Greater Love than Ourselves

Many people say that they believe in God; however, for many, the Almighty is not really part of their lives at all. Perhaps He might be an afterthought, a scapegoat, an easy target, or a fill-in-the-blank noun when something happens, cannot be explained, or does not go our way. At the end of the day, I believe too many people treat God as a mysterious, unknown, far-away subject, object, or person that does not have any significant meaning or value in our everyday journey. It seems easier that way because it is normal to be uncommitted and careless about religious matters since we seem like we have too many things to achieve and choose to be busy with ourselves. But, if we really think about it… there has to be greater love than ourselves and a greater purpose than what we think will make us happy! If we just make everything about us, we will always end up unhappy because we will never achieve or be able to attain everything we ever wanted.

Sadly, but true, this self-centered way of life often causes us to break down and become very bitter because, as soon as we attain or are able to have something, we tend to always desire more! We are never content because we constantly compare ourselves with others and look for the things that we do not have. It is easier to be envious and stuck in our own self-created pities than to truly be grateful and recognize that we do not have to have it all in order to really be joyful and content. True love is hard because it requires us to step beyond our very own selves to seek, understand, and embrace reality that is way bigger and greater than ourselves. It is humbling — but freeing — to to allow ourselves not to be dictated to and be controlled by sentimental changes so we can truly understand and seek what is substantial, real, and life-giving that comes from the One who truly loves us.

Our Christian faith taught us that God chose to enter into our very own time, to be like us in all things but sin. He taught us through this very self-emptying and humbling act that He desires to enter into a loving relationship with us, not just to be a thing, a name, or a matter that is found on our lips, in our thoughts, or through our writings but not with true, genuine, and self-giving love. The God who was beyond and outside of our temporal time and finite space chose to enter into the very creation that was formed out of love to show us that His love is very real!

St. Irenaeus said, “Christ chose to become man so that man can become like God.” Indeed, our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, chose to become one of us, lived like us in all things but sin, to show us that we are worth loving and saving! As a matter of fact, over and over again, our Creator chose to enter into a relationship and made covenants with our ancestors. He relentlessly sought us even when we chose to stray away from Him or choose other manmade gods and goods. Time and time again, our God made Himself known to be a personal, loving, and selfless Lover who pursues us even when we abandon, reject, ignore, blame, or dismiss Him because we do not get what we want.

More than ever, at each and every Christmas, we are historically and personally reminded that our Lord chose to become dependent and weak as a babe (through His incarnation) to teach us that He is the King who does not mind and care for human powers or qualities of greatness. The true King desires our love! As a matter of fact, this same desire for love was again manifested at the Cross when He embraced the betrayal, cruel treatment, suffering, and death to show that He desired to give His all to us. From the Crib to the Cross, Christ‘s love for us is the same. From the humble manger to the shameful instruments of torture and death, the King of the universe tells us that He wants nothing fancy except for our genuine affection and love.

One of the movie series that I like to watch around this time of year is The Lord of the Rings. In it, there are two characters that are different but very similar to each other — Frodo and Gollum. There is a great interplay of free will and greed in the very plot of the series, especially between the two characters. They both struggle with the ring of power, especially with the selfish and insidious desire to control and possess it personally, and at times, at all costs, too! Nonetheless, Frodo never really loses his humanity even though he has been overtaken by its power from time to time. On the other hand, Gollum is locked up in his own miseries because he is possessive and obsessive about the object. He lusts for it and wants to have it at all costs, hence losing his own self-worth, freedom, and identity because he only cares about that very possession.

Frodo is able to treat Gollum with compassion even though the creature keeps wanting to steal the ring from him. He cares for the creature even though he struggles with himself, to avoid being under the control of evil, paranoia, and self-centered fears. The main character of The Lord of the Rings is weak like many of us! He struggles to do the right thing, but the desire for power and possessiveness of earthly goods keep pulling him to its deceptive power. It makes him turn against people around him because he is scared of them stealing the ring from him. There are times in the story when he almost turns into Gollum or similar people who wanted to possess the ring in the past, doubting and pushing people around him away just because he wants the ring for himself. We can sense the slippery slope of over-possessiveness that motivates fears and creates isolation both in Frodo and in our very own lives. When we isolate people from our lives for the sake of something lesser, we lose the life-giving relationships and wisdom that keep us focused on what is real.

Unlike Gollum, Frodo has people who keep him grounded and focused on the mission to end the control of evil instead of letting it control him. Similarly, Christian charity requires much more of us than our human standards of liking, retribution, or justice! We do all things because of Christ who loves us, not simply because of what we like or what seems to be beneficial for us at the moment. Hence, that is why love is hard and heavy — like a cross — to bear at times.

As believers, we are invited to put God first and to do everything out of love for Him instead of chasing after human possessions or building things for ourselves. Once we love Him above all things, we can then really love Him in all things and everyone around us. Each and every moment, we are called to let go of our lesser “My Precious” to love and embrace the One who is truly precious and worthy of our love above all things. Only in His love can we embrace all out of genuine, theocentric love for others!

Our faith reminds us that the Lord Jesus Christ had everything at His command and could choose to live as whatever He wanted, but He chose to be poor, to be near the forgotten, ignored, and abandoned. The Savior chose simplicity because He wanted our love, not just some pretentious titles, riches, wealth, or achievements. He just wants our genuine heart, love, and devotion! Therefore, let us ask ourselves… What are we looking for this Christmas? What are we expecting or wanting from God and others? What are we bringing to the manger to offer to the newborn King? What are we going to share with others after this Mass? Furthermore, how will you and I let our Christmas joy be permeated and integrated into our everyday living? Will our faith and worship become a regular part of life, sometimes, or only once in a while?

On this very special day, I would like to wish each and everyone a blessed Christmas! I hope we can truly understand and embrace the great love that Christ Jesus has for us. He emptied Himself to become and lived like us in all things but sin because the Savior of the world really loves us. I pray that each and every one of us, too, will be able to live and share that love with others so we can all know the true freedom and joy to be able to live beyond ourselves, and to become more Christ-like in our life and faith journey.