Where Does Love Come From?

"...for God is love. In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins." 1 Jn 4: 8-10

Tonight I was thinking about how blessed I am to have a family that loves each other and laughs together, always. Dinners. Drinks. Movies. Games. Car rides. Sports. We talk. We laugh. We love. Even with our cousins and aunts and uncles, we're always laughing. I just spent the last two days laughing and laughing with my family. There is so much joy that has always been a part of my life because of my family and our love for one another.

Where does this love come from? The first answer that came to mind was that it comes from my parents who created a home of love. They created and taught and gave love so that we may know love. For every day of my life, my family has been a place of love. Not that we haven't known hardship or haven't had arguments -- we have. But we have unconditional love that was given to us and is shared between us. In that love comes freedom and joy. Freedom to be who we are, to make mistakes, to help each other, and to share our lives openly and without fear. Joy to appreciate each other and life together.

Following these thoughts came an answer from Scripture: God loved us first. God is love, and we love Him who loved us first. He loved us first. God Himself  is a relationship of love. God the Father loves God the Son, and God the Son loves God the Father. The fruit of their total and complete love is God the Holy Spirit. The Blessed Trinity is a relationship of never-ending, always-giving love, and in Heaven we are brought into that circle of perfect love that is God.

I teach my kids at CCD about the "domestic church", the church at home. Parents have love for each other and love for their child/children. The love that they share as a family reflects the love that exists within the Blessed Trinity. That is the love we are called to in family life.

I am grateful for God's constant and self-giving love. He loves all of us. Everyone. I am also grateful and blessed that my parents created a domestic church at home that our family can rejoice in and grow in love.

It is with the love of God, experienced in many ways, but especially in my family life, that enables me to reach out and love others. It's a love that is given by God, who loved me first.

Merry Christmas