The Love That Will Not Let Us Go

Voice over by Angeline Chue Chue

Rom 8:31b-39, Psalm: 108, Lk 13:31-35

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

In the face of life’s inevitable struggles—persecution, hardship, sickness, and our own failures—a question can sometimes whisper in the depths of our hearts: “Does God really care? Am I alone in this?” Today, the Word of God shouts a resounding, triumphant answer. It reveals a love so fierce, so determined, that no power in heaven or on earth can overcome it.

Saint Paul, in a passage that may be the most glorious in all his writings, builds to a crescendo of confidence. He begins with a question that silences every fear: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” The logic is irrefutable. The God who did not spare His own Son will surely give us everything else we need along the way. Then comes the heavenly courtroom scene. Who will bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? God, who has already justified us in Christ? Who will condemn? Christ Jesus, who died and rose for us, and who now intercedes for us at the Father’s right hand?

Paul’s conclusion is a sweeping declaration of victory: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This is the foundation of our hope. Our security is not based on our feeble grip on God, but on His unbreakable, sacrificial grip on us.

This divine, tenacious love is perfectly embodied in Jesus in the Gospel. The Pharisees approach Him with a cynical warning: “Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you.” They seek to intimidate Him. But Jesus will not be swayed by threats. He has a mission, and He will see it through to its appointed end: “I must continue on my way today, tomorrow, and the following day.” His path leads inexorably to Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets.

And here, His defiance melts into divine sorrow. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were unwilling!” This is the heart of God revealed: not a distant judge, but a mother hen willing to sacrifice herself to protect her chicks. Jesus laments their rejection, but He does not stop loving. He will still go to that city, to lay down His life on the very cross their rejection will erect.

This is the love Paul describes—a love that pursues us even when we are unwilling. A love that goes to the cross to gather us in.

So, when you feel attacked by doubt, remember: God is for you. When you feel condemned by your past, remember: Christ is your advocate. When you feel separated by suffering or sin, remember: nothing can wedge itself between you and the love of Christ. It is a love that has faced down Herod, hatred, and hell itself for you.

As St. Augustine said, “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.” Let this truth be your comfort and your strength. You are not alone. You are gathered under the protective wings of a Savior whose love is stronger than death. Live today in the freedom of that incredible safety. Amen.