In 2003, I wrote this line: “One of the best tests of true love is how well it handles its own demise.” I’m sure when I wrote that my mind was tainted with some amount of bitterness, but I sort of found a deeper understanding of that line today. I think about Jesus, and how he prayed in the garden, “Not my will, but Yours [God the Father] be done.” Then I think about glimpses from the Passion of the Christ movie, that shows in such graphic detail what that really meant -- in the midst of the “demise” of the love from the world (a one-sided demise of course), Jesus showed them a love that went way beyond human expectations. He forgave, he healed, he did not resist, and in theological terms he did what was needed to forgive their sins -- he loved to the last. This reminds me of the image of the crushed rose, or the idea that a rose smells sweetest when marred and crushed. This was Jesus, demonstrating a love that burns bright and fragrant even under the most virulent hate and mocking. And, the kicker is: this is the kind of love we as Christians are supposed to be striving for. It seems that life among humans is very gray, very turbulent, and it’s really hard to foster a love that is proper and that really loves *well*. It’s not simple, it’s not obvious how to approach each situation, but I know that I long for a love and an expression of love that at least has some shadow of the kind of “unstoppable love” that Jesus showed and continues to show us.
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 03:32:34 +0000
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