“Beloved,
we love God because he first
loved us.” - 1 JN 4:19
St. Irenaeus once said, “The life
in man is the glory of God; the life of man is the vision of God.” As we
come to celebrate this season of Epiphany, God reveals himself to us, in
us. God’s tender love manifested in a vulnerable child reminds us of our
need to recognize majesty in simplicity, poverty, and fragility. This
mystery of God’s incarnation invites us to recognize that the glory of God is
to faithfully live out our vocation as Christians—a vocation rooted faith,
hope, and love. As a Jesuit superior of mine constantly told me, “Trust
in your goodness.”
It can be easy to doubt our
goodness or the goodness of others. We are easily swayed by
judgment, criticism, or temptation that may move us towards envy, self-pity, or
anger. During those times, we must remember that love originated from
God, and that God always loved us
first. By celebrating
the gift of our life, and the lives of those we cherish, God is present.
How do you celebrate your goodness? How do you celebrate the goodness of
others? What graces do you need to accept shortcomings, or the
shortcomings of friends or family?
Lord,
help me to trust in your love.
Reflected
by Alex Llanera, S.J.
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