God and Love

 

I recently attended a “Life in the Spirit” seminar; a program given by the Catholic Church to deepen one’s faith. These were almost the first words of the introductory video:

“Do you know the most fulfilled people in life are not those who have everything, are not those who are successful, not even those who have purpose. But the most fulfilled people in life, the most fulfilled you could ever be, is if you're able to stop and let God love you. It is the hardest thing for us to do as human beings, to let God love us, for several reasons. Why? Because we're so used to giving to others, we're so used to serving others, we're so used to pointing towards others, that we don't stop and realize that first we need to be loved.”

My immediate reaction is, no, Hell no. This is the disease that is killing us. This is Satan speaking.

Most of us think too much of ourselves. Most of us are too sure we are going to heaven. Most of us are fully aware of our need to be loved. Most of us need to learn humility. 

God loves us; but he expects things from us. We are not his pampered pets. The Gospels do not tell us to lie back and accept God’s love: they tall us to “work out our salvation in fear and trembling.” They tell us we have a purpose, and we are here to do God’s work. We are to put on a yoke. "My yoke is light." 

Jesus did not go around telling people to accept God’s love. He spoke instead of our duty to love God: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” And after that to love and to help your neighbour. This is the opposite of what the video was saying.

Imagine someone about to marry. Would your advice be, “the hardest thing in marriage is to accept your wife’s love. Don’t do anything for her. Just be still and enjoy the love.”

No. Hell no. This video is preaching narcissism, not Christianity.