In order to more fully understand the power of love we can look back to the beginning of creation. Our uncreated God, who is love, created everything within the sphere of love. The earth, the heavens, the water, the ground, Eden, and yes – man, were all created within the milieu of divine love. Since God is love he couldn’t create anything outside of love. And it is this love that man continually seeks to go home to.
Yes, man existed within complete and total love at the beginning. Every part of his being and environment was love. Living as such, man held within himself an inherent child-like innocence and total ignorance of evil. When only love exists there can be no room for evil because love and evil cannot co-exist.
Can You Imagine
Can you imagine what your world would look like if you only knew love? If you had no concept or experience with anger, fear, or shame? Well, this was God’s plan from the beginning. Man, who God created in his own divine image, was created to only know love. Then, something happened. Evil entered in and tempted man. Sometimes I think this happened so man could learn how to love more; however, that is a topic for another day.
In today’s first reading we can visualize our first parents standing together, believing the lies of the serpent. How could they even know what a lie was when all they knew was love? Sadly, they were about to experience the torment of being ripped away from love. Eve took the first bite, and then turning to her beloved Adam, she gave him some of the forbidden fruit so he could partake. Together they ate of the fruit, and together they entered into a world that allowed for the effects of evil.
Now it Begins
The fabric of the world Adam and Eve knew was forever changed at that moment, they would now know shame. Shame was the first emotion to enter into their hearts and it rendered them incapable of having open communication with God. Shame shattered the sacred sphere of love – no wonder shame cuts so deep in our hearts today. Adam and Eve now believed they were somehow bad and undesirable in the eyes of God. They believed that they were so inherently bad that they needed to hide from God – from Love. No longer could they communicate with God without feeling shame.
Of course Adam and Eve held a false belief, they believed that God loved them less – or perhaps not at all. Yet, God still loved Adam and Eve infinitely. The truth is, there is nothing Adam and Eve (nor you or I) could ever do that has the power to cause God to stop loving them.
Tough Love
God was still listening to Adam and Eve, he still desired a love centered relationship with our first parents. However, shame demanded that their hearts block a portion of the love God offered. As a result, God now needed to back away from his creation. He lifted his fatherly hand of protection away from his children and a space was created between them. This space left Adam and Eve vulnerable to spiritual attack.
Just as a parent needs to allow their child to make their own mistakes in the world, God needed to allow Adam and Eve to suffer the consequences of sin. How heartbreaking. My mother’s heart, albeit a human mother’s heart, breaks for all involved. Our divine parent had to let go of his children – he had to let them experience pain and death.
The New Home
Believing they needed to hide from love, Adam and Eve could no longer live in the paradise that God created for them. Because this paradise, Eden, was created so that love would abound within its hedges – there was no room for shame within. Adam and Eve were given a new home, a new home where they would no longer be able to hear God’s voice as clearly as before. In this new home sin would enter in. Their new home would make it challenging for Adam and Eve to experience God’s love – yet never impossible. Sin and death would be the obstacles to full communion with God. However, in this new home God would give them the opportunity to return home to Love.
We are all born into this new home of Adam and Eve, this planet we call Earth. It can be hard to hear God and communicate with him here. Yes, Earth can be hard indeed. In the world we are tempted by evil, and sadly, we often fall prey as we let our passions run unrestrained. Yet, in this new world God leaves a perpetual breadcrumb trail to direct us back to Love.
Jesus Christ – The Path Home
God’s plan to bring his children home centers around his Son, the One who entered into the world to reconcile God’s children with himself. And it is through his son, Jesus Christ, that we will regain our hearing and communication with God. Just like the deaf man in today Gospel, we too will be able to properly communicate with God once again when we unite our hearts with the heart of Jesus Christ. This happens when we trust and believe in him. Through communion with Jesus Christ we will receive all we need to return back home because he is the way home.
Jesus revealed to us the way home to God. It is through forgiveness and brotherly love. Forgiveness, born out of the love that Jesus revealed on the Cross, is the way. Forgiveness is born out of love, a love so abiding that it called for Christ’s passion and crucifixion. Through forgiveness we will return home. Forgiveness of self, forgiveness of others and most importantly forgiveness from God which leads to reconciliation with God. One of the most beautiful breadcrumbs we will ever experience on our journey home is the sacrament of Reconciliation my friends. Something beautiful happens to our soul as we sit there with our priest, who is held closely by Jesus, and encounter reconciliation with God.
Returning Home Together
In this divided world we witness profound cries for love – for God’s love. These are your cries, and they are also cries of your brothers and sisters. We can help sooth these cries when we participate in God’s forgiveness and love. As we forgive and love we will find ourselves going back home under the guidance of Jesus Christ. The vehicle Jesus takes us home in is forgiveness, and the fuel forgiveness requires is his passionate love.
The Nine Faces of Struggle
Sometimes we will become “stuck”, not knowing how to escape from pain and heartache. As human beings we walk around in a world filled with emotions that run counter to love. Over my years of practice I have identified what I call the “Nine Faces of Struggle”. These are common blocks I have witnessed that serve to separate individuals from the healing balm of love. Here is the link if you would like to learn more: The Nine Faces of Struggle
I hope you find your way home towards the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ – the one who is love himself. May you speak and think words of love, forgiveness and mercy as you sing and praise of God’s glory! – Carolyn
Sacred Heart of Jesus – have mercy on us.
Mother Mary – pray for us.
Saint Paul – pray for us
Saint Scholastica – pray for us
Today’s Readings Genesis 2:4B-9, 15-17; Psalm 104:1-2A, 27-28, 29BC-30; Alleluia – John 17:17B, 17A; Mark 7:14-23
Understanding the Jesus Code
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