“Of these three remain; faith, hope and love.  And the greatest of these is love.”  St. Paul’s first letter to The Corinthians

“The wise person knows more deeply by way of love than by way of argument because the eye of the heart can see the truth of reality.” Ilia Delio

If we are fortunate, Love will welcome us into this life, Love will walk with us through this life, and Love will gently usher us out of this life and into the life we are meant to live. 

The English language is hamstrung in having only one word for love.  We use the same word for describing a food we really like as we do for caring deeply for a baby or spouse.  In English the word “love” can denote feelings of romance and eroticism, and also be used to describe the feelings one has toward a friend or a pet.  We don’t have a word to express the deep, transcendent, sacrificial, all-giving love that comprises God’s love.  

That word in Greek, as you probably know, is “Agape”.  It is the word Paul uses in 1 Corinthians, which is probably the best definition we have for it.  But the Love of God must be experienced to be fully appreciated.  It is rare, and we will miss it if we are unaware.  But there are times when we see the Love of God in bloom and on full display.  I had that privilege this past week.

My dear friend Karen died. I wrote about it last week.  Her funeral was on Wednesday.  Husband Ernie loved her deeply.  His love for her was clearly evident at the funeral service, but what wasn’t obvious unless you knew him well, is the way he had so devotedly loved her throughout their marriage, especially the past four years when he became her primary caregiver.   His was a giving, self-sacrificing, other-serving Love. Ernie loved Karen, with the Love of God.

That Love was also on display between my daughter Molley and her three-month-old daughter Zoey. The maternal love poured out upon Zoey is a reflection of the Love of God.  It is a Love that is poured out upon each of us.  Julian of Norwich puts it this way, “The mother can lay her child tenderly to her breast, but our tender Mother Jesus can lead us easily into his blessed breast through his sweet open side and show us there a part of the godhead and of joys of heaven, with inner certainty of endless bliss.”

Though both of those examples of Love occurred on different ends of the life spectrum, they are very similar in the sense that the kind of Love being practiced is a giving, caring, and compassionate love.  In both instances the love given was not dependent in any way on whether the recipient could appreciate it or reciprocate.  In that way, and many others, it was the Love of God.  Agape.

The love of God can be described, but can’t really be defined, as it is a mystery that must be experienced.  In truth, the deepest knowing of God in the minds of the mystics came from experiencing God’s love.  Everything flowed from there.  The pursuit of God did not consist in an accumulation of information, attainment of greater education, or achieving a certain level of sanctification.  Rather, it was a mere matter of knowing God through Love, Loving, and Being Loved. 

The journey of the mystics, the journey of Karen, the journey of Zoey, is one we all share.  It is a journey from Love, through Love, and to Love.

And God said to the soul:

I desired you before the world began. 

I desire you now, as you desire Me.

And where the desires of two come together,

There Love is perfected.

And the Soul said to God:

Lord, you are my lover,

My longing,

My flowing stream,

My sun,

And I am your reflection.

And God Answers the Soul:

It is my nature that makes me love you often,

For I am love itself.

It is my longing that makes me love you intensely,

For I yearn to be loved from the heart.

It is my eternity that makes me love you long,

For I have no end.

                                                Mechthild of Magdeburg