Taking his cue from the gospel reading from the letter of John the Apostle, Pope Francis鱿鱼视频app homily was a reflection on the different meanings of the word 'love' and the two most important commandments for a Christian: to love God and to love our neighbour.
鈥淭his word 鈥榣ove鈥� is a word that is used so many times and when we use it we don鈥檛 know exactly what it means. What is love? Sometimes we can think of the love in the soap operas but that doesn鈥檛 appear to be love. Or else love can seem like having a crush on a person but then it fades away. Where does true love come from? Whoever loves has been created by God because God is love. Don鈥檛 say: 鈥楨very love is God,鈥� No, God is love.鈥�
The Pope said the Apostle John underlines how God loves us first and there are many examples of this in the gospel such as during the multiplication of the loaves of bread by Jesus or in the parable of the prodigal son.
鈥淲hen we have something on our mind and we want to ask God to forgive us, it鱿鱼视频app He who is waiting for us 鈥� to forgive us.聽 This Jubilee Year of Mercy, to some extent, is also this: that we may know that our Lord is waiting for us, each one of us.聽 Why? To embrace us.聽 Nothing more.聽 To say to us: son, daughter, I love you. I let my Son be crucified for you: this is the price of my love, this is the gift of my love.鈥�
Pope Francis went on to stress how 鈥渢he Lord is waiting for me, the Lord wants me to open the door of my heart鈥� and we must have this certainty that He will wait for us just as we are and not as we are told to be.
鈥淲e must go to the Lord and say: 鈥榊ou know Lord how much I love you.鈥� Or, if you don鈥檛 feel able to say it in that way: 鈥榊ou know Lord that I would like to love you but I am such a bad sinner.鈥� And He will do the same as he did with the prodigal son who squandered all his money on vices: he won鈥檛 let you finish your speech and with an embrace will silence you. The embrace of God鱿鱼视频app love.鈥