is clear: in God's great love for His chosen people, He has liberated them from slavery in Egypt, but now He is calling them to "Circumcise your hearts" (Deut. 10:16). The result of this transformation of heart is nothing less than acting as the Lord, "who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and befriends the alien, feeding and clothing him. So you too must befriend the alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt" (Deut. 10:18-19). Immediately following God's great act of mercy and love, He calls us immediately to share that love and mercy with those we encounter in a tangible way. Love of God that does not lead to love of neighbor is no love at all, but only narcissism.
The second passage of Scripture is from the age of the early Church, the first letter of St. John. Two segments in particular punctuate the point that God has tried to reveal since the days of the exodus. "Whoever says he is in the light, yet hates his brother, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is nothing in him to cause a fall. Whoever hates his brother is in darkness..." (1 Jn. 2:9-11). Perhaps the evangelist had not driven home his point thoroughly enough, so he revisits the theme. "If anyone says, 'I love God,' but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen" (1 Jn. 4:20). Considering that light, representing God's revelation, and darkness, representing evil, are significant themes in John's writings, the point can not be misunderstood. One cannot claim to love God without loving his fellow man. If he does so, he walks in the way of evil. In fact, one who is a liar, as John claims, would be understood as a son of the one who is the father of lies (cf. John 8:44).
The first letter of St. John and his Gospel also deal with the other side of the proverbial coin. Love of neighbor doesn't happen to the full if love of God is absent. "We love because he first loved us" (1 Jn. 4:19), writes the apostle, implying that the love of God has a drastic impact on our lives and thoughts and actions. In his Gospel, John places the following words on Jesus' lips: "Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. ... If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love..." (John 15:5-10). Again, there ought not be any confusion. A person is incapacitated unless he/she abides in Christ, and there is only one way to abide in Christ, which is to keep the commandments. Which commandments are those? The ones laid out in the passage from Deuteronomy are a fine starting point.
Finally, St. John Paul the Great captures this truth of the Christian life very well. He writes, "Love of neighbor springs from a loving heart which, precisely because it loves, is ready to live out the loftiest challenges" (Veritatis Splendor, 15). Drawing near to Christ and abiding in His love, as St. John was teaching, is the way that our broken hearts are transformed into loving hearts. A transformed and loving heart wants to mirror Christ's love, which met difficult situations and triumphed. This is why we become ready to take on greater challenges when we become more like Christ. Some days, these lofty challenges include disciplining children, bearing insults from co-workers, suffering with a friend who has a serious illness, treating those who are marginalized in society with great dignity, or simply getting the family to Mass on time and participating fully. All of those things flow from a love of God, and they are impossible without seeking a deeper love of God on a daily basis.
So, we must not find ourselves saying that we love God while we engage in gossip, neglect the poor and outcast, or think of weekly worship as another thing at the bottom of "to do" list. Instead, we must seek to show our deep love for Him by keeping His commandments. Keeping His commandments will only cause us to bring His love to others who are desperately in need. Only then will we leave the darkness of the father of lies far behind, and make our never-ending journey into the light of God's grace!
It is always true that love of God leads directly to love of neighbor; it leads in no other direction. Two passages of Sacred Scripture have reiterated this to me in recent days. The first of these is from the book of Deuteronomy. As the Israelites wander in the desert, nearing the end of their forty-year communal penance, God speaks to them through Moses. The message is clear: in God's great love for His chosen people, He has liberated them from slavery in Egypt, but now He is calling them to "Circumcise your hearts" (Deut. 10:16). The result of this transformation of heart is nothing less than acting as the Lord, "who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and befriends the alien, feeding and clothing him. So you too must befriend the alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt" (Deut. 10:18-19). Immediately following God's great act of mercy and love, He calls us immediately to share that love and mercy with those we encounter in a tangible way. Love of God that does not lead to love of neighbor is no love at all, but only narcissism.
The second passage of Scripture is from the age of the early Church, the first letter of St. John. Two segments in particular punctuate the point that God has tried to reveal since the days of the exodus. "Whoever says he is in the light, yet hates his brother, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is nothing in him to cause a fall. Whoever hates his brother is in darkness..." (1 Jn. 2:9-11). Perhaps the evangelist had not driven home his point thoroughly enough, so he revisits the theme. "If anyone says, 'I love God,' but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen" (1 Jn. 4:20). Considering that light, representing God's revelation, and darkness, representing evil, are significant themes in John's writings, the point can not be misunderstood. One cannot claim to love God without loving his fellow man. If he does so, he walks in the way of evil. In fact, one who is a liar, as John claims, would be understood as a son of the one who is the father of lies (cf. John 8:44).
The first letter of St. John and his Gospel also deal with the other side of the proverbial coin. Love of neighbor doesn't happen to the full if love of God is absent. "We love because he first loved us" (1 Jn. 4:19), writes the apostle, implying that the love of God has a drastic impact on our lives and thoughts and actions. In his Gospel, John places the following words on Jesus' lips: "Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. ... If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love..." (John 15:5-10). Again, there ought not be any confusion. A person is incapacitated unless he/she abides in Christ, and there is only one way to abide in Christ, which is to keep the commandments. Which commandments are those? The ones laid out in the passage from Deuteronomy are a fine starting point.
Finally, St. John Paul the Great captures this truth of the Christian life very well. He writes, "Love of neighbor springs from a loving heart which, precisely because it loves, is ready to live out the loftiest challenges" (Veritatis Splendor, 15). Drawing near to Christ and abiding in His love, as St. John was teaching, is the way that our broken hearts are transformed into loving hearts. A transformed and loving heart wants to mirror Christ's love, which met difficult situations and triumphed. This is why we become ready to take on greater challenges when we become more like Christ. Some days, these lofty challenges include disciplining children, bearing insults from co-workers, suffering with a friend who has a serious illness, treating those who are marginalized in society with great dignity, or simply getting the family to Mass on time and participating fully. All of those things flow from a love of God, and they are impossible without seeking a deeper love of God on a daily basis.
So, we must not find ourselves saying that we love God while we engage in gossip, neglect the poor and outcast, or think of weekly worship as another thing at the bottom of "to do" list. Instead, we must seek to show our deep love for Him by keeping His commandments. Keeping His commandments will only cause us to bring His love to others who are desperately in need. Only then will we leave the darkness of the father of lies far behind, and make our never-ending journey into the light of God's grace!
