The loving gaze of God
Comboni Father Alessio Geraci, from Peru, reflects on the love that God, in love with each of his creatures, has for his children
On February 14, 2025, here in Peru, we celebrated the Day of Love and Friendship; beyond the many definitions and approaches, and the much literature on the subject, I like to define love as “losing control,” losing all certainties and trusting only the heart.
Love is not something that is rational, that can be defined; it is something that is experienced and… experiences!
I like to imagine that a phrase as beautiful as “I swear to you that when I look at your face my soul lights up,” contained in the song “Mi marciana” by Spanish artist Alejandro Sanz, is a phrase that our God, madly in love with each of his creatures, addresses every day to us, his sons and daughters.
He, contemplating our faces, our faces, our being, stands open-mouthed, full of emotion, at the beauty of what He has created.
If we could look at ourselves in the mirror and see ourselves as God looks at us–how much trouble we would be spared! I think psychologists would be out of work!
It is a social convention that on this day there should be exchanges of gifts, of details, that affection and what the heart feels should also be expressed on a “material” level, so that the other person receives a demonstration of our love and friendship.
But the most crowded gift should be time, along with trust, dialogue, forgiveness, healing from past wounds.
Because where there is violence, distrust and sick jealousy, there is no love there.
We often hear this phrase, which sounds like a mean attempt to justify our macho cultures and societies, “He beats me because he loves me.” No! No! No! If he loves you, he does not beat you! If he loves you, he doesn’t deceive you, he doesn’t manipulate you! If he loves you, he respects you, appreciates you, cares for you, loves you! Every day! Because the day of love never ends, because every day must be the day of love. Just like the day of friendship.
Let us ask in our prayer that we may more and more follow Jesus, who teaches us the true way of Love, the only way that makes us vibrate and keeps us eternally alive
Source
- Fb profile of father A. Geraci