By Yousif Alkateb
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” and “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39
Three words changed the life of a non-Christian. He said while crying, "I was forbidden to know or read the Bible, and one day, secretly and without anyone knowing, I took this book that Christians read, called the Bible, and I opened it. My eyes fell on three words, God is love. My life changed with these three words." Imagine how much these three words can do in the life of a non-Christian. Do you know why? Because he said that this is the first time he realises that God has given him the attribute of love. God is love. His whole view of God in life changed. Imagine how much these three words can change our lives, especially as Christians.
Because when we talk about God, we are talking about God who is love, the God who became incarnate in Jesus Christ so that we could better know Him and that love that is His essence, and also to recognise that we do not always realise that God is love. We give God many attributes, we have many philosophies about Him, we complicate Him more than He can be complicated in some people's lives. We complicate Him a lot but He is simple. He is three words, God is love. And from love we go and get to know God the Merciful, God the Just, God the Compassionate, God the Saviour, and God the Almighty. This God did not come only for Christians. He came for all people, for the whole world, and every person who discovers that God is love will change their whole life.
Christ not only told us about love, but He showed us what love is, in fact, He taught us how to love. He left commandments, and when He left the commandments, He did not leave them because He went away or travelled. No, He left them while He was dying, when He was hanging on the cross. “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”
In the context of the crucifixion, Jesus embodies the ultimate sacrifice, as highlighted in the teachings of Pope John Paul II, who emphasised that the Cross reveals the depth of God's love for the world.
Loving your neighbour is the reflection of loving God.
We must be willing to be patient and forgiving in our interactions with each other. We need to remember that our actions speak louder than words. We must take an active role in our own spiritual journeys and understand that it is through our interactions with others that we can truly connect with God. To do this, we must open our eyes to the world around us, and allow ourselves to be moved by the beauty of God's creation.
Christ puts His love in our hearts so that we may love, so why do we not love? That is why there is hatred, malice, and wars in the world today, all because they have not known Christ, and have not tasted the love that Christ gives us.
GOD IS LOVE....GOD IS LOVE.