"In the Church we discover that every person’s life is a love story." - Pope Benedict XVI
Have you ever thought of your life as a love story?
The Author of Life
The readings for the 3rd Sunday of Easter speak to the love story that God has written for each of us.
In Acts 3:15, Peter reminds us that God alone is the author of life. We were created in love by the Father and given the gift of life.
The Unpredictable Plot of Existence
As a storyteller, God surpasses every novelist for plots, twists and turns in the narrative of the world from creation to redemption. Just when our human minds think we know what comes next, God surprises us by bringing order out of disorder.
After all, think about how hard it was (and is) for people to grasp God’s story line in the apparent defeat of Jesus crucified on the cross. The glorious event of the resurrection sends us back to the scriptures to see what had been hidden in plain sight in God’s plan for salvation.
Redemption Through the Crooked Lines
We’ve all heard that God writes straight with crooked lines. That is the Good News for all of us whose small stories are filled with sin, brokenness, bad choices, and human willfulness. God takes those stories and weaves them into the great redemptive mystery of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
The Gifts of God’s Love and Mercy
Our life stories have many ups and downs, often but not always, due to our own choices or relying on ourselves alone to make our way. God’s love and mercy are apparent in the gifts he gives us for our life’s journey: his presence as an Advocate, his presence in the Eucharist, and his words in sacred scripture.
John reassures us with these words:
“If anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one. Whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in Him. This is the way we may know we are in union with him” (1 John 2:1b, 5).
The two disciples recounted to the others what had taken place on the way to Emmaus, how Jesus “opened their minds” to the scriptures and was made known to them in the breaking of the bread (Luke 24:32, 35).
I am reminded likewise, that in the ups and downs of my life story, Jesus has been by my side, offering me the gift of his love, his Word, and his presence in the Sacraments. If I keep my heart and mind open, I, too, can see the “big picture” of how my story fits within the larger story of God’s creation and plan for salvation.
The Essence of the Gospel
Jesus tells us in scripture:
“You are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24: 48).
We hear throughout the Book of Acts, Peter and the other apostles giving witness, announcing the Good News of Christ. They are messengers of hope, reassuring us of God’s love and forgiveness.
I once heard the story of a priest who was asked on short notice to celebrate the Holy Mass without time to prepare a homily. When it was time for the homily, he stood and raised the host and the chalice and said, “It’s all a love story.” And in those few words, he said it all.
Contemplation and Witness
This Easter season I take this question to prayer: How will the love story of my life witness to the greatest story ever told – the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world?
Debbie Garza is a parishioner of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Leon Springs, and is an experienced Pilgrimage Group Leader with Pilgrim Center of Hope. She has traveled with Pilgrim Center of Hope to the Holy Land, Italy, and Greece. She says, “On pilgrimage, I know the ears and eyes of my heart have been opened by God’s grace and I’ve experienced the Joy of the Gospel. I am committed to helping other pilgrims experience their personal journey of faith.” Debra is also a member of Pilgrim Center of Hope’s Speaker Team.
Answering Christ’s call, Pilgrim Center of Hope guides people to encounter Him so as to live in hope, as pilgrims in daily life. See what’s happening & let us journey with you! Visit PilgrimCenterOfHope.org.
