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Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever
believes in me
believes not only in
me but also in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me sees the one
who sent me. I came into the world as light,
so that
everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness. And
if anyone hears my words and does not
observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the
world but
to save the world.”
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"I miss
the sound of your voice, and I miss the rush of your skin, and I miss
the still
of the silence as you breathe out and I breathe in. Come on, get
higher, loosen my lips; faith
and desire and the swing of your hips. Just pull me down hard and drown
me in love. I miss the sound of your voice, loudest thing
in my head, and I ache to remember all the violent, sweet perfect words
that
you said."
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Being drowned with love
in a romantic sense which Matt Nathanson is
singing of means that a person desires
to be completely loved, that
there would
be absolutely no doubt that the love was going to be present, no matter
what the future circumstances. Jesus had the same idea, taking it out
of a romantic context. He wanted people to be drowned with the love of
God, and so he became the light for all.
Jesus came to save the world, he tells us, so that no one would have to remain in darkness. In terms of Matt Nathanson's song, he wanted to drown the world with love. In Jesus' mind, Jesus wanted everyone to have the light, namely himself, and once they had the light, then everything would work out for them because they would be drowned with love. Jesus’ Apostle Paul put it this way as he wrote to the Christian community in Rome: "We know that all things work for good for those who love God" (Romans 8:28). As Paul understood that God had drowned the world with love through Jesus, Paul could only fathom a God who directed everything toward the good, who kept everyone away from the darkness. It is a wonderfully hopeful part of the Christian faith. There are no coincidences: God is drowning us with love and directing everything that happens in our lives, working with us as we live. There is only love: God has given it to us, we should give it to others. |
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THOUGHT
Where do you see God
"drowning others with love" in the world today?
PRAYER Good
and gracious
God, you have drowned us with love by sending your Son Jesus to be our
guide. Help us understand your love a little more, so that love
will become a force in our lives as well. Be with
us,
we pray.
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©2007
Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America |