Chiara Lubich: going to God through our neighbour

In his first letter, St John states: Anyone who does not love their brother or sister who they see, cannot love God who they don’t see.(1Jn.4,20) In this extract, Chiara Lubich reflects on how love for each neighbour, brother or sister whom we meet is an obligatory  passage for going to God, for feeling union with him.

There is a system which is typically ours so we can be sure that we are walking on a right path that will certainly take us to our goal which is God.

It has an obligatory passage, and this is called our brother or sister. Let’s throw ourselves into loving every brother or sister we meet during the day.

Let’s set alight in our hearts the ardent and praiseworthy desire that God surely wants. It’s the desire to love every neighbour, making ourselves one with him or her in everything, with a disinterested love and without imposing limits.

(…) Love will give new life to relationships and to people, and it will prevent us from being selfish. In fact, love will be the best antidote.

(…) In this way we will be able to prepare a gift for Jesus. This will be abundant fruit and our heart that is filled with fire and consumed with love.

The motto then that will help to remind us of this decision could be: to God through my brother or sister!

Chiara Lubich

(Chiara Lubich, Conversazioni, Città Nuova, 2019, pag. 100)