God’s Love is 'Foolish'

 

A Rap Freestyle: Breaking Point and Refusal

In a moment of raw creativity, I found myself freestyling a rap, the words spilling were: "You wanted me to go capture the world for you, stretch my hands get nailed on the cross for you, sow myself like a seed get buried for you, roll myself on thorns while you walk with a clean sheet on you." The lyrics painted a vivid picture of a man pushed to the brink, breaking up with a lover whose demands were not just unreasonable but crushing - demands that felt like they’d drive him to an early grave. The verse took a darker turn: "Even if I get killed, you’d still want me to die again." It was a cry of exasperation, a refusal to be consumed by impossible expectations.

A Shift in Perspective: Meditating on the Crucifixion

But then, in a quiet moment of prayer, my perspective shifted. While meditating on the fifth sorrowful mystery of the Rosary - the Crucifixion - I was struck by a profound contrast. Jesus, in an act of unfathomable love, willingly stretched out His hands to be nailed to the cross. What in my rap was a dealbreaker, a reason to walk away, was for Christ the very essence of His mission. He didn’t recoil from the pain, the shame, or the weight of humanity’s sins. He embraced it for us.

St. Paul’s Wisdom: The Foolishness of God’s Love

This juxtaposition brought to mind a passage from the Bible, where the Greeks, in their worldly wisdom, scoffed at the idea of a God who would send His Son to die on a cross. To them, it was utter foolishness. As St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God... For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength." Paul’s words cut through the noise, revealing a divine truth: what the world calls foolish is the pinnacle of wisdom from God’s perspective.

Reflecting on Divine Love: A Radical Sacrifice

This realisation sent me deeper into reflection on the love of God - a love so radical, so extravagant, that it defies human logic. It’s a love that dares to do what we would never do, even for ourselves. Imagine the absurdity: the Creator of the universe, humbling Himself to become a fragile human, to be mocked, scourged, and crucified - all for the sake of a rebellious, ungrateful creation. 

Contrasting Loves: Human Burden vs. Divine Grace

In my rap, the lover’s demands were a burden too heavy to bear, a one-sided sacrifice that drained the soul. But God’s love flips this narrative on its head. He doesn’t ask us to earn His sacrifice; He gives it freely, knowing we could never repay Him. He sows Himself like a seed, buried in the earth, so that we might rise to new life. He rolls through the thorns of our sin, taking the wounds so we can walk with a "clean sheet" of grace. And even when we turn away, His love pursues us, relentless and unyielding.

The Transformative Power of the Cross

To the world, this is madness. Who would choose such a path? Who would love so recklessly? Yet, as St. Paul reminds us, God’s foolishness is wiser than our cleverest plans. The cross, a symbol of shame, becomes the throne of glory. The grave, a place of defeat, becomes the cradle of resurrection. God’s love doesn’t just bend the rules of reason - it shatters them, rebuilding them into something eternal.

As I pondered this, I couldn’t help but marvel at the vividness of God’s love. It’s not a sterile, abstract concept but a living, breathing reality - bloody, bruised, and beautiful. It’s the nails driven through His hands, the thorns pressed into His brow, the spear piercing His side. It’s the cry of "It is finished", not as a surrender, but as a triumph. This is the love that calls us, not to a life of comfort, but to one of awe, gratitude, and surrender. God's love is ‘foolish’ - and oh, how glorious that foolishness is.