The Father's Love is Free

"Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7


After returning from a Life Night on Love, I am inspired to reflect on this Love that God is, that he as shown us first, that Paul speaks about.


For love to grow, relationship must be present. So, it seems that we must be in relationship with our Father in order to know his love. This is difficult for many of us because it seems, at times, that the Father is a silent partner. We cannot see him like we can our brothers and sisters, our parents, our significant others. Unfortunately, for some, it can seem that the Father wants us to follow a bunch of rules or do certain things to win his attention. But if God is love, and he wants us to love him, and to love others, surely, there is something else here.


Our Father's love is free. Perhaps that is why it seems that he is quiet. He does not bombard or force. He is always with us, his children, but he respects our hearts and our space. The invitation has been given. Sent for thousands of years since the creation of our first parents. However, with Jesus, he sends us an engraved invitation..one for all mankind to be welcomed into his fold. We only need to RSVP.


We have heard this, I'm certain, sitting in the pews, or read it in Scripture. Yet, sometimes, we still don't hear him. Couldn't he just do something to get our attention? Maybe. But, could it be that he already has and we haven't noticed? Then, also, would it be that we'd want something else, another sign? We might be tempted to begin a relationship with him because of what he can do for us. That's not free. We might also be tempted to only go to him for things we need. That's not free, either. That is use. Both of these put our Father in a box and do not allow us to have a true relationship with him that could live up to its potential or go beyond our expectations. 


For his love to be free, the Father's love has to be available, and we have to freely accept it. This may mean that we don't know everything. We must have faith...that f-word that some do not like to use because it's not concrete. We must trust him. The love that flows from God the Father to His Beloved Son and goes back in return is an exchange that takes place freely, without hesitation, with full trust because each wants what is best for the other and loves without holding anything back, without being attached to other things.


For us, we must be open to see that God the Father is not human. He won't hold grudges or keep count of how many times we've failed him. He won't humiliate us or put us down. He won't bring up our past, unless he wants to bring us healing in there somewhere. For us to see that the Father's love is free, we must come to the humbling understanding that he is our Daddy who loves us no matter what...who wants the best for his children...and then we grow to want the best for him. What could that possibly be? What is best for the Father is for his children to allow him into their daily lives, to place our desires, failures, goals, dreams into his hands, and to come to him face to face.


By offering us love that is free, the Father frees us from worldly attachments, and even the boundaries, expectations, and burdens we place on ourselves.


"Our Lord loves you and loves you tenderly; and if He does not let you feel the sweetness of His love, it is to make you more humble and abject in your own eyes."
--St. Pio of Pietrelcino