In the Contemplation to Attain Love in the Fourth Week of the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius makes two observations. First: love ought to find its expression in deeds rather than in words. Second: love consists in mutual communication. The lover gives and communicates to the loved one what they have or what they can offer, and in return, the loved one does the same for the lover. The one who
possesses knowledge will give it to the one without it, and similarly with honour or wealth, each gives to the other (Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius 230-231).
St. Ignatius describes an active love rather than a professed passive one. A love that results from an experience of being loved unconditionally by God, and leads to a commitment to collaborate with Jesus and his work of building the Kingdom of God.
Jesus loves us actively and invites us to reciprocate that love actively. This is an invitation to hold fast to the words of the Lord. To keep the Lord’s words, we must first know them, observe them, and practice them in our daily lives. Jesus reminds us that the words he speaks to us are not his own, but those of the Father, who sent Jesus as an act of love for us and our world.
The Holy Spirit actively reminded the disciples of the words of the Lord when they had locked themselves in hiding, fearful of the Jews. Seemingly, they had forgotten what the Lord had said to them. We are like disciples; we need the Holy Spirit to remind us of the Lord's words of life.
I invite you to speak to Jesus today. Ask Jesus to remind you of his words, ask for the grace to be open to hearing Jesus speak and to allow
the Holy Spirit to lead you to actively express his love more in deeds.
Reflections by Morongoa Selepe
