Lenten journey, two shall be one, love is love.

      It would be quite easy for me to succumb to the temptation to think and write solely about marriage equality. Today's Gospel is all about love and I am gay. This is more or less a gay blog. Let's talk about marriage equality !  But no, I am going to dismiss that train of thought because truly, love is love is love and it should not be bifurcated, separated or mangled apart by adding adjectives about 'gay' love or 'gay marriage'. Marriage is marriage, love is love.

       When Jesus responds about what is the greatest commandment the answer is all about love. It is about the love of God, the love of self and love of neighbor. The love is so defined as to dissolve away any barriers so that the love is multi-directional and undifferentiated no matter where the love is focused.  It reminds me of the phrase used when people get married, "two shall become one".   This isn't simply God's design as set forth in the creation story examples.  It isn't even that God said 'it is not good for man to be alone' even though we certainly are called by our very nature to companionship, community and intimate relationships. It's all true for sure but there is something even deeper about the message Jesus is delivering.

        I think it all has to do with himself, God the Father and the Holy Spirit - the Trinity. I was once told that the love between the Father and the Son was so strong that the mere expression of that love is an actual entity, a 'person' in the form of the Holy Spirit. Jesus uses the reference he is familiar with along with that of his Mother and Father, his companions, perhaps even his own lover if he had one. ( I certainly think he did, but that's another subject, eh? ) 

       When we love ourselves and love God and love our neighbor, love our spouse, and with all our heart and all our strength, that love is really all the same. It is a mirror or facet of God's love.  It's an awesome thought. This we certainly can meditate on that. 

       Even in marriage the love of God is expressed as the physical joy and mutuality of sex! It isn't ichy, it awesome, it's beautiful! Being our most vulnerable, being our most loving, giving ourselves totally. Isn't that God's love for us?

       When we get to Good Friday in a few weeks, didn't Jesus give us all his humanity, totally and freely given? Did Jesus hold anything back from us? He gave us everything and did it for each and every one of us. That's love!

       This is one of the aspect of a Sacramental marriage and even parenthood. We give to each other, for each other, totally in love. An image of the love of the Trinity between two people.  While we don't generally share physical intimacy with neighbors and friends, the love we give can still be freely given and totally without reservation fulfilling those two great commandments and emulating all the goodness and love of God.

     I think I am all loved out for this morning. Phew!