Sanchez: The love of God across ages

PEOPLE told me to stop attending "The Feast" to protect my health. But I insisted. There is something different from the people I met there.

I had been a Feaster since 2016 after I got well from my second stroke and I was looking for things to do. I attended the prayer and life workshop. I half-expected to meet with people in their 50's or 60's.

I met some in the older age bracket. I was surprised to meet participants in their 20's, young professionals who accepted me as I am. I felt so out of place.

I was not used to generation gaps. I expected to keep my distance lest getting close to young people be misinterpreted into something else.

I took a leap of faith, expecting more of the same relationship in church, which is nothing much. When we got to share our stories, they felt so out of place themselves. They had to wrestle with their own insecurities. They wanted so much to be accepted as much as I wanted to be accepted.

I realized that we have to learn mutual self-acceptance. Respect each other’s insecurities and self-doubts. This was something different from the churchgoers I saw in church. We learned to love God by learning to love and accept one another.

When I joined "The Feast" and served in "He Care Mission" for street children in 2016, I met more people from different age brackets. I experienced the same kettle of fish. Age is just a number. Everyone is in need of acceptance—and love. Even kids below 10 years old call me “bro” and I call them back as as “bro” and “sis.” Non-charismatics have a hard time understanding this Christian love—even if they are Christians themselves.

A servant admitted that he kept his distance from me. Because I often speak in English. And all the while I thought I spoke mostly in Hiligaynon. Come to think of it, I was often reminded at work that my parties are farmers from the boondocks and they have a hard time understanding English.

Then we learned to call each other as brothers and sisters, to love one another. We are all children of God, our eternal Father.

The love of Christ is a central element of Christian belief and theology. It refers to the love of Jesus Christ for humanity, the love of Christians for Christ, and the love of Christians for others. These aspects are distinct in Christian teachings—the love for Christ is a reflection of his love for his followers.

In the era of lockdowns, I again experienced this Christian love. I chatted with Katherine “Katkat,” an 18-year-old student who is incoming grade 12 student. Sis Katkat also served in “He Cares Mission.” She misses her high school batch. “Yes, bro, super because we didn’t have the chance to say goodbye before quarantine.” Then I said, “Thank God for Facebook. I got to get in touch with you, this is like home visitation.”

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