The necessity of love

Last night in TS503, we were talking about the role of the Holy Spirit in creating and sustaining the universe as we know it, and the prof put up a slide that talked about creation and how it "derives from the creative resolve of God to create."

Well, duh. Okay.

But then he went on to say this, that "creation rests on ... the necessity of love to share itself."

Ah. Now we're getting at something.

This, I think, is right. God, in creating, was driven by love. God's essence (among other things) is love personified. And love must - must! - share itself. Otherwise.. it isn't love.

And this is true of us, too. Love without sharing itself isn't real love. It's just an idea, an intellectual concept. Real love shares itself with its object, to their mutual benefit.

How do you love in isolation?

How do you love secretly, without letting the other know?

How do you love from a distance, without interaction?

You don't.

Or, at least.. if you try, it's only conceptual - an idea or a feeling - that only benefits you, and does not reach and connect with and benefit those whom you love. Expressing that love actually connects it to, and benefits, the other party.

Oh, I suppose if you have a history with someone, and have joint memories of love shared together... but are separated for whatever reason... you *can* jointly remember that shared love and continue to love remotely, by agreement, trusting that the other still cares for you as they did when you were together, even without expressing it.

That really requires faith. Not that it can't work; it's just harder, when you long for a word, a touch, a familiar look... and it's not there.

But God sure didn't love that way. Genesis and the Gospels tell that story. God broke through the separation, the distance, the isolation... and loved us, not secretly, not silently, but in person. Incarnate.

Still does, too - Acts and the Epistles tell that story. The Spirit of Love, the Comforter, remains with us. We are not left relying solely on memories of love expressed in history. And during this time of separation from the One who loves us like no other.. we sure do need that comfort, the daily internal reminder of that love.

I do, anyway.