Living in God

In an article on "successful aging" in New Theology Review, Dr. Lawrence Lenoir proposes that the art of giving and receiving love is at the heart of growing old gracefully. Research shows that being in a loving relationship quiets the demons of depression and despair. So, if you want to be healthy, be loving. Jesus would agree.

The rabbis of Jesus' day argued about which is the greatest commandment of the six hundred and thirteen in the Torah. When the Pharisees asked Jesus, he answered that what God wanted most from the chosen people — liberated from slavery and called to live in a covenantal relationship — was a return of the love God showed to them. This love has two faces: loving God totally and loving one another as one loves oneself.

Loving is a contagious activity. If you are loved, you tend to be loving. St. Paul sounds this note when he writes to the Thessalonians about becoming imitators of him and his fellow evangelizers Timothy and Silvanus, and of the Lord himself — receiving the word and living in faith, joy, and love for each other, because they believed in God's love for them, revealed in Christ.

Our love must flow outward in compassionate generosity. The Lord called on Israel to show its love by not oppressing aliens, not wrongdoing weak orphans and defenseless widows, and not extorting the poor. No less is asked of those who have received the Holy Spirit and live in community with the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. That's us! Love one another.