Always

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator

"I'll be loving you, always; with a love that's true, always." These Irving Berlin lyrics are special to me. My mother has one, small jewelry box that plays the tune when it is opened. It's just one of those childhood memories which floats into my head whenever I hear the song.

To be sure that I had the lyrics correct, I checked the internet data base before I started this blog entry. I was surprised to find that there were many songs listed by various rock groups which said basically the same thing as this older song debuted by Frank Sinatra many years ago. Faithful and enduring love is just as much a part of human yearning today as it was years ago.

Today's reading from the Letter to the Romans is what triggered these thoughts. St. Paul uses the word "irrevocable" in describing our relationship with God. That words simply means that God's love for us is "always," "forever," "undying." God will never abandon us even though God has been abandoned more times than we could possibly imagine. St. Paul goes on to say that such a loving relationship is "inscrutable," that we will never fully understand the depth of God's ways or the breadth of God's love. Our human mind is simply too limited, too small to comprehend such a faithful love. That doesn't mean, however, that we can't keep trying to do just that. Indeed, sitting with the reality of God's love is the very prayerful activity which we call "contemplation." Indeed, it's a worthwhile effort and beneficial for the soul.