Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Friday of the 20th week in ordinary time, August 21, 2026, Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope.
The theme for our meditation today is: The Secret of Love. There was a young couple who has been dating for three years and they did not reveal to anyone about their love relationship. They kept it as a secret. People might have seen them sometimes by chance, but they didn't know exactly this secret love relationship. The fact that they managed to keep it secret was something that they worked it out together. They had their own way to make it remain secret.
There is another story. It was an affair of a husband who worked in an office among many women as his officemates. His wife and children at home did not really notice any signs of forbidden love or adultery, as the husband already enganged in a deep relationship with one of those women. This adultery has been tightly wrapped for certain years and none from the family could not even trace any smell of it. The husband and his woman somehow managed to keep secret their illicit relationship.
These two stories show us how love is understood and practiced differently from one person to another. Love is often understood in the context of male and female relationship. The secret of love is also seen in this line, that is between a man and a woman, or a boy and a girl. However, love should be also put in a broader understanding. For example, a person who has an excessive self-love, he should be considered to have his own secret about love. Parents' love for their children also has a secret that other people do not know. Love among friends and associates has its secret too.
From this perspective, we can say that love has many secrets. We can also perceive that there is love that is shown with strong expression, there is love that is expressed so little and there is even love that is weak or love that is expressed to gain negative results. And so the question is: what is the secret of love to be the standard for all of us, so that everybody can rely on it and put all hopes on it? For example, if someone is not happy with such little or poor expression of love from his neighbor, he resolves to look for the ideal love. That is the higher standard of love and its goal as well. We all believe that the ideal love is only in God because He his the fullness of love and He is the source of love.
In human standard, it happens that many acts of love are not sincere or genuine, thus, they are to be hidden or kept secret. In the standard of God, it is completely different. His love is expressed in all truth and goodness to be visible and open to the world and to all people. There is no hidden agenda or deception that His love need to be put in secret. The real secret of God's love is not found in its secrecy, but in its essence and expression. The Lord has shown and taught us that the secret of His love is the offering of oneself for the sake of others. Jesus Christ is our perfect example of this offering of self. We just have to imitate and enjoy the secret love of God to everyone of us.
Let's pray. In the name of the Father ... O Jesus Christ, strengthen us always in truth and goodness of Your love. We thank You with our whole hearts for this gift of love and for giving us ability to live in this love. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father ...
