Abating the Love of the World

 Reflection on Today's Readings, Wednesday, Octave of Christmas, December 30th, 2020

Texts: 1 John 2:12-17; Ps. 96:7-10;  Luke 2:36-40

No one is beyond teaching; everyone needs it. Those who are yet to be saved need to hear the word that they may be saved. The saved also need to keep the love of the world abated by deepening their understanding and love of God and their identity and to be more aware of God in their lives. They need teaching to be more appreciative of their faith and to know their responsibilities as children of God in the world. As we need food every day to sustain life so also we need the word of God to be alive spiritually. Just as starvation kills so also the soul dies when we stop being fed with the word. Hence, in today's first reading, St. John says, "I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the Evil One. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the Evil One." He repeated it twice to show how important it is for us to continue deepening our understanding of the faith we have received. Let us be open to learning every day so as to keep growing spiritually and in other areas of life. In this world we keep growing, we cannot reach perfection; what God wants from us is to keep growing through awareness of ourselves, our world, and God Himself. 

St. John, in the reading, goes further to remind us the nature of this world; in case we do not know, it is a passing world. This world is moving towards an end while we are moving towards everlasting life. St. John says, "And the world passes away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides for ever."

St. John does not advocate a flee from the world, but a flee from the love of the world. The love of the world manifests in the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, human ego, which ruins the love of God in us. Lust, here, is an unguided and excessive desire for things of the world; it is a situation whereby the things of this world take preeminent position in our lives and become the reason for our actions. In this case, God becomes important only for the attainment of material things. That is a perversion of human orientation because God is to be the reason for our actions, that is, we are to act for His sake. At this point of perversion, the love for God has disappeared, for we no longer act for His sake; man acts for the sake of what he loves. Hence, St. John says, "If any one loves the world, love for the Father is not in him." The message, today, is that we should always deepen our love for God through our devotion and understanding of God's words, so as to abate the love of the world. The gospel reading presents to us Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, who deepened her love for God by her devotion. It is said of her thus: "She did not depart from the temple, worshipping with fasting and prayer night and day." 

Lord our God, help us to deepen our love for you that we may abate the love of the world. Amen.

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke