Abstract and concrete.

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Abstract  and  concrete.

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Concepts are abstract ideas that are in our thought.

They cannot be seen with our material eyes.

‘Love’ is a concept.

We cannot see it with our eyes; but we can feel it in our heart.

‘Goodness’ is a concept.

We cannot see goodness; but we know what goodness is.

Suppose we have love for somebody.

We tell him that we have plenty of love for him.

He asks us to show the love which we have for him.

Can we take some love from our pocket and show it to him?

We cannot, because love is not something that can be seen with our eyes.

But when we love others we must show them our love.

How to show it if it cannot be seen?

Only concrete things can be seen, not abstract ones.

So to be seen, the concept must be translated into visible action.

To show our love we must first translate it into acts of love.

Let us take God’s love for example.

God is love.

He loves us unlimitedly.

How do we know His unlimited love?

Because of His acts of love.

His love for us can seen in His acts of love for us.

First He created the universe for us to live in.

He gave us the power and right to rule over the universe and to use the things of the universe.

 

 “And God pronounced his blessing on them, Increase and multiply and fill the earth, and make it yours; take command of the fishes in the sea, and all that flies through the air, and all the living things that move on the earth. 29 Here are all the herbs, God told them, that seed on earth, and all the trees, that carry in them the seeds of their own life, to be your food;30 food for all the beasts on the earth, all that flies in the air, all that creeps along the ground; here all that lives shall find its nourishment.”(Gen.1:28-30) 

In spite of  God’s so many acts of love for us we were ungrateful and sinned against Him by breaking His commandment.

But God did not stop His love for us.

He showed His unending love for us by sending His only son to atone for our sins.

Jesus atoned for our sins by sacrificing Himself on the cross.

His love is so great that He prayed His Heavenly Father to forgive those who crucified Him.

By His death on the cross He atoned for the sins of the whole human race.

He forgives our sins through confession.

He gives us Himself as our spiritual food through Eucharist.

By His real presence in the Holy Eucharist He is always living with us.

If we continue to note down all His acts of love for us it will be an unending job.

God wants us to love Him as He loves us.

In fact He created us to love Him and to live for Him.

Just as He showed and is showing His love for us by His acts   of love, He wants us too to show our love for Him by our acts of love.

But what kind of acts of love can we do for Him?

Being perfect, He cannot be in need of any help from us.

Whatever good we have is from Him.

The whole universe belongs to Him.

Whatever we may desire to offer Him is His already.

How can we help Him?

 

“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul and with thy whole mind and with thy whole strength. This is the first commandment. And the second is like to it: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these”Mark.12:30,31)

 

Jesus has commanded us to love God and our neighbour.

Love for God and love for our neighbour go together.

 One cannot love God without loving one’s neighbour.

What we think love for our neighbour is not true love if we don’t love God.

Our Lord has said that what we do to our neighbour is done to Him.

So acts of love done for our neighbour are acts of love done for God.

Service done to our neighbour is service done to God.

Let us love God.

Let us love our neighbour.

Let us give expression to our love by our acts of love and kindness for our neighbour.

Let us please God by pleasing our neighbour.

Lourdu Selvam