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R.M. Rilke said: "Believe in a love that is being stored up for you like an inheritance, and have faith that in this love there is a strength and a blessing so large that you can travel as far as you wish without having to step outside it." In Ephesians 3:16-19, Paul prays a powerful blessing over the church at Ephesus which resounds similarly to Rilke's words above: I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. to know God's love! To truly be captured by His father heart for us. To yearn to love Him with our all in return. Everything, everything He has done for His creations has been out of love, and with such careful thought and attention to detail. Even in the seemingly "mundane" parts of Scripture (is that even a thing?), God's love and devotion to His people shines so brightly, how can we not see it? In my personal bible study, I am reading in Hebrews, and I decided that it would be good to re-read the giving of the law and the setting up of the first tabernacle in Exodus. And as I read, the love of God oozed from every detail, every word. As He commanded Moses on the exact dimensions of and supplies to be used for, the tabernacle. Only a God of love would be so precise, so direct. How do we fail to see His love when it is so apparent? We choose to turn a blind eye to its overwhelming evidence, and focus on the bad, the evil, the ugly which consumes our fallen world. The Author of Hebrews rebuked his readers, reminding them of the One thing they should set their gaze towards, "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." When we look at His face, and see through His eyes, the whole world changes before us. Yes there is pain and suffering and evil and death and disappointment and heartache, but there is also an abundance of Love. And when we finally grasp that truth and live it out, the ripples of blessing which go out from our lives, transform the world. So, let us love as we are loved, without reserve; willing to sacrifice our hearts and lives so that others will know this Love. "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other."
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Današnji datum: 9. veljače 2014. Veće ljubavi nitko nema od ove: da tko život svoj položi za svoje prijatelje. Čitanje svetog Evanđelja po Ivanu Kao što je Otac ljubio mene tako sam i ja ljubio vas; ostanite u mojoj ljubavi. Budete li čuvali moje zapovijedi, ostat ćete u mojoj ljubavi; kao što sam i ja čuvao zapovijedi Oca svoga te ostajem u ljubavi njegovoj. To sam vam govorio da moja radost bude u vama i da vaša radost bude potpuna. Ovo je moja zapovijed: ljubite jedni druge kao što sam ja vas ljubio! Veće ljubavi nitko nema od ove: da tko život svoj položi za svoje prijatelje. Vi ste prijatelji moji ako činite što vam zapovijedam. Više vas ne zovem slugama jer sluga ne zna što radi njegov gospodar; vas sam nazvao prijateljima jer vam priopćih sve što sam čuo od Oca svoga. Ne izabraste vi mene, nego ja izabrah vas i postavih vas da idete i rod donosite i rod vaš da ostane te vam Otac dadne što ga god zaištete u moje ime. Ovo vam zapovijedam: da ljubite jedni druge" (Iv 15,9-17). Netko se negdje ovako ispovijedao: »Ljudi oko mene, čak i moji najbliži, su mi prigovarali: Zašto si takav? Obrati se, poboljšaj se, s tobom nije moguće živjeti! Imali su pravo. Bio sam osjetljiv, tvrdoglav i neprilagodljiv. Znao sam, da sam takav, htio sam se promijeniti, ipak mi nije uspjelo. Ali jednoga dana mi je jedan od njih rekao: Takvoga, kakav jesi, volim te. I gle čudo: postao sam drugačiji, promijenio sam se, poboljšao sam se. Ljudi su me počeli više voljeti, a ja njih. Čemu to pripisujem? Činjenici, da sam bio prihvaćen.« Isus je cijelo vrijeme javnog djelovanja apostole poučavao i odgajao. Otkrivao im je tajne nebeskog kraljevstva, a ujedno je klesao njihove značajeve. U Evanđelju ne manjka prizora, koji dokazuju, koliko pokuda su doživjeli učenici uz to klesanje. A današnji odlomak nam prikazuje Isusa u drugačijem svjetlu. S apostolima je prije svoje smrti posljednji puta zajedno. Iako dobro zna, da ni izdaleka nisu dorasli zadacima, koji ih čekaju; iako unaprijed vidi njihovo bijedno ponašanje u slijedećim danima, ipak ih voli. Ne grdi ih, ne predbacuje im, nego ih priprema takve, kakvi jesu, i iskazuje im veliko povjerenje. Najprije im iskreno i jednostavno kaže, da ih ljubi istom ljubavi, s kojom ljubi Otac Njega i On Oca. Apostoli neka se trude ostati u toj ljubavi. Ta ljubav stvara između Njega i apostola odnos prijateljstva. »Ne zovem vas više slugama … zovem vas prijateljima.« Gdje je ljubav, tamo se odnos gospodar — sluga mijenja u odnos prijatelj — prijatelj. Tako će odsada biti izr među Njega i apostola. To prijateljstvo rađa posebne plodove. Jedan od njih je ljubav među apostolima. »Ljubite se među sobom!« Drugi je u tome, da će plodovi te ljubavi ostati, kada će sve proći: »Vaš plod ostaje.« Činilo se, da učenici neće dorasti velikim zadacima, koji su ih čekali. A kasnije su se odlično ponijeli. Sigurno također zato, jer su se osjećali prihvaćeni od Isusa; jer im je unatoč svim nedostacima iskazivao posebno povjerenje.