When someone asks me, “Father, what does it really mean that God is love?” I always pause for a moment, because this is one of the most beautiful and tender truths of our entire faith. It isn’t just an idea about God—it is His very heart. And every one of us, in our own way, is searching for that heart.
In the First Letter of John, we hear those simple, astonishing words: “God is love.” Notice, it doesn’t say God merely has love or gives love. It says He is love. That means love is not one of His qualities—it is His very nature. Everything He does flows from who He is. When Jesus reaches out to the poor, forgives the sinner, or stretches His arms on the Cross, He is not doing something unusual. He is revealing what has always been true: love is the beginning, the center, and the final word of God’s story with us.
The Church teaches that God’s love is not like human affection that rises and falls. His love is steady, faithful, creative. It brings us into being at every moment. It is the love of a Father who knows us completely and still calls us His own. When we look at the life of Jesus, we see this love made visible—touching the sick, lifting the broken, forgiving even those who nailed Him to the Cross. This is the kind of love that doesn’t wait for us to be perfect, but meets us in our wounds and patiently leads us home.
And what does this mean for our daily lives? It means we never have to earn God’s love. We simply learn to receive it, to trust it, and to let it shape the way we see ourselves and others. When we love someone who is difficult, when we forgive, when we choose mercy over anger—we are letting God’s own life move through us. In those moments, His love is no longer just something we believe in; it becomes something we live.
May we rest in this simple truth today: the God who created the universe knows your name and loves you personally, patiently, and without end. In His love, we discover who we truly are.
— Fr. John Matthew, for Christian Way
