Kevin O’Brien, SJ, talks about interior freedom as experienced through the Spiritual Exercises in a conversation we had on the occasion of the release of his book The Ignatian Adventure. O’Brien says:
The freedom of the Exercises is the freedom which is bounded by God’s love, and that love will make demands on us, and so the freedom is not to be free from anything; it’s really to be free to do something for the greater glory of God….It’s that pivot from freedom from all this stuff that weighs us down to freedom to serve, to love, to give back.
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So, if I’m loving difficultyly, without joy, it is not love?
Think of love as service. Joy operates independently of service although it can come with it. Some things/people are much harder to love than others.
Sometimes love is difficult, and it is still love. Peace–Vinita
Perhaps Gerarda you could invite Jesus, who left us the greatest commandment to love each other, to come and sit with you and together you could explore why there is no joy in love for you.
Peace and Blessings on your quest
I like this image of inviting Jesus to come and sit with me …feels very gentle & welcoming…
Thanks! Good message for me today, as I’m needing to let go of some things… that will free me to be closer to God and more loving.
I think love, like joy, is an attitude, a commitment that may be undertaken as an act of obedience. Joy does not = “happy.” Happy is an emotion…nice if ya got it…but, “Love one another” is a command. “Rejoice” is another–you don’t need to FEEL good about it, you just need to obey.