In order to pursue the good wholeheartedly, it is necessary to truly love the good, to see it as a highly desirable treasure. The ancient philosopher Plato understood that if we love the good, our emotions and dispositions will move toward it spontaneously and with a sense of delight.
God's Love
Jesus Claims His Divinity: I Am the Resurrection and The Life
In the gospel this Fifth Sunday of Lent (Jn 11:1-45), we hear about Jesus raising his friend Lazarus from the dead. On seeing Lazarus, Jesus as true man wept for him and, as eternal God, raised him from the tomb (see Fifth Sunday of Lent Preface).
Do Not Bury the Truth, Embrace It, Live It, Let it Transform You
There is something irresistible about the truth. You might try to bury it; that will not, however, bring satisfaction and serenity but only an irritating and persistent urge to seek it all the more. Although it is often mistakenly thought that an end can be brought to this desire by acquiring material objects, the heart cannot long be fooled, the depth of Eternal Beauty continues to draw you.
Jesus Does Not Issue Impossible Demands
To be perfect is both a command and a promise. We become perfect in becoming like God. Such a sublime gift is made possible by the Son of God becoming man, that we may be justified before God, that we may receive the Spirit of God, that we may share in the divine life of God. Yet while God does the divine work, we must do the human work by following Jesus Christ who commands us to live a life of authentic, Christian discipleship and love.
Repent, For the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand
The immediate response to the gaze of Jesus Christ by Peter, Andrew, James and John signals the fact that a radical change took place within their hearts. That moment, there on the shore of the sea, was no ordinary moment. The fishermen were not simply willing to let go of their way of life and the past, but actively desired to do so. More to the point, they hungered for a new life. They sensed, by God’s grace working in their souls, that this new life is itself Jesus Christ.