“THE PRIVILEGE TO LOVE GOD” – is for me the greatest privilege that can ever be bestowed on mankind.
This is a conviction that came to me while I was adoring JESUS CHRIST in the Blessed Sacrament. As I was talking to Our Lord JESUS CHRIST, I was filled with awe to realize that the one I was conversing with is GOD – the SUPREME BEING, the REDEEMER of mankind, and the CO-CREATOR of the whole world.
With this realization I questioned myself as follows:
1. Who am I to be given such a great privilege?
2. What makes it possible for me to exercise such a privilege?
To the first question, I have to humbly acknowledge that I am a creature
that God has designed in His own image and likeness. (Gen. 1:26) And to the second question, I realize that God has bestowed on me and on all human beings the gift of FREEDOM which empowers everyone to love.
The realizations brought me to further reflect on the function of the gift of freedom in order to love. After some deep reflections on this matter, I became aware of some characteristics underlying this great phenomenon of love, namely:
1. To love means to give of oneself to the beloved.
2. The giving of oneself has to be done freely, for no one can be forced to love.
If I am to give of myself to God, what can I give Him? I cannot but realize
my nothingness before God. All that I am and all that I have come from Him. Hence, there is simply nothing that I can give Him save the desire to love Him. This is where I can exercise the gift of Freedom and offer to God my whole self as He created me together with all that I have done which may not have always been pleasing to Him.
It has been axiomatic to consider Loving God as a Commandment. To my mind a Commandment is something I have to obey, whether I like it or not. With my reflections, however, wherein I am given the opportunity to address an Almighty God and offer myself to Him, with all my nothingness and sinfulness, I would rather consider this ACT OF LOVING GOD as a GREAT PRIVILEGE.
by: Salvador 'Buddy' Cagurangan
July 11, 2010
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