We work... for the Love of God • A Weekly Reflection with Vincent
Mitxel Olabuenaga, C.M.
October 14, 2023
We work… for the Love of God • A Weekly Reflection with Vincent
“God’s commandment to love Him with your whole heart, with your whole soul, with your whole mind, etc., doesn’t mean that He wants the heart and soul always to have a tangible experience of this love. That’s a grace His Goodness imparts to whomsoever He pleases. But He intends that all our actions, by an act of the will, be done for love of Him. When you entered the Company, you saw the obligations entailed; you gave yourselves to God to fulfill all of them in His love, and every day you repeat that act. Rest assured, Sisters, that, although you may not enjoy the consolation of feeling the warmth of this love, you can’t fail to have it, doing what you do for love of Him.” (CCD IX, conference 41).
Vincent de Paul
Reflection:
- “Love can do everything”, we could synthesize. The argument that Mr. Vincent uses to comfort those who (in this case, Daughters of Charity) feel bad for not continuously following of the will of God, may be surprising. Clearly he says: “He intends that all our actions, by an act of the will, be done for love of Him.” For love… because the experience of God’s love is still a grace that God himself gives to whoever he seems right.
- One side of the coin, the starting point (“loving God”), is that which is born of the first of the Commandments and must be in the unfolding of our actions. The other side of the coin: “the love of God” to all its creatures. From this perspective, Mr. Vincent, seeing the “spiritual drought” that can feel the creature at certain moments of his life says: “doesn’t mean that He wants the heart and soul always to have a tangible experience of this love.”
- The command to “love God” is key to Mr. Vincent; he does not have the slightest doubt and it is the fundamental obligation: “with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our thought”; so he remembers them: “When you entered the Company, you saw the obligations entailed; you gave yourselves to God to fulfill all of them in His love, and every day you repeat that act.”
- A different thing is the feeling that God recognizes our daily renewal of the commitment to love Him. A person expects reciprocity in a relationship. This is natural. However, warns Mr. Vincent, we are not always aware of this reciprocity, with respect to God: “Rest assured, Sisters, that, although you may not enjoy the consolation of feeling the warmth of this love, you can’t fail to have it, doing what you do for love of Him.” The point is giving without expecting, being aware that God’s love is permanent.
Questions for dialogue:
- Is our relationship with the God of Jesus Christ permanent?
- Do we translate this love into our personal and communal action?
- Are we “armed” enough to get ahead when we feel the abandonment of God?
- Are we explicit in the proclamation of a God who loves us?
- Do our works reflect God’s love for humanity?
Mitxel Olabuenaga, C.M.
Mitxel.OlabuenagaOrnes
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