God Loved Us First!

Lay Director

Friends, as cold weather holds on, I am warmed by the love that I see in my brothers and sisters in Christ. As St John said, “We love because He loved us first”. How appropriate for the month of February. The time to warm our hearts and minds. To remember that Christ loved us first. If it weren’t for His love, His coming to earth to save us by dying on the cross, we would be lost! Very lost!! I can’t imagine my life without you, my brothers and sisters. Although I do remember my life before Cursillo. It wasn’t a good life. It was dark and lonely. But now that I know of Christ’s love for me, my life is much brighter. Even when the days are hard to live, to go through. I know His love surrounds me! And I see it in your lives. I invite you to read and reflect on 1 John 4. The entire chapter is 21 verses long and talks about love. It will warm your heart.

How do we get to love all our brothers and sisters? Yes, even the ones that rub us the wrong way every time we meet. I think by remembering that God loved us first. And what does that love look like? Forgiveness of my sins (70 X 7), that is a huge start. We hear that every time we pray the Lord’s prayer; and forgive us as we forgive those who have hurt us. I don’t know about you, but sometimes that hurts! OUCH! God says He will forgive me IF I forgive the guy that keeps aggravating me at work with his demeaning jokes or foul language. Or the gal that always talks above me and knows how to do it better. I’m sure you all have a person or two in mind. So, the real question is “What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?” (Romans 8:35). What does keep us from the love of God? I think in all honesty, it is our selfishness. Our pride. Our wanting to be in control. When I want to have the last word and make things turn out how I planned. And then I hear God say, do it with love. I know then that the ending has to change. My version of the story has to be different; done in and with love.

Let’s end with Romans 8:38&39. “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

DeColores & Ultreya

John & Kathy