LOVE: The Language of the Church and of every Nation

LOVE: The Language of the Church and of every Nation

There is a language spoken through the Church and by the Church that every human being can hear and understand perfectly well. It is the language of Love. There is not a connection more direct and profound, than the bond between Christians, caused by this language of love. We meet and possess one another instantly. There is not the shadow of a barrier between us, neither age, nor nationality; we speak the same language of love.

In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve communed with God so easily with such clarity. But when the devil cast doubts on the words of God and successfully convinced Adam and Eve in calling into question God’s love, they were confused as a result, and no longer fully understood the divine language of Love. Time and again, God continued to speak to mankind through the Prophets, until in recent times when God spoke one last time directly to mankind, through His incarnate Word, Jesus Christ Our Lord, who is the very language of Love spoken between God and mankind.

This dialogue between God and man in Jesus Christ, is what is called the language of love. It is the language every human being understands. It is not complicated, it is simple, it is easy, and it is very direct. Countless men and women through the Centuries have spoken this language. It is still spoken even today by the Church and by the Saints. It is the dialect of Divinity, for, God is Love. This language of love is also the presence of the Holy Spirit who is the bond and the dialogue between God the Father and God the Son. And where there is the Holy Spirit, there is also the Father and the Son.

This language of love, between God and man, is the most widely spoken language in the whole world. Even nature itself speaks this language of love. It knows no boundaries, and it has the power to unite people from all walks of life. At first hearing and appearance, it seems invisible, almost silent, yet when spoken with truth, it is the most audible language of all. On the human level, it is very interactive, very emotional, and intelligible, very expressive, and has the power to connect feelings and intuitions of people. It is a language that draws people together without hesitation, people unknown to each other before, people from all backgrounds, it breaks the boundaries of hostility, and connects people for a lifetime. On the spiritual level, this language of love is most silent, yet so loud on the interior, within the human heart. It is able to draw the person into the deep recesses of the heart and mind, into admiration and amazement at the great mystery that unfolds and speaks in the silence. This is what Jean Mogin, the French poet calls the “dialect of our interior village, the sweet speech of our imaginary lands, the Riverside jargon of our invisible stream, the Language of our country, of our fatherland.”

This language of love is better expressed during the most holy sacrifice of the Mass. There, at the holy Mass, is the most intimate dialogue of love between God and man. Those who enter into this conversation are well disposed at heart and mind to listen most intently to the sweetest voice of the Holy Spirit who gently scratches the heart with the sweet heavenly melodies of such delight. God, who is love, speaks the loudest at the holy Mass, for, holy Mass is the highest expression of love. During holy Mass the Church, the bride of love, becomes the voice of the One who cries out so mightily, “Come, all you who pass by the way, pay attention, and see: is there any ‘love’ like my ‘love’ (Lamentations 1:12). The Church then becomes the voice of the lover. And from here, her message goes out to all the earth. Here, at the source and end of all things, at the marriage feast of the Lamb, when the human is wedded to the divine, here at the revelation of the fullness of love, “a beauty so ancient, yet ever new,” the faithful bride, the Church, constantly waves the nuptial veil of love between God and mankind.

This divinely instituted language of love has power to unite, to bring peace and joy, to soften the heart of even the most hardened sinner, and cause repentance and reconciliation with God and neighbor. This love language has the power to bring together in the sacrament of marriage, people from various backgrounds and beliefs, to ignite a divine fire of holy service in the sacred priesthood and consecrated religious, to incite love and care for the poor, to bring solace and comfort to the sick and the lonely, to put an end to war and violence and to establish peace. This language of love has the power to revive the soul in the fashion of meditation and contemplation, in inspired songs of praise and worship that lift the soul to an endless enjoyment of heavenly delights.

Christians all over the world speak this language of love in many ways, in prison ministry, and in hospitals. Parents speak it to their children, missionaries speak it to those without the faith, teachers speak it to students. We pray that the Advocate, the comforter, the consoler, the Holy Spirit, the great teacher, and perfector of this language of Love, will come and fill the hearts of the faithful, and kindle in them the fire of divine love.

Amen

Homily given by Fr. Wasswa on Pentecost Sunday 2023