Love Without Sacrifice

“Do not be afraid, then, when love makes demands. Do not be afraid when love requires sacrifice."  — Saint John Paul II

In our world today, these words are very counter-cultural. Our secular culture tries to peddle the exact opposite of what John Paul II said — love without sacrifice. Between contraception, abortion, hookup culture, porn, and the list goes on. All of these examples encompass the idea of “love” without consequence, without demands, without sacrifice. 

But, the desire for non-sacrificial love also rings true beyond just the issues mentioned above. It’s true in our personal lives — in our marriages, and in our relationships with our kids. Loving others is hard, and we get scared when it’s not all sunshine and rainbows like we might see on Instagram or in the movies. It’s easy to just ‘check out,’ or make excuses, or bend the rules when it gets tough. We fall for the lie that love can be without sacrifice. 

Now, the real question is, what about when it comes to our faith? 

We want our prayers answered, we want blessings, and we want salvation in Heaven — but are we willing to pay the price for these graces? Are we willing to change our ways? 

In other words, we want Christ, but are we willing to accept the Cross in return?