Last year I was introduced to the writings of Hadewijch, a Flemish Beguine, of the thirteenth century. A mystic, Hadewijch was excluded from the Christian community of her time because of her views. Reading her writings I was struck but how often she names God as 'Love' and how regularly she uses the female pronoun to speak of God. She writes,
When Love first spoke to me of love,
O how with all that I was I greeted all that she is!
So often Christians speak of God's unconditional love but the behaviour of many Christians appears to be anything but unconditional when it comes to Love. I am constantly confronted by the challenge of what it means to love one another and to become the Love, which I am already. Is this not so because in Christ I am in a new creation. More than this Love is not a feeling or a thought but an action. Hadewijch wrote to one of her followers of her commitment to live this Love.
"But you must still labour at the works of Love.… For my part I am devoted to these works at any hour and still perform them at all times, to seek after nothing but Love, work nothing but Love, protect nothing but Love, and advance nothing but Love."
I was drawn to thinking about Hadewijch again recently when David Hayward (The Naked Pastor), another modern day mystic, shared these words of wisdom in a poem, on his Facebook page
Love is like the sun that doesn't need a reason to shine on everyone.
Love is like the rain that doesn't need a reason to fall on everyone.
Love is like gravity that doesn't need a reason to attract everyone.
Love is like the sower who sows seed indiscriminately over all the earth.
Love doesn't need a reason to love.
God is Love and it stands to reason and is a matter of faith to say that Love doesn't need a reason to love. Amen
