Today’s reading comes for Jean-Pierre de Caussade, an 18th century Jesuit priest. He writes of complete surrender from us in light of God’s rich grace and mercy. He describes God’s love as “unalloyed".” Not an adjective I have ever heard attributed to the everlasting love of God and it really made me think a minute. The Oxford Dictionary has two definitions for “unalloyed.” One is when it speaks of metal and simply means pure. The other definition is said to be used typically when describing emotions and means “complete and unreserved.”
Though the Divine love is not exclusively emotional, the second definition really fits well. As we journey towards repentance, may we remember that God’s unalloyed love is “complete and unreserved.” It is without measure and never runs out. Now I think most of us know this in a sense but sometimes we live and look upon others lives as thought we or them are just one step away from God’s love running out. That is not possible, that is not an apt understanding of His love. It reminds me of a song I first learned at Cross Timbers with some of our UBC kids, “His love never fails, it never gives up, it never runs out on me.”