ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE

“All you need is love, all you need is love,
all you need is love, love, love is all you need.”

All You Need Is Love was written in 1967, by John Lennon, especially for Our World, the world's first televised satellite link-up between 25 countries worldwide. Its message perfectly encapsulated the optimistic mood of the Summer of Love, with a simplicity perfectly judged for their global audience. Ringo Starr later reflected, “We were big enough to command an audience of that size, and it was for love. It was for love and bloody peace. It was a fabulous time. I even get excited now when I realize that's what it was for: peace and love, people putting flowers in guns.”[1]

What if, all we had available to us to learn about love was the radio? Consider this, about 1 in every 4 songs on the radio contain the word love. “Love is the Way,” but what way?  “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” I might not know the way but I keep falling in it.  “I Want to Know What Love Is,” and there is always the risk when “Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places” and the list goes on and on!

Jeremiah’s oracles of restoration speak of the eternal love God has for his people. It is by divine initiative that the bond between God and people will be restored. As in Israel’s earliest days, the desert is the place from which the people emerge spiritually stronger. Now the remnant, a wiser and more faithful people, return to their ancestors’ land. It is through God that we are restored. God heals our wounds with his “age-old love.”

Jesus, in his witness of love, leads us to people we would not normally encounter in our own lives. He leads us to people like the Canaanite woman, women and men who need God’s compassion.

This requires us to trust God will provide for what we need. We have a profound example of what this means in the life of St. Dominic Guzman. Dominic left stability and security at the cathedral of Osma to found the Order of Preachers. In doing so, he looked to begin a new way of living and boldly proclaiming the word of God. This new way of life sent Dominican friars out into the world, away from their homeland, to bring the Good News to all people.

What do we need to learn about trusting God? Trusting enough to move beyond our comfort zone. All you need is love, a love selflessly and freely given. This Eucharistic celebration is the model of perfect love. It is a love given for all eternity and as we grow in our trust in this love we will be transformed and conformed to follow Jesus wherever he leads us.

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[1] The Beatle’s Bible.  “All You Need is Love” © 1967. https://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/all-you-need-is-love/