MINISTER’S NOTE 15 MAY 2022
Everyone has an opinion on love and what it
means in a healthy relationship. Some see love as
little more than an attitude of niceness to everyone.
But love is not soft. It will always seek to build up the
other.
The Scriptures best describe love as a way of being,
a way of thinking, acting, and living life the Jesus
way. Love goes beyond positive feelings, attraction,
or attachment to another. It is not focused on
self but on the “other” and his or her well-being. It is
an orientation and disposition of openness, receptivity,
and self-giving towards another. It is the willingness
to care for another regardless of what they
look like or what they have done. It is forgiving
those who have hurt us and asking forgiveness of
those we have hurt. It is remembering that the other
person was created and is loved by the same God
who created and loves you. It is recognizing that
the other person carries the same image of God as
you.
In a society where so much is presented in terms of
“self”: self-image, self-awareness, self-satisfaction,
self-esteem, self-realization, Jesus presents a way of
existence that is countercultural, in which a person
lives for the other. It is this kind of love that is a unifying
force that strengthens community solidarity and
works for the common good. May our growing relationship
with God lead us to a commitment to the
common good that reaches beyond private interest,
transcends sectarian commitments, and offers
human solidarity.
Blessings,
Vuyelwa.