Loving makes you Lovable

The ennobling pattern of love fascinated the probing mind of a great Spanish philosopher, Jose Ortega y Gasset. Love, he said, "consists in the constant beaming forth of a favorable atmosphere...a light in which we envelop the beloved, so that all his or her good qualities can reveal themselves. (Hatred, on the contrary, puts the hated person in the negative light, so that we see only his defects.) Love rearranges the possible perfections of the beloved, making us see what we would not see without it."

Like a polarizing lens that cuts the distracting glare from our view, authentic Christian love of a person, while not denying that individual's human weakness, puts it aside so that the basic beauty, dignity, and nobility of the person can shine through. For such a lover, the beloved is seen in the polarized Christ-light of the Gospel: "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you... Love each other as I have loved you" (Jn 15:9, 12).

God's divine love-light, polarized thorugh Jesus, is to be prismatically filtered through each of us to each other. Only by this divine light can we see the divine features in all those made to his image and likeness. His vertical love is meant to be spread horizontally through us as human love in any sinless form. As we loan God our hearts to love others, his own goodness in them becomes patent. This is truly an intoxicating experience!

This excerpt is from the book One-Minute Meditations for Busy People, by John H. Hampsch, C.M.F., originally published by Servant Publications. It and other of Fr. Hampsch's books and audio/video recordings can be purchased from Claretian Teaching Ministry, 20610 Manhattan Pl, #120, Torrance, CA 90501-1863. Phone 1-310-782-6408 or www.Catholicbooks.net