There is no doubt that Jesus loves each one of us with an everlasting love. The question is whether or not we love Jesus in return. We might think or say that we do, but then, do our day-to-day lives reflect these words, or are we just paying Him lip service? Are we lukewarm toward Him, at the same time that we are on-fire for our jobs, our entertainment, or our vices?
What is Love?
So what is love? Is it a gooey, feel-good emotion? Is it a sexual urge? Is it wanting someone for what they can do for us? No, it is none of those things. Love is wanting the absolute best for someone, no matter the personal sacrifices we have to make in order to achieve that greater good. Jesus Himself showed us what true love is, by sacrificing Himself on the cross for us, even though it was our sins that placed Him on that cross. To love someone is to imitate Christ, the epitome of true love.
Jesus left us two great commandments, in Matthew 22:36-40:
- You shall love the Lord thy God with your whole heart, soul, and mind;
- You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
These commands of God seem pretty straightforward, but in reality, do we even tell God on a daily basis that we love him? Do we really love our neighbor, or do we just ignore them and/or just put up with them? And notice that love, rather than faith, is foremost in these two great commandments. Those who believe that we are saved by “faith alone” might want to ponder this biblical reality.
The Bible Speaks About Love
The Bible has much to say about love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 tells us:
”So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
Here St. Paul says that love is the most important virtue of three very important, everlasting qualities, along with faith and hope. It would seem once again, that “faith alone” is not enough to save us. Faith is certainly important, but it is only one leg of a three legged stool. Without the other two legs of hope and love, we all fall flat. Faith is a gift from God; our love for God and love for our neighbor in return for this gift are our responses.
Love can even get our sins forgiven. Luke 7:47:
“So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”
Here the adulterous woman showers Jesus with her love, and so Jesus forgave her sins. This should be a great lesson for us all; that is, loving Christ with our whole heart does lead to our forgiveness. This is why it is so important for us to take time out of our busy day to tell Christ that we love Him. That should be the very least thing that we do. And since Christ said in Matthew 25: 40
“Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me,”
then we should also start being kind to the less fortunate who beg us for money, time, or food, because we are not only doing it for Christ, we are doing it to Christ.
In John 15:9-12, Jesus says the following:
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.”
Here we learn the astounding fact that Jesus loves us as much as the Father loves Him. That ought to shake each and every one of us out of our slumbering Christianity and alert us to the depth of love Jesus has for us, no matter what our sinful state in life. Why? Because the Father loves His Son Jesus with an INFINITE love, and that is how much Jesus loves us. And all we have to do to remain in His everlasting love is to keep His commandments and to love one another. This may be hard to do at times, but what a payback (everlasting joy in heaven). Infinite love for us from the creator of the universe is something that is hard to fathom, but that fact should make us happier than we’ve ever been. What could possibly be better than being loved without limits by the same Creator who created everything from nothing?
St. Paul says in Romans 13:10:
“Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.”
What could be plainer than this? To fulfill the New Covenant law isn’t some courtroom declaration of a stern judge who carefully weighs the evidence for and against us. Instead, we learn from God-breathed scripture that love itself is the fulfillment of the law. Love and law may seem to be two very different things in our minds, but here, scripture links the two together forever. They are not opposed to each other, but instead are in unison with the Will of God in our lives. To love is to fulfill the law of God.
Paul has a great soliloquy about love in 1 Corinthians 13:1-7:
“If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
What St. Paul is telling us is that love is more important in our relationship with God and our neighbor than anything else. Love conquers our frail human nature. It conquers Satan. It conquers sin. It conquers hate. It can even conquer the world. Love is what will get us into heaven one day. Our inability to love (a sin of “omission”) should be confessed regularly, if that is one of our faults. What St. Paul is saying echoes St. James, who tells us in James 2:26 that “faith without works is dead,” by saying in essence that faith without love is dead.
