The WORD in other words (2009) by Fr. Andy B. Guban, SVD – Holy Name University, Bohol
Wednesday 2nd Week of Easter
A noted doctor has listed several emotions that may cause disease in human beings – fear, frustration, rage, resentment, hatred, envy, and jealousy. He says the only antidote that can save people from being destroyed by these powerful forces is LOVE.
Love does not only beget love but also life. And the Gospel of today attests to this “God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not die but have eternal LIFE.”
Unfortunately, this love that we experienced and inherited from the Father is abused and misused in our society today. There is so much gain without pain, there is so much presence without care, there is so much promise without fulfillment. In this world of imperfections, all we need is a perfect love.
According to John Haggai, perfect love is….
- Slow to suspect – quick to trust
- Slow to condemn – quick to justify
- Slow to offend – quick to defend
- Slow to expose – quick to shield
- Slow to reprimand – quick to forebear
- Slow to demand – quick to give
- Slow to provoke – quick to conciliate
- Slow to hinder – quick to help
- Slow to resent – quick to forgive
He added “We can give without loving but we cannot love without giving.”
God did not give his son as a surplus. In fact, He gave his total self to us all–both the worthy and the unworthy—that we may have life and love, and live it to the full. –
