St. Hilary’s comments on the Psalms, an excerpt of which we read this morning in the Office, said:
“Then this river of God is filled with water. We are in fact inundated by the gifts of the Holy Spirit and by this fountain of life poured over us, a river filled with the water of God.”
What a beautiful image! Being inundated by the Holy Spirit’s gifts, a fountain of life poured out upon us, the “water of God.”
I have been thinking quite a bit about the inability we have to really appreciate the totality of God’s love for us. It is unconditional. It is complete. It is eternal. It is present. It is unlimited. It is for everyone. It is authoritative in its compassion.
That last sentence is rich with meaning for us. God’s authority comes from his compassion, his love. It is not an authority demanding fear. It is filled with hope. It is an authority that grieves for us. It is an authority that is generous, for he identifies with us. That is the linguistic root of the word “generous,” gens, the Latin for “clan”. God’s generosity is so complete because we are of his “clan,” his family. We share in his identity.
Have you considered the fact that in every sacrament, God pours out his love, his Spirit, in an unlimited way? God cannot be outdone in his generosity. He gives himself completely. We must open ourselves to this love, to his Spirit. God is not really interested in our explanations for our waywardness. All he is interested in his our hearts and loving us if we only let him. He always welcomes us.
The graces of marriage, of baptism, of Orders, of any of the sacraments are immense. They literally can change the world.
Do we really believe in the unlimited love of God? Or are we too afraid, too caught up in the ways of the world — competition, comparison-making, being productive and acceptable — to accept the fact that God loves us without conditions? That we are inundated by the Holy Spirit, by God’s Love?
The tough part, after we begin to believe this, is that we then must become a loving Father. We too must love without condition.
