Love Made To Be Touched

St. John Bosco in his letter from Rome writes, “ the youngsters should not only be loved, but that they themselves should know that they are loved.” This pedagogical wisdom underlines the human need to feel concrete love. Love, after all, is not an abstract concept nor is just a subjective feeling. Love is an immersive reality that seeks to embrace a human person and seeks to lift him to a higher consciousness and existence.

God knows this perfectly and so the Father, in the fullness of time (Gal 4:4), sent His Son into the world so that the Father’s love may have a face, may be touched, and may be embraced. The Feast of the Annunciation is the celebration of this mystery. Through the proclamation of the Angel Gabriel unto the Virgin Mary and her subsequent assent to God’s invitation, the Word became man in her womb. It is the beginning of humanity’s assent towards God. It was God’s condescending act towards humanity. In this event, God stooped down to not only love humanity but they themselves know that they are loved with a Love that is made incarnate.

Our human experience has always taught us that love is not only said, it must be felt, must be given time. This is where the connecting power of the internet and technology finds its limit. Nothing compares to the tactile experience of love. The human heart feels loved when it is touched. The great mystery of God’s incarnation of the womb of Mary, when He stripped Himself of His glory to don our weak humanity, is God’s own invitation for us. He invites us to feel His love in the person of Jesus. He invites us to make others feel His love through our touch.