In the “Peanuts” cartoon Linus once gave a deep sigh, “There is no heavier burden than a great potential.” While we shouldn’t feel burdened we do have a great potential, in fact the hightest potential. See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. We don’t have to do anything in order to possess the potential for glory. This reverses the ordinary way we think. We are taught that if you want to get ahead you must earn it — work hard, study hard, think hard and you will attain your goal. We already have our goal in hand as a gift. But St. John warns us that we must respond to that gift by how we live. Not being who God made us to be is the definition of sin. It’s something like a mother’s love. You have it just being born but we seek to live as beloved in order to show our gratitude for the gift of love we have received unasked and unearned.
