What gives you life? John writes in his gospel that Jesus came so “that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Such life may manifest itself as joy and happiness, but that’s not only what this life Jesus speaks of is about. When he says he is “the way, the truth, and the life,” what does he mean? I’ve noticed that the question with which I started this post is commonly asked when one is trying to figure out what life choices to make. Do I stay with my current job? Do I stay in my current relationship? Well, does that job give you life? Does that relationship give you life?
In the Ignatian sense, this life is what Ignatius describes as consolation. It’s a growth toward God, just as a plant would tend to grow toward a light source. In his Spiritual Exercises Ignatius calls consolation “every increase of hope, faith and charity, and all interior joy which calls and attracts to heavenly things and to the salvation of one’s soul, quieting it and giving it peace in its Creator and Lord.” In other words, when something is life-giving, it moves you toward the love of God; you find joy in that something because it moves your heart toward a sense of peace. Even a sorrow for one’s sins, says Ignatius, can be considered consolation or life-giving because it moves us toward a desire to be transformed so we can serve and love God more deeply. Jesus’ mission was just this: inviting us to transformation and a love-relationship with God. The Pharisees’ obsession with the law was not life giving for them. It did not help them grow toward God in peace and joy, which was actually the intent of the law. God’s law was meant to be life-giving, keeping us in relationship with God and one another, drawing us into that relationship. If you follow the law and its spirit, you will find life. What the Pharisees found instead was smugness, judgement, bitterness, and ill will. Thank God for Jesus reminding us that the law is supposed to be centred on love!
So Jesus calls us to move our leaves and branches toward the life-giving source that is God. Each decision we make ought to move us closer to that Source. Jesus came to help us find that abundant life! Do we let ourselves be caught up in that natural movement toward the life-source or do we dwell in moments of desolation, where unquiet and our own smugness pull us away from love of God? When we ask the question, “Does this give me life?”, we’re examining how and if some thing in our life moves us toward the peace and warmth and hope of God’s love. Does it transform us? Does it warm our hearts with a desire to love others more? Does it engage the gifts and talents God has given us?
Life-giving Images
Notice the life imagery throughout the Bible, starting with Genesis. God places humans in a life-giving garden with trees and plants and fruit. God provides life-giving manna in the desert for the Israelites. God shows Ezekiel a stream of life-giving water from the temple which will be filled with fish and will produce fruit trees on the riverbanks. Jesus offers the Samaritan woman life-giving water at the well. Ignatius ends the Spiritual Exercises with images of God’s life-giving presence dwelling in all creation, “in the elements, giving them being, in the plants vegetating, in the animals feeling in them, in men giving them to understand: and so in me, giving me being, animating me, giving me sensation and making me to understand.” He says that God’s goodness and life descends on us like rays from the sun or waters from a fountain.
God wishes to give us life.
All that we do as human beings must consider this truth. God does not desire to harm us or keep us in a place of darkness and desolation. The movement of the Gospel message—and all of salvation history—is toward life. Knowing what gives us life and joy lets us get caught up in this movement.
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This was a beautiful meditation and message. Meant a lot to me. Full of meaning. Thank you.
Thank you for a lovely meditation on the life to which we are called. I have a question about word choice the last sentence of the second paragraph, “Thank God for Jesus reminding us that the law is supposed to be centered on love!” If the statement refers to Jesus, present to us in the Eucharist, or to the movement in us of the Holy Spirit I accept your use of the verb “reminding.” To characterize the historical Jesus, his teaching and example, requires a different verb. I claim no expertise in the historical evolution of Judaism, but I understand Jesus to have introduced the teaching that law is subject to love.
Thanks for the comment! If you think about God’s law (the 613 laws in the Hebrew Bible, including the Ten Commandments), they’re all about care and love for one another and how to love God. And if the law was given to us to help us be in relationship with one another, and relationships should be rooted in love, then the law is essentially a way to love neighbour. Jesus simply boiled down the Jewish law into the Greatest Commandment: Love God and love your neighbour as yourself. If you do that then you’re likely following the Ten Commandments and God’s law. The Pharisees got caught up—like many of us contemporary folk—that following the Law is about “pleasing” God, gaining brownie points, etc. No, the Law is about love, ultimately.
Hi Andy, Thanks for your response. I agree with your interpretation that Hebrew law is based in love. I see that interpretation, itself, as the product of the new and entirely original vision of God that Jesus introduced. Alleluia!
I fell away from God about 4 months ago and never returned. I’m pretty sure I have committed aposticy and also I’m pretty sure it is impossible for me to repent from my sins. So now I’m struggling what to believe I don’t know if God is real or not but I do believe that there is a God out there that has created everything but I’m not sure. There are a lot of questions that are unanswered for me that I just wish they were.When I ask God to show Himself to me, nothing happens and it makes me wonder if He’s not real. I came to Jesus at some point in my life and he completly changed me and felt happy but then I slipped away and now I think that was all fake and so know I’m wondering if I actually did come to Him or not. I feel like my heart has been hardened towards Him but not completly. I just wish I knew things and I really want to know what is out their in the universe. I just feel like there is something more important than life and I also feel like in this world that there is absolutely nothing here for me. I also do believe there is an afterlife. If someone could just please help me come back to Him I would appreciate it since I have been struggling with depression everyday and all this pain in me.