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You want me to tell you why God is to be loved and how much. I answer, the reason for loving God is God Himself; and the measure of love
due to Him is immeasurable love.
*St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153). On Loving God.
Our duty therefore in our present state, and the employment of our whole lives, must be constantly and fervently to cooperate with divine grace [for]
an utter extinguishing of self-love and all affection to creatures, except in order to [honor ...] God, and as they may be instrumental to beget and
increase divine love in us; and a continual uninterrupted
union in spirit with God, by faith contemplating Him,
and by love ever adhering to Him.
*Augustine Baker (1575-1641). Holy Wisdom Or Directions for
the Prayer of Contemplation.
St. Agatha was very beautiful. Persons saw her and said "Oh! She is the fairest girl alive." Agatha was, also, very pure and good. She loved Christ much. She vowed to God she would not marry. St. Agatha affirmed, "All my love is Yours. I will live and die for You."
The Governor of Sicily, where Agatha lived, heard of her beauty. So, he sent for her. Soldiers came and arrested her. "You are a Christian," they said, "so, you must go to jail." "Dear Lord Jesus," St. Agatha prayed, "I belong to You. Do not let this tyrant have power over me." She refused him sexually. Hence, he threw her into prison.
The governor was sure Agatha would be so afraid of prison she would agree to love him. Instead, she made the wicked woman who was her jailer love God, too.
Next, the governor ordered St. Agatha to be tortured. She was not afraid. Then, he ordered her to be beaten.
Her scorned admirer eventually sentenced St. Agatha to die by being burnt at the stake. She was saved by a mysterious earthquake and later died in prison.
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The above narrative is based on legends of St. Agatha. What is essentially true among the details is St. Agatha's devotion to Christ. St. Agatha spoke to Christ, her Betrothed: "All my love is Yours" and "I belong to You."
In these words St. Agatha voiced the heart cry of every true follower of Jesus Christ: to experience personally and closely a belonging to Christ, to give a full love-response to the Word. This love and belonging is the center of true, spiritual Christian faith.
This center of the Christ Way is why all the aspects of faith leave us aching with a sense of something missing, something essential to our confession and spiritual life, if we do not find ourselves vitally joined with Christ.
The priority of belonging to Christ in mutual love led to the name "Christian" being applied to the Church.
So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.
*Acts 11.25-26, ESV
Ultimately, the test of any church or professing Christian can be subsumed in the following: "Do I live as belonging first and foremost to Christ? Does Christ have the love of my heart?"
We will, in the rich diversity of the Church, not agree on all matters pertaining to Christ; still, the centrality of Christ is intact wherever the true Church exists. And the central mission of churches is to live and provide means of grace for persons to grow to know increasingly the joy of living the in Christ way of life.
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I offer you a spiritual exercise. Go into silent meditation, using the prayer affirmation "All my love is Yours, I belong to You" as your prayer mantra. After a time of inwardly repeating the prayer affirmation, let it expand and develop to include other affirmations, praises, requests, ... in silent prayer.
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*Opening quotes of St. Bernard and Augustine Baker derive from Christian Classics Ethereal Library; for data on publishing ... see www.ccel.org .
*Charitable contributions would be appreciated to assist Brian in the continuance of his work of ministry. For contributions, contact Brian at barukhattah@embarqmail.com .
*Brian's book of spiritual love poetry, An Ache for Union: Oneness with God through Love, can be ordered through major booksellers, or through the Cokesbury on-line store, at www.cokesbury.com .
*Brian K. Wilcox lives in Punta Gorda, FL, and Clearwater, FL, with his wife, step-son, and two beloved dogs. Brian has an independent writing, workshop, and retreat ministry focused on Christians living as spiritual disciples of Jesus Christ in everyday life. He serves the Christ Community United Methodist Church, Punta Gorda, FL. Brian is vowed at Greenbough House of Prayer, a contemplative Christian community in South Georgia. He lives a vowed, contemplative life and inspires others to experience a more intimate relationship with God-in-Christ. Brian advocates for a spiritually-focused, experiential Christianity and renewal of the focus of the Church on addressing the deeper spiritual needs and longings of persons.
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