Wednesday in Holy Week

Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 70
Hebrews 12:1-3
John 13:21-32
There is a paradox at the heart of human unfolding: We can only love others to the degree that we are capable of loving ourselves. But, on the other hand, we are not born
loving ourselves; we develop self-love by experiencing the love of all those who have loved us. As babies, we do not make our own food; neither do we make our own love.
Later in life, having been given the example, we may become bestowers of kindness; having been fed, we will feel the goodness of feeding others; having been nurtured by
many along the way, we find ways to nurture others. Love is a verb!
Like day and night, summer and winter, the nature that lives and breathes through us is full of polarities. I come into the fullness of MY personal being in relation to many YOUs. To cherish life at a deeper level is to accept this web of interconnectedness, of earth, sea and sky, creation and cosmos…but also, of you and me. Love is more than a feeling, it is a way of being and doing.
Christian discipleship is a lifelong journey of transformation…until we are more and more radiant in the splendor of love. To be Christian is to be reduced to love, to become “all flame”. The life that emerges between us… The partnership of bodies brings forth new life. The partnership of minds, brings forth new ideas. Hearts joined in love invite everyone to love more. “Love one another,” Jesus said, “as I have loved you,” not only counseling his followers but also describing the path love travels down the generations, if we let it, because we let it.