Catholic Bishop in Angola Cautions against "love with expectations", Advocates for Love "with no strings attached"

Benguela, 04 November, 2024 / 9:43 PM

Bishop António Francisco Jaca of Angola’s Catholic Diocese of Benguela has cautioned against the tendency to love on condition that certain expectations are met.

In his Sunday, November 3 homily at Christ the King Parish of his Episcopal See, Bishop Jaca reflected on the Gospel Reading of the thirty-first Sunday in which Jesus teaches about the truth of the two commandments of love God and love or neighbour. The Catholic Bishop emphasized the need for true and unconditional love. 

“We must not love with expectations of reward. True love is one that gives fully, with no strings attached; it’s a love that heals, transforms, and uplifts. And this love mirrors God’s boundless love for us,” he said. 

Society has many cases that call for genuine and unconditional love, Bishop Jaca went on to say.

“We live in times when many voices cry out for attention, while countless others suffer in silence. What have we done to ease this suffering? How can we look into another’s eyes and not feel the responsibility to help?” the Angolan member of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) posed.

He emphasized the need to practice true love, saying, “Charity is a gauge of our Christian life. It’s through our service to others that we reveal the depth and authenticity of our faith.” 

“It’s not enough to say we love God. Love must be lived; it must manifest in acts of kindness and solidarity. Every day, we have opportunities to show this love to those around us – in our families, at work, and in communities. We are called to be instruments of love and peace,” Bishop Jaca said.

The Local Ordinary of Benguela, who doubles as the President of the Episcopal Commission for Culture and Social Communications of the Bishops' Conference of Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe (CEAST) highlighted more acts of love in communities of believers.

“We must be a community that welcomes, that cares, that acts. Our commitment to faith must be evident in the care and love we have for one another,” he said.

Bishop Jaca, who has been at the helm of Benguela Diocese since June 2018 following his transfer from Angola’s Catholic Diocese of Caxito, where he had started his Episcopal Ministry in July 2007 linked the practice of love and forgiveness. 

“To love is also to forgive. In a world that often seems divided and filled with resentment, we are called to be agents of reconciliation,” he said, and added, “Forgiveness is not weakness; it is a profound expression of love and faith; it is a decisive step toward healing relationships and building an environment of peace.”

The Angolan Catholic Bishop also linked love and peace, saying, “When we genuinely love, we do more than just express our care; we become bearers of peace and hope.”

“Every act of love, no matter how small, holds the potential to change lives. Like Saint Martin, who saw a brother in every person he encountered, let us also see the humanity in each person who crosses our path,” the SVD Bishop said.

“May we open our hearts to forgive, just as God forgives us every day. In doing so, we will truly be children of love,” Bishop Jaca implored, adding, “May each of us leave here inspired to love and serve, bringing the light of Christ to everyone around us.” 

Meanwhile, Bishop Maurício Agostinho Camuto of Caxito Diocese has challenged Christians to practice their love for God by recognizing and responding to those suffering around them. 

“The Lord wants every Christian to be His ears, to listen to the cries of others — cries of pain and suffering,” Bishop Camuto said.

He added, “Many of us attend church faithfully, pray regularly, join groups, and even take communion, but we cannot love our neighbors. If that’s the case, we’re simply wasting time in church.”

Bishop Camuto decried the lack of genuine and lasting love among the people of God, saying, “We don’t love our brothers and sisters enough. Even within marriages, we see complaints, pain, and suffering.”

“A strong faith requires that Christians know the teachings of the Church and live out its key principles,” he said, and added, “Our problem is that we attend catechism, go to church, and sing and pray, but we don’t learn how to be Christians in daily life.”

The Angolan member of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (CSSp./Holy Ghost Fathers/Spiritans), who has shepherded the people of God in Caxito Diocese since his Episcopal Consecration in August 2020 underscored the need for Christians to practice their faith.

“We don’t truly learn to be Christians. Often, we go to catechism just to memorize responses for the catechist or priest, to be admitted to a Sacrament, but not to transform our lives,” he said, and called for the integration of faith and life.