Second Sunday of Advent: Love

Okay, I somehow completely lost track of time and my posts for Advent completely failed to go up on time. I started to write this post on the second Sunday of Advent and then didn't finish and didn't post it. Then I completely missed the third Sunday. Today is actually the fourth Sunday, but I am going to get two and three written before I get around to four. I'll do better next year!

The second Sunday of Advent is focused on love.

There are many different kinds of love. My native language, English, doesn't do a good job of expressing this. We use the word love to describe several different things and several different relationships. For example, I love my wife. I love my sisters. I love my female friends. Even though the objects of this love are all women, the relationships with them are considerably different. I also love books, bacon, and chocolate. Again, a very different relationship. And, of course, I love my Father in Heaven and my Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Many years ago, while in high school, I was first introduced to the four ancient Greek words for love: eros, storge, phileo, and agape. While context is very important, eros is typically used to describe intimate love, storge is the love of family, phileo is a platonic love, and agape is an unconditional love. None of these are mutually exclusive, of course. But I would argue that even these don't capture all of the ways in which we can love. Again, context is everything!

When it comes to spirituality and my faith, the type of love that I aspire to embrace is what Paul in Corinthians refers to as charity: the true love of Christ. We read in John 3:16 that God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. The very next verse, though, tells us something just as important: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world, through Him, might be saved.

And yet. The pure love of Christ extends far beyond just those who believe on Him. His love extends to all people in all times in all places. That is a perfect love. A love that knows no boundaries. During the Christmas season, we see an increase in almsgiving, which many people refer to as charity. But giving to the poor and the needy, as much as Christ has told us is a sign of His disciples, is not, in and of itself, charity is love.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

 Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of our Saviour, but it is also a time to celebrate the message He taught. When an inquirer asked Jesus what was the greatest of all the commandments, Jesus didn't select one of from the Decalogue. He selected one even greater, and acknowledged the one that was just as important:

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and all thy mind... And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

The man asking, seeking to justify himself, then asked, "Who is my neighbour?" From this simple question we received one of the most touching of the Saviour's parables, that of the Good Samaritan.

During this Christmas season, and every day, it is my hope that we will remember that we are all brothers and sisters, part of the great human family, and each are deserving of love, compassion, and kindness.