Romero: Preferential Love for the Poor - Liberation (1 John 4:7-8)

In the heart of El Salvador, during a time of great strife and suffering, Archbishop Oscar Romero became a beacon of hope for the marginalized. Imagine a crowded church, its wooden pews filled with campesinos, their faces etched with the lines of hardship and resilience. The air is thick with tension, yet a palpable sense of unity hums among them. As Romero ascends the pulpit, he doesn’t just see a congregation—he sees the embodiment of Christ's love.

With fervor, he proclaims the words of 1 John 4:7-8: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God.” To Romero, this wasn’t a mere theological abstraction; it was a call to action. He understood that when the scripture says “God is love,” it emphasizes a preferential love for the poor and oppressed. He stood not just with the campesinos, but as one of them—sharing their struggles, their dreams, their fears.

Picture him, with his voice trembling yet resolute, courageously denouncing injustice in the face of danger. In those moments, as he defended the defenseless, he embodied God’s love in the flesh. He refused to be a distant observer; instead, he immersed himself in their plight, revealing that true love often takes the form of sacrifice.

Romero’s legacy reminds us that to claim we know God while ignoring the cries of the poor is to miss the very heart of the Gospel. When we reach out to the least of these, we not only embrace our calling but encounter God Himself in profound and transformative ways. In loving the poor, we learn the depth of agape, the selfless love that Christ modeled for us, drawing us into a community forged by compassion and purpose.