The Last Shall Be First
It’s always hard to think that Jesus could love us with all of our sinfulness, but if one takes a look at Holy Scripture, the sinful tax collector who repented and who was truly sorry for his sins was chosen by God over the proud, self-righteous “sin-free” Pharisee. The adulterous woman who Jesus saved from stoning was also loved by Jesus, because she also repented with a contrite heart. The good thief on the cross, who was probably a murderer (due to the sentence of crucifixion), was also saved in spite of his sins, because of his repentant heart. St. Peter, even though he denied Christ three times, also learned that Jesus loved him infinitely, after he repented. Jesus asked Peter three times by a charcoal fire if he loved Him. This was because Peter had denied Christ three times, beside another charcoal fire, the night before the crucifixion. Even Judas could have been saved if he would have asked Jesus to forgive him, but he committed the sin of despair instead, and then hung himself.
God knows that our brokenness is caused by our sinful human nature and He is just waiting to be asked to fix it. Jesus loves repentant sinners who tell him that they are truly sorry, and who really depend on Him for everything (God is close to the humble and contrite heart). The self-reliant worldly people who never depend on God, like the proud Esau and the arrogant Nimrod in the Old Testament, always seem to be at odds with Him. Our relationship with God should be like a small child who comes up to his parent with complete trust, and who asks for his bike to be fixed, or her doll to be repaired. A good father always loves it when his child needs his help, especially if he or she is in tears about something. Just so, God is our loving Father, just waiting to be asked to fix our broken lives, if we only ask him with a contrite heart. Jesus even says that unless we become like a little child, we will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Practical Things to Do
So what are some practical things to do to overcome our human nature and to start loving, so that we can start living God’s commands? Specific prayers can overcome whatever is blocking us from loving wholeheartedly. Usually, one or more of the seven deadly sins is a love blocker. These sins are lust, greed, gluttony, envy, anger, pride, and sloth. Going before the Blessed Sacrament after confessing these sins and asking God to remove them from our life, through the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, is a great way to remove these blockages.
After that, we should always try to practice the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. If we want mercy on our deathbed later on, we must show mercy to others now. It’s definitely a win-win scenario, because the people we help receive our mercy, and then we receive God’s mercy when we need it the most.
Quotes from the Saints about Love
“What is the mark of love for your neighbor? Not to seek what is for your own benefit, but what is for the benefit of the one loved, both in body and in soul.”
–St. Basil the Great
“You know well enough that Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them.”
–Saint Therese of Lisieux
“Love is the most necessary of all virtues. Love in the person who preaches the word of God is like fire in a musket. If a person were to throw a bullet with his hands, he would hardly make a dent in anything; but if the person takes the same bullet and ignites some gunpowder behind it, it can kill. It is much the same with the word of God. If it is spoken by someone who is filled with the fire of charity- the fire of love of God and neighbor- it will work wonders.”
–St. Anthony Mary Claret
“There is no place for selfishness—and no place for fear! Do not be afraid, then, when love makes demands. Do not be afraid when love requires sacrifice”
–Pope St. John Paul II
“We become what we love and who we love shapes what we become. If we love things, we become a thing. If we love nothing, we become nothing. Imitation is not a literal mimicking of Christ, rather it means becoming the image of the beloved, an image disclosed through transformation. This means we are to become vessels of God´s compassionate love for others. ”
–St. Clare of Assisi
30 thoughts on “Loving Jesus: The Ultimate Blessing”
Yet another article I much needed and didn’t realize until I read it!
One of my biggest difficulties is I know when the Bible talks about love, it’s not talking about the warm fuzzies. Yes there are people in our life who we will feel love for as we also love them in Christ, but what about those people I not only don’t “feel” and love for, I don’t even like them?
Is the only way I can tell if I’m loving them as Christ commands simply making sure I don’t wish ill on them? I spend a good amount of time defending life, true marriage, and the faith against those espousing the opposite. And they can get real nasty about it, especially the fundamentalists whom many really hate us. How do you admonish the sinner without wanting to smack them upside their heads?
