杏MAP导航

By Vatican News

The Holy Spirit helps us to understand 鈥渢he love of Christ for us鈥� and to prepare our hearts to 鈥渁llow ourselves to be loved鈥� by the Lord.

杏MAP导航 Francis made that point during Mass on Thursday, as he reflected on the First Reading (Rm 8:31b-39).

St Paul, he said, could seem to some to be 鈥渢oo proud鈥� or 鈥渢oo sure of himself鈥� when he affirms that 鈥渁nguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword鈥� will succeed in separating us from Christ.

A mother鈥檚 love

杏MAP导航 Francis said St Paul is really showing us that 鈥渨e conquer overwhelmingly鈥� through the love of Christ. Ever since the Lord called to Paul along the road to Damascus, the Apostle to the Gentiles 鈥渟ought to understand the mystery of Christ.鈥�

He had 鈥渇allen in love with Christ鈥�, said the 杏MAP导航, caught up in 鈥渁 strong love鈥� and not in a 鈥渟oap opera type of story.鈥� St Paul felt the Lord accompany him through all manner of good and bad times.

鈥淗e felt this in love. I ask myself: do I love the Lord like him? When hard times come, how often do we feel the desire to say: 鈥楾he Lord has abandoned me. He doesn鈥檛 love me anymore鈥� and then seek to abandon the Lord in turn. But Paul was sure that the Lord would never abandon him. He had understood the love of Christ in his own life. This is the path that Paul shows us: the path of love at all times, through thick and thin, at every moment. This is the greatness of Paul.鈥�

Give our lives for others

Christ鈥檚 love, 杏MAP导航 Francis added, 鈥渃annot be described鈥�. It is immeasurable.

鈥淚t is really He Who was sent by the Father to save us. He did so with love. He gave His life for me: There is no greater love than to give your life for another person. We can think about a mother 鈥� the love of a mother, for example 鈥� who gives her life for her child, accompanying him or her through life in difficult moments鈥� Jesus鈥� love is near to us, and is not an abstract love. It is a You-Me/Me-You love 鈥� each of us 鈥� with our own name and surname.鈥�

Tears for each of us

In Luke鈥檚 Gospel, 杏MAP导航 Francis focused on 鈥渟omething concrete in Jesus鈥� love鈥�. Speaking about Jerusalem, Jesus recalls the times He tried to gather her children, 鈥渁s a hen gathers her brood under her wings鈥�, but was opposed. So he wept.

鈥淭he love of Christ drives Him to weep, to weep for each of us. What tenderness we find in this expression. Jesus could have condemned Jerusalem, say horrible things鈥� But he laments that she would not allow herself to be loved like the hen鈥檚 chicks. This is the tender love of God in Jesus. Which is exactly what Paul understood. If we cannot feel or understand the tender love of God in Jesus for each of us, then we will never, never, be able to understand the love of Christ. It is a type of love that waits patiently, like the love with which He plays His last card with Judas: 鈥楩riend鈥�, offering him a way out, even until the end. He loves even the worst sinners with this tenderness, all the way up to the end. I鈥檓 not sure we think about Jesus being so tender 鈥� Jesus who cries, as He cried before the tomb of Lazarus, as He cried here looking out over Jerusalem.鈥�

Love expressed in tears

Finally, 杏MAP导航 Francis urged us to ask ourselves if Jesus weeps for us, even as we often choose to 鈥渢ake another path鈥�.

The love of God, he concluded, 鈥渋s expressed in the tender tears of Jesus鈥�, which is why St Paul fell 鈥渟o in love with Christ that nothing could drag him away.鈥