Chasing After

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” John 3: 16

At the very beginning of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we are reminded that God created us simply so that we could share in His divine love. Freely, we were created and invited to share in love. God does not need us or our love. He does not need our approval or adulation. He does not need our help or companionship. In fact, God is prefect love and contentment and glory within the One that He is in the dynamic, mysterious relationship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. So with no other motive than for us to be happy and share in the joy, peace, goodness, brilliance, greatness and love that is God, He created us.

And how did we repay Him? By going our own way. By deciding against Him. By choosing something other than greatness and joy and peace and love. It began with Adam and Eve, but continues to this day in our own hearts, with our own Garden of Eden and our own “tree” that we should stay away from. And yet we do not recognize God’s protection and providence in His commandments. And so we turn from Him and disobey Him and do things our own way. And suffer greatly for it.

But you know the crazy thing about God? He had EVERY reason after Adam and Eve to destroy us or to stop thinking about us and let us fade into nothingness. He had every reason to send us all to hell. And yet instead He sent His only Son to die in our place as justification for our sins so that the only atonement known to His great justice could be transformed into His great mercy.

And how did we repay this ultimate act of sacrifice? We still reject Him. We still go our own way and we still sin. In short, we often limit or make ineffective the power and grace of the cross in our own lives. We go on living a life filled with love substitutes and shadows of greatness, for hollow hearts and empty promises. And yet even after all this, our God continues to reach out to us, to call us, to chase us, to keep knocking, knocking, knocking on the doors of our hearts. Not for anything that HE can gain, but for our gain, our peace, our happiness. And we are called to do the same with one another.

Dear Jesus, thank You for never giving up on me. Amen.