Fergal of Claddagh at Flickr

Communion of persons is gift for gift; everything had in-between is love.  So the apostle John says God is love.  Those that live in God, live in love.  John goes on to say if we do not love our brother who we’ve seen, how can we love the God who we have not seen?

Jesus gives the greatest command, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, body, and strength. And the second is like it; love your neighbor as yourself.” And how can the other be like it? We are made in the image and likeness of God, which is, we have a capacity for love.

At the hour of our Lord’s greatest trial He speaks with love for His disciples giving them a command–a command that was the fullness for which He came–and the command is this,”…that you would love one another.  No greater love is this than a man lay his life down for his friends.  And you are my friends if you do what I command, love one another.”

At the beginning of His passion he calls us not to the love of Himself, but that we would love one another!  That we would learn to love, to rediscover the image and likeness of God.

In the next twenty-four hours of His life, He shows us how to love.  The height, the depth, the length of love. How far shall it reach?  All the way to a bloody cross, all the way to tragic injustice unspeakable?  Dread love of God with a command, go and do likewise.  This is the image and likeness of God He is looking for.  Love, friends, it is all love.  He is seeking love in us that knows no bounds, a 70 times 7 love that reaches to the stars that we might radiate the image and likeness of God.

Cain and Abel

Communion of persons is gift for gift, everything had in-between is love.

Cain is the image of self-love, anti-gift.

Abel is the image selfless love, or the love of God.

Cain’s love for self renders Him incapable to give to God freely in perfect surrender and self-gift.

Abel loves God above all and finds joy and freedom and gives Him the best; in the best is where love is free.

Cain in self-love lives in isolation to God and his brother.

Abel is a free man living in union and communion with God and men, because he has found the source of His freedom, the offering of himself as gift.

In Cain’s isolation He turns more deeply inward in the love of self and a blood lust is born.

Abel’s love is unaware of His brother’s hate.  The knowledge of good and evil is absent because he has retained the image and likeness of God. In other words he never saw it coming.

Cain’s self-isolation made Him a restless wanderer.

Abel went to his eternal rest in love.

Christians, we are the children of Abel, called to nothing less than pure gift.  Our reward is the image and likeness of God; the fruit is love, even unto eternal life.