I struggle with this constantly and maybe that’s by God’s design. It certainly is humbling. But it also would be great to get a handle on this problem!
People like that are people who you just pray for…Like Christ prayed for his torturers and murderers while they were torturing him and murdering him, we pray for people who do us dirty while they are doing us dirty. It’s the true imitation of Christ. We don’t have to like them; we have to love them. And prayers for their salvation is how we do that.
Ray, I know I’ve said this to you before, but your essays are filled with solid food for thought. You are truly a Catholic evangelist. When someone reads your essays they leave with something to contemplate until they read your next essay. Well done. Thank you.
I agree wholeheartedly with you! I just found your site and the 2 articles I’ve read so far are his and they’re both on my recommended list!
Thanks WelderChick – Here is a link to all of my past articles…
https://catholicstand.com/author/ray-sullivan/
Thank you!
Thanks Diane!!!
Great post Ray. I sometimes wonder if the Love of the Father hounded Satan before being thrown out of heaven. Being pure intelligence it’s possible they should have known better and were given no chance – another way to put it is are there prodigal angels up there ?
No, James, I believe that the tares and the wheat have already been separated in the angelic ranks. With their superior intelligence, they knew exactly what they were doing when they rebelled, unlike Adam, who was kinda not-so-bright when he bit the apple. After death, we don’t get a second chance, either, BTW…
It was a rhetorical question – as if we know God’s relations with his angels – but your answer
makes sense based on what we think happened. I’m a true believer in reincarnation so the
idea that we don’t get a second chance is moot.
Here’s my question, James: Show me in the Scriptures where ANYONE was reincarnated ( Unless of course you are NOT a Christian.).
The evidence was destroyed 5758 years ago in the flood that covered the whole earth and
this is why so many cultures around the globe have flood legends. Unless of course you
believe that only Noah and his family were saved.
If if was destroyed, then how do you know this?
Get a grip friend we’re comically jousting. If the “whole earth” was covered how did the
other cultures have flood legends ? Literal translations never testify the whole truth
Hebrews 9:27: And just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment,
Ray, we had this discussion before in another life.
Who said it was an apple,Ray?
I was speaking rhetorically. It could have been a kiwi…
First of all am NOT on Facebook .
Secondly there is not enough space here for my “portfolio” of poems. Your article is about “love” but the language you use in your answer to me lacks a lot of LOVE. So it’s not intelligent enough for you although I am a MSN translator interpreter in 7 languages and a BSN nurse-midwife.
OK I presume you won’t publish my reaction to your judgment.
For the Love of God I’ll pray for you. I’m starting my Rosaries.
Twenty poems were just deleted from this discussion. These comments sections are intended for polite, intelligent discussions regarding the content of the above article. It is not a convenient place to post your portfolio of poems, lyrics and rhetorical reflections. Please don’t confuse us with Facebook. Thank you.
C A L L E D TO BE A N U R S E
When You called me to be a nurse
I pretended to be deaf, not to hear
but Your call was very terse
I felt You more than ever near
I loved my job as a translator
I tried with all my might to escape
the deal with My celestial Debater
looking for the smallest tiniest gape
I barely ate, I barely slept
I refused to watch “Dr. Kildare”
for his nurse on me her eyes she kept
I had to run from her inviting stare
I like to serve but if at all
then as a flight attendant
this dragged my parents into a brawl
in which I acted as the defendant
Then came the day that I woke up
hearing Your inviting Voice
offering me to share Your loving Cup
how could I refuse this choice
You asked me to prepare
myself for “my task for later”
to get ready for the nursing care
and in Your Name to cater.
