“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” – Matthew 1:23
Love–caritas in Latin–is the fourth gift we focus on during Advent. Another word for love is charity. “Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God” (CCC 1822). Love is a gift from God: “In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another” (1 John 4:10-11). We are able to love God and others because we have received it from Him first: “…the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Romans 5:5).
Jesus, Emmanuel, is “God with us.” God sent us His Son to be with us because He loves us (cf John 3:16). When we try to love one another with our own hearts, we only love in a limited, human way. But when we allow ourselves to receive and rest in the love of God, we allow God’s own divine love to flow through us to others. God sent His Son as love incarnate into the world. Let us remain in His love: “God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. In this is love brought to perfection among us” (1 John 4:16-17).
During this last week of Advent, take a little time each day to rest in and receive God’s love in silent prayer so you can pour it out to God and others. Jesus, Emmanuel, is truly with us. That means that Love is with us always, until the end of the age (cf. Matthew 28:20).
Come, Lord Jesus! Come and bring me Your love. Prepare my heart to receive the gift of Your abundant life.