Pastor's Message

“All I ask of you is forever to remember me as loving you.”
From Gregory Norbert’s “All I Ask of You”

Today’s second reading from I John 4:7-10 and the Gospel of John 15:9- 17 complement one another in highlighting the importance of the gift of love. In the second reading we hear that love is of God and whoever is without love lacks true knowledge of God. Jesus manifested his love by sacrificing his life for our salvation; we acknowledge that he loved us first, and our response to this greatest of loves is to both love God with all our heart, mind and soul and our neighbor as ourselves.

In the Gospel, Jesus’ great commandment is to love one another. St. Paul tells us that in the end, as material things fade and rust, only three things last: faith, hope and love, and the latter is the greatest of these. I think of the lyrics of certain hymns that speak of the gift of love with its many faceted dimensions. The refrain shown from the song listed above was written in the early 70’s from a monk from the Weston Priory in Weston, Vermont. It recalls John’s words contemplating God’s love for us – a love that is not earned or purchased but given freely. Can we let ourselves be loved by God? If so, our hearts will be overcome with joy and peace.

 Jesse Manibusan wrote a newer song entitled “Hold On to Love” just five years ago. I find these lyrics extremely comforting, especially in these turbulent times. Verse two states: “When terror and fear overwhelm us, hold on to Love. Courage and faith will sustain us. Hold on to Love. When violence seeks to destroy us. Hold on to love. Acts of compassion restore us. Hold on to Love.” The refrain follows: “Hold on to Love, where hope is found. Hold on to Love, where joy abounds. Hold on to Love, where grace and mercy’s overflowing. Hold on to love.” These songs can probably be heard online. May we spend this week contemplating the gift of love and share it with one another through one concrete act of kindness and compassion.

-Fr. Dennis