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Dear Fr. Ritsche,

I enjoyed reading this article of Fr. Roy Cimagala and wrote my reaction to it. However, I really don’t know if there is a length requirement to this. I find my response a bit long. Is it alright to post this? Thanks so much and see you soon….

Tita Dolly

 FATHOMING FAITH

Great article, Fr. Roy Cimagala. It allows one to ponder on the meaning of love. This line jumped out: “We can only love properly if our loving is based on his, if it is inspired and energized by his. No true love exists, must less, prospers, if it does not begin and end with Christ.”

So often it is difficult really to comprehend what love is for we only have an intellectual understanding of its essence and not an experiential one, unless some of us had arrived at a crossroad in our lives where we were faced with a choice: to believe in and accept the goodness and mercy of God or not. Some people, sadly, choose to “end it all through suicide.”

In a retreat, we spent two days just staring at the crucifix. No lecture on the love of God, but just to allow the crucifix to speak to us through the five senses. God speaks to us individually. I came out of that experience thinking that love of God is not that easy to comprehend until one experiences the horror and reality of sin and the evil that lurks behind it.

Just realistically looking at the spittle on Jesus’ face, the blood flowing throughout his body, the bloated, slapped face, and the crown of thorns that was violently thrust down in jest and in some account pierced his eyeball, the mockery and taunting, and all those indescribable reality of sin. If we see and experience this through our five senses, then we understand the depth, width and height of love that the sinless son of God offered on our behalf, and the Father who sacrificed him.

Horrible, maybe, and yet we don’t shrink away from these when we commit these crimes against our neighbors whom God has asked us to love. And it happens too often despite our honest effort. Gossip and smearing other’s reputations abound; jealousy and envy; prideful service in the guise of love for God, misuse of power, etc

But Jesus taught us these lessons: he fell three times on the way to Calvary and he stood up each time and moved on, gained strength from his Mother’s loving and agonizing look, and accepted help from Simon the Cyrenean. He thirsted for the Father and to the end he surrendered his all to him saying, “Into thy hands I commit my spirit” (Lk. 23:42). He not only fulfilled our redemption from sin, but he also restored the glory of God marred by our sinfulness.

Yes, our sins were splashed all over, in and on Jesus. Yes, he redeemed us. But through all these, St Paul, in Phil.2:12, also asks us to work out “your salvation with fear and trembling” (with a sense of awe in serving the Living God and a sense of dread at the prospect of sinning against him). And as you said, Jesus told us how: “A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another, as I have loved you…” (Jn 13:34).