“We love, because he first loved us.” (1 Jn 4:19).
In a nutshell, Saint John’s Letter leads us to the source and true motivation of love: we want to love because God is love and loved us first. This is the deepest certainty that can accompany us like a constant beacon in all situations of life and become our motivation. We only have to ask the Holy Spirit to remind us of this, and He will surely do so with joy, since He Himself is the love between the Father and the Son.
In the following verses, Saint John points to God’s love as the motivation for true love of neighbour. If we follow the logic of love, it excludes no one and offers itself constantly, as we see in our heavenly Father. No one is excluded from His love; only man himself can close his heart to Him.
Therefore, we can and must choose love. This may require effort every day, because, in general, we are not yet so purified inwardly that love always comes naturally to us. Sometimes we do not even know what true love is and perhaps confuse it with the intensity of our feelings, taking them as a measure.
But the words of St John’s Letter will help us: ‘We love, because he first loved us.’ This is a fundamental decision that will mark our whole life. It is a choice for love, but it is also a choice that comes from love. Thus, the words of St Catherine of Siena can begin to be fulfilled: ‘I tell you that love is only obtained through love.’
Let us dare to choose love! It is a royal path!