As we continue our Advent journey, the fourth Advent candle represents love. This fourth week invites us to intentionally remember that God, who is love, enters the world in a particular way in Jesus. God, who so loves creation, manifests that love in Jesus.
This love is active. It is a love that is both received and given away. We see this in the divine dance of the Trinity, which models and invites us into relationship, unity and love that is to be received and freely and unconditionally given to creation and the dear neighbor without distinction.
Loving as Jesus loves leads us to actively create a culture of encounter, as per Pope Francis. A culture of encounter is an invitation to be mindfully inclusive, not judgmental, not allowing our biases to build walls and not seeing someone as the totality of their harmful decisions. Instead, being mindfully inclusive is realizing that each of us carries some brokenness, hurt, grief and suffering; in other words, that we are all in need of healing. Being mindfully inclusive means having a disposition of curiosity and wonder, which includes, but is not limited to, listening intently and asking questions that provide opportunities to learn, not to judge. Being mindfully inclusive breaks down fear and builds bridges. Ultimately, it is love.
If the foundation of being mindfully inclusive is love, may we continually grow in our realization of how much God loves us. Understanding we are Beloved compels us to share God’s love with all we encounter. As we love others and creation, the dear neighbor experiences truly being seen, understands they are precious and encounters healing.
Being mindfully inclusive creates safety, as an Irish Blessing states, “It is in the shelter of each other that people live.” It is in such a “shelter” where people flourish. In turn, they too will come to know that they are cherished and God’s Beloved and will be compelled to share love with others and creation. This beautiful cycle means systems and social structures will change because love compels us to move beyond ourselves and work for the common good so that all may flourish.
As we prepare in this last week of Advent, may we discern how to more fully live the charism of unifying love, which so beautifully reflects Jesus, pours out the wild love of God into the world’s brokenness and creates inclusivity.