I accepted without restriction
and went swift to nursing school
my belief and strong conviction
became my most powerful tool
You’ve always been with me at the bedside
even patients testified of Your omnipresence
some of them hot tears they cried
thankful to receive so much pleasance
but Lord wherever You are
there Your opponent prowls
as the magnificent dog star
enticing me to throw in the towels
I may well have lost a battle
but You promised me the victory
he will stop his tail rattle
when I read him his valedictory
I trust in You, my Savior and Provider.
Rita Biesemans, 01/09/2014
BE A GOOD SAMARITAN
I heard the Good Shepherd’s invitation
to be a Good Samaritan
to the destitute of His Creation
in this love-deprived Globalistan
If it is really You, my Lord
calling me to do this chore
don’t let it be an inedible gourd
bring me where You want me, I implore
I want to love You in the needy
whom You called me to serve
so that eyes may be bright and beady
and all tears may quickly swerve
I’m ready Lord, just pick me up
don’t let me wait too long
to drink the longed for stirrup cup
just let the big bell bong
I will give myself completely
until I no longer can
and will be waiting discreetly
for the coming of my Good Samaritan
Rita Biesemans, January 24 2014
To be a Good Samaritan : Help others in need without any thought for recognition or reward for yourself, for Heaven will be your reward.
Luke 10 : 25-37
AT MY MOTHER’S GRAVE
The rain flushes my tears away
it’s cold and the sky is grey
I’m praying, shivering in that chill
No answer though, it’s complete still
I try to reach you and bemoan
beyond that black marble stone
I had to tell you so much more
do please listen to me, I implore
Now that you are so close with the Lord
my sorrows, troubles at your feet I stored
I love you, I love you, you were so brave
I wish I could touch you thru that grave
Suddenly the sun breaks through
I take this as an answer from you
my heart warms up and is accelerating
while my whole person is jubilating
Your radiant light is my Noah’s ark
which surely does dispel the dark
you’ve always been my example
in everything, extremely ample.
Thank you Lord for my mother.
She died on All Saints Day
Rita Biesemans March 1997
A WORLD IN TOTAL DECLINE
The world has gone nuts
each one acts like a klutz
it’s all about me, only me
thus destroying the family
There are no more virtues
the vices know no curfews
each is his own god, master
causing the world’s disaster
They often act as wild animals
Even dare to live as cannibals
Everything that once was Holy
is looked upon as if too lowly
Pastors abandoning the flock
discord is splitting the Rock
causing the sheep to be lost
sacred values being tossed
A small remnant lives hidden
overt creed being forbidden
waiting for God’s intervention
for cleansing and redemption
We cry out loud to You
our Lord and Savior do
please hasten Your coming
hear our desperate longing
Rita Biesemans
October 24 2015 Feast Day of saint Raphael
Our SAD SAD TIMES
Praising A M E R I C A
AMERICA, the warm embrace
I couldn’t believe what I saw
people working of every race
I’m still completely in awe
Whether from Asia, Russia or Africa
each group has something unique
enriching the culture of America
even coming from la Belgique
The result is a beautiful mosaic
in which all these shades of colors
are woven into a picture prosaic
without jealousy, hatred or horrors
It is the highest time, don’t you agree
to turn the world’s judgment into compassion
to turn the world’s ignorance into empathy
to treat our fellow men without aggression
As we love each other unconditionally
we can end the suffering on this earth
and obtain for ourselves additionally
a most gracious spiritual rebirth
Keep going America on a par with the best
for they will profess your superior skill
your warmth distinguishes you from the rest
for me you are “the Shining City on the Hill”
Rita Biesemans, 12-21-1997
THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
In You, My Jesus, I confide
to guide me thru this spiritual test
enough, enough is that I cried
help my mind and spirit rest
King David said that every breath
every heartbeat in our chest
even the very moment of our death
is defined by You, NOT second-guessed
Child, what good is it to weep and cry
I’m waiting for you, don’t you see
your tears hurt Me, I can’t deny
come to Me, go on a loving spree
Feel the beating of My Heart
it beats with love for you
don’t leave Me, don’t depart
it’s too early to say “adieu”
You and your dearly beloveds
are under My Divine protection
I am the One Who longs for and covets
your love, keep walking in My direction
I love You so much my Jesus, my Master
I don’t want to pierce Your Heart
if I ever face that disaster
touch me with Your Heavenly Dart
Rita Biesemans, June 27 2014
The Feast Day of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
TO MY FATHER, My COMPASS, My GUARDIAN
Father from whom my life did sprout
very proudly from the rooftops I shout
what an exceptional father “thou art”
our Heavenly Father did set you apart
to fulfill a strenuous multitask
raising 9 kids, what more could you ask.
