Reckless Love

While on retreat with my brother priests I resumed and finished reading Ilia Delio’s excellent book, Franciscan Prayer (Cincinnati, Ohio: St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2004). It is a book that I highly recommend to all those interested in learning more about or following Saint Francis of Assisi as well as for those who seek to grow deeper in the spiritual life. There is a passage that particularly struck me - there are many, actually - and I would like to share it with you:

[Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi] understood that friendship with God is a mutuality of desires: God’s desire for us and our desire for God. That is why the cross is the sign of friendship because here is the visible sign of God’s unconditional love for us or, we might say, the pledge of God’s friendship with us. But if we really desire friendship with God we must ask, what kind of God do we desire to be friends with? If somehow we find our answer apart from the cross, we will always be seeking the ideals of joy and happiness in the wrong places. Francis and Clare assure us that the happiness of friendship with God is found in the strange relationship of suffering and love. If we are willing to love by way of suffering we will be on our way to friendship with God. Yes, friendship with God may be strange but then again this is no ordinary God. Rather this is a God who is reckless in love, and the one who desires friendship with God must become reckless in love as well – loving unto death. People who are reckless usually wind up in trouble because they do crazy things. Imagine being reckless for the kingdom of God. Just think what might happen. Friends of God loving one another the earth. Heaven breaking open in our midst (p. 103).

By no means do I have a reckless personality; I have never had such a personality, nor do I expect that I ever shall. I have always preferred the cautious and calm manner for myself, all the while admiring those who seem a bit more reckless and spontaneous.

Despite this, it is a beautiful dream to ponder - being absolutely reckless with the love of God, so reckless as to care not at all of the reactions of others, reckless enough to desire nothing more than the love of God, reckless enough to share this love with the world. Lord, make me this reckless!

Pax et bonum!