At a management seminar I once attended the instructor had
everyone in the class tie air filled balloons around our ankles with a one foot
piece of string. He then told us that anyone who still had an inflated balloon
attached to their ankle at the end of two minutes would win the exercise. The
second he yelled to begin the room became a frenzy of foot stomping people desperately
trying to flatten another’s balloon without having theirs flattened in the
process. Within a minute there were no inflated balloons to be found as those
who could not keep their balloon safe ganged up on the few who remained.
The instructor gathered the class together and asked, “What
did you have to do to win the exercise?”
“Keep our balloon from being popped.” someone answered.
“And who told you to pop the other balloons?” he then asked.
We all stood around giving each other dumb looks. We could all
have been winners if we had done nothing more than stood still for two minutes.
Given the competitive nature with which we have been raised it was not enough
to just have an un-popped balloon – we had to pop as many as we could in the
process. In order to be successful we had to make others fail.
This is often the same approach we take with God. We try to
make ourselves look better by making others look worse. We try to justify our shortcomings
by comparing ourselves to those who have much greater shortcomings, at least in
our eyes.
“The Pharisee stood
and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other
people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast
twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ “ - Luke, Chapter 18, Verses 11 and 12
We silently echo the words of that tax collector in our
minds as the bells ring during the presentation of the Sacred Blood immediately
following the consecration of the Holy Eucharist during Mass.
“God, be merciful unto
me, the sinner!” – Luke, Chapter 18, Verse 13
The truth of the matter is that there is no competition in
God’s eyes. He loves Mother Teresa the same as he loves Adolph Hitler. God IS
love, and not just any type of love, but agápe.
The English language is at a bit of a disadvantage when it
comes to the word love. We have one word that has been given a dozen different
meanings. I love my wife. I love my pet squirrel. I love the smell of napalm in
the morning. One word, many different meanings.
In Greek, the language of the New Testament, there are many
different words for love that each has specific meanings. One is Éros from
which we get words like erotic. It refers to a physical love of an intimate
nature. Another is Phillia from which we get words like Philadelphia, city of brotherly love. That is exactly what type of
love Phillia is – brotherly love, affectionate regard or friendship.
The last word for love that I will talk about is Agápe. This
is an unconditional, sacrificial type of love that does not hope to be
returned. It is the kind of love that is placed before all else. To better
understand the New Testament try substituting the word sacrifice where you see
the word love.
God is love – God is sacrifice – God is agápe. God has power,
God has knowledge, but God IS love.
Let’s look at probably the most used passage at any
Christian wedding and substitute the word sacrifice for the word love:
“Sacrifice is patient,
sacrifice is kind and is not
jealous; sacrifice does not brag and
is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not
provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with
the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all
things.” – 1 Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verses 4 - 7
That is the kind of love God has for each and every one of
his creation, his children. That is the kind of love that we are called to have
for each other. It is definitely the kind of love that is needed to have a
successful marriage or to be a good parent and it is the reason why there is no
competition with God. He loves us all the same, unconditionally, sacrificially,
agápe. We cannot get him to love us more by getting him to love someone else
less. He loves us all completely and wholly.
If I want to find favor with God I do so not by competing
with, but by serving my fellow man. I am called to be the one who sacrifices my
balloon so that you can win the exercise. If we all were willing to sacrifice for
each other we all win together.
“You shall love the
Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your
strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” – Luke,
Chapter 10, Verse 27
This is what agápe means.