you forgot about yourself completely
you lived your life very discreetly
it was all about us, your kids
never about you, Heaven forbids
father, thru all the years of hard labor
you never acted as a ferocious dictator
you loved us with all your might
having you as our dad was a delight
everybody could always count on you
you never said no even if you wanted to
father, the one we always relied on
except now that you are gone
to join our mammie your beloved wife
forever together now in the afterlife
telling you “I love you” the pain does soften
I wish I would have told you this more often.
Rita Biesemans, Father’s Day 2013
dedicated to my father who died on the same date as my mother November 1st but 12 years later.
AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS
O Mary, your bitter tears
my heart do pierce
Our Mother is crying
Her Son is dying
to save us humanity
from complete insanity.
At the foot of the Cross
for words I feel at a loss
our sins are causing You distress
I’m begging You for forgiveness
I offer You my fears and mishap
crawling on Your Mother’s lap
O my Jesus, I need You, I need You
satan plans coup after coup
to destroy me, hoping I’d revolt
he scares me like a thunderbolt
but while walking in Your footstep
on satan’s knuckles I will rap
enough, enough, I do tell him
the cup is stored unto the brim.
Kneeling at His Cross’s foot
Jesus tells me to stay put
“Let My Graces thee overflow
My Cross gave satan the final blow”
I love you so much My child
and while dying He even smiled.
Thank You, Mary for this gift,
and by this my soul did lift.
Rita Biesemans, Good Friday 3/29/2013
WHY HEAVEN IS CRYING
Our Lord and His Holy Mother
are weeping bloody tears
as their children don’t bother
to live in perdition gears
the tears splatter on rocky hearts
on a demeanor of “who cares”
as long as we don’t feel the smarts
we’ll take care of our own affairs
walking farther and farther away
spitting and mocking God in His Face
denying He made us out of the clay
worshipping gods of the human race
we think ourselves so enlightened
we don’t need no Heavenly God
no more need to be so frightened
we join gladly the evil one’s squad
while Heaven is crying
the devils laugh
the unrepentant dying
join the devils’ staff
The day will come
that HE will say :
“enough, enough
no more rebuff ”
Then the earthlings
will cry to no avail
Joe 6 packs nor Kings
will escape eternal wail.
Rita Biesemans April 26 2013
Feast Day of Our Lady of Good Counsel
JESUS IS GOD, GOD IS LOVE
LOVE has been everything but loved
In this world He persistently is being shoved
His very own creatures brush Him aside
so do many apostles of His Bride
He is being betrayed over and over
being scourged even by the Herd’s drover
Gethsemane’s blood sweating anxiety
does not even bring us back to piety
My Jesus, You suffered for us, for me
the most terrible, bitterest agony
to reopen the Gate of Your Kingdom
which for us still is an unearned income
My children, offer Me all your worries
calm down, get rid of all your flurries
leave the world for what he’s worth
give your soul a new virgin birth
Come sit with Me in the Silence of My Home
let go, escape from this world’s pressure dome
know that I am the most Lonely Daddy
I wait for you My children, are you ready ?
Father, may Thy Kingdom come SOON
on earth as it is in Heaven
Rita Biesemans, August 2 2014