When we use the word ‘love’, we always have to remember that it means two things, united in the same act. It means both loving and being loved. It is not fully love until the loving and the being loved have been balanced. Love is only fulfilled when the passive and the active dimensions or elements are balanced (…). And God is the balance of love. The image of the Trinity is the most profound symbol of the Christian life. It shows us the dynamic balance of love, the giving of love, the receiving of love, and the ecstasy of love in the Spirit. We see it expressed perfectly in the language of Jesus, in St John’s Gospel, as he describes his relationship with the Father through his human relationship with his Father. He does not exclude from that human relationship with his Father all his human relationships with his family, his friends, his disciples, and indeed all humanity.
( Aspects of Love 3 by Laurence Freeman OSB )
