God is Love

Pastoral Message aired on KNXT-TV during April 2006

By Bishop John T. Steinbock

My Dear People of God,

Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has written his first Encyclical, which is a pastoral letter for all Catholics throughout the world.  At the very beginning of his letter he tells us that in a world where the name of God is sometimes associated with vengeance and violence, he wishes his first Encyclical “to speak of the love which God lavishes upon us and which we in turn must share with others.”  This is the essence of what our Christian lives are all about.

He speaks of the duty of Christian love for us as individuals as well as the duty of the Church, to proclaim God’s love through works of charity.

I do not have time to speak of the whole Encyclical with this short pastoral message, but I would like to emphasize that the Holy Father speaks emphatically of the interconnectedness of love of God and love of neighbor.  He reminds us that there is no way to love God whom we cannot see if we do not love our neighbor whom we do see.  He calls us to look on others not simply with our own eyes and feelings but from the perspective of Jesus Christ.  His friend must be our friend.  Jesus died for everyone in this world.  He calls us to see everyone with the eyes and the heart of Christ.

Our Holy Father also speaks of the mystery of the Eucharist in making this love of God visible to us and uniting us intimately to Jesus and to all those to whom he gives himself.  Love of God and love of neighbor are truly united in receiving the Eucharist and receiving the Eucharist must lead us to the concrete practice of love.  He tells us love of God and love of neighbor have become one:  in the least of the brethren we find Jesus himself, and in Jesus we find God.

I encourage us all to reflect on these words and sentiments of our Holy Father especially in light of the public discourse regarding immigrants in our country, both documented and undocumented.  Many of those undocumented are one with us through receiving our Lord Jesus in the Eucharist.  Don’t be misled by many of the talk-show hosts who portray all undocumented as criminals without any rights whatsoever, even those who come simply to provide for their families.  They are our brothers and sisters in the Lord, and have the dignity of being children of God endowed with inalienable human rights, and we cannot love God apart from loving them and seeking a sane and just solution to immigration laws of our country that respect the rights of all.

May you and your family be open to God’s great love and share that love with all in our life.