God will never forsake us He will always love us

GOD'S ENDLESS LOVE

Ex. 19:2-6. Rom. 5:6-11. Mt. 9:36-10:8.

Does God love me?  It is a question often asked by people.  Much of the Bible has been written with the express purpose of showing that God is indeed a loving God.  For example, the first reading today was addressed to the Jews as a reminder that God loved them so much that He freed them from the slavery of the Egyptians and made them His special people, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.  In the Gospel we see Jesus, the God-man, His heart moved with pity for the people who were like sheep without a shepherd.  He sent out His apostles to look after them because He loved them.

Of course, the greatest sign we have of God's love for us is the death of Jesus on the cross.  God the Father's love is so great that He gave His own Son to us, and that Son loved us so much that He gave His life for our salvation.  You just cannot have a greater sign of love than that.

People of primitive religions felt that when they had offended their god, they had to placate him or he would think nothing of punishing them in the most dreadful ways.  They offered sacrifices to their god, sometimes even human sacrifices, in order to appease him.  It never occurred to them that there was a God who loved people so much that He would give His own Son to be a victim of sacrifice.

In today's second reading, St. Paul was overwhelmed by the fact that divine love is greater than human love.  Only in extraordinary cases is a human being willing to die for someone else.  A good father and mother will indeed save their child's life at the expense of their own life.  They will not be so willing to do the same for a stranger, much less for an enemy.  Imagine that you arrive home one day to find that a thief has broken into your home, taken all your valuables, and murdered your spouse and children.  Meanwhile near your home, the police have engaged the thief and murderer in a gun battle.  You arrive on the scene and deliberately intercept with your own body a police bullet intended for the outlaw, because you don't want him to be killed.  This is impossible to imagine.  Such an action is asking too much of human nature, but it was not too much for God.  In the second reading St. Paul says, "It is precisely in this that God proves His love for us: that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  It is worth giving a lot of thought to this generous act of Jesus.  Jesus died for us when we were His enemies!

Jesus died once and never dies again.  So what then happens at every Mass?  The Mass is the great Memorial, the making present of that first Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.  At every Mass it is as if a huge curtain goes back and all of us are made present at the one and only Eucharistic meal with Jesus, His death and Resurrection.  This is just as real now for us as it was for the apostles.  At the Mass Jesus says, "Take and eat, share My table, share My life.  When you leave this Church take Me with you and introduce Me and share Me with all you meet."

The Mass should be a constant reminder of how great God's love really is.  God's love does not change.  He still has that kind of love for us.  At times we may wonder if that is really true.  We may feel that God has turned His back on us, that He has changed.  We have to remember that the Mass demonstrates that God does indeed still love each one of us.

Lord Jesus, may the words of today's responsorial psalm penetrate our minds and hearts.  "The Lord is good; His kindness endures forever and His faithfulness to all generations."  Yes, Your love is not only great, it is endless.

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