Archbishop Golka to Christ in the City: Give Love Away and Watch It Multiply
Reflecting on St. John Paul II’s “law of the gift,” Denver’s archbishop encouraged young adult missionaries serving the poor to trust that the more they give themselves away in love, the more fully they become themselves.
Did you know that, according to Pope St. John Paul II, one minus one doesn’t equal zero?
Well, sort of.
That creative math — known as the saintly pope’s “law of the gift” — was at the core of Denver Archbishop James Golka’s reflections with the young adult missionaries of Christ in the City, a Denver-based apostolate serving the poor and homeless.
“One of my favorite ways to live is what John Paul called the ‘law of the gift.’ Your being increases in the measure that you give it away,” the archbishop explained. “He says if you give away love, love increases. If you give away love completely, your love is completely multiplied.”
In other words, the more one gives in love, the more fully he becomes himself.
(Photos by André Escaleira, Jr./Denver Catholic)
Turning to the crucifix behind him, Archbishop Golka emphasized that Jesus showed the law of the gift most perfectly, giving his life away so that we might live. When we act like Jesus in this way, he continued, we participate in that same dynamic.
“When you serve somebody, you get to participate in the law of the gift. It just keeps getting multiplied,” he said.
And the archbishop has seen that in his own life, he shared. In each assignment, he said, he has “found that you just keep on loving.”
“You can trust that. You can trust God,” he continued. “Somebody said when you act like God, you get to feel like him — not powerful or mighty, but God’s immense love and mercy. So what you’re doing is acting like that by befriending people on the streets. Thank you for that.”
For the missionaries and staff dedicated to building a culture of encounter on Denver’s streets, the archbishop’s visit served as an encouragement in their mission to know, love and serve the poor.
“What Christ in the City seeks to offer to Denver was given to us by Archbishop Golka’s visit. He came as Christ to us, and we felt Jesus’ presence in his gaze and his testimony,” said Kendra Saunders, head of Denver formation for Christ in the City.
Following his reflection, Archbishop Golka was placed “in the hot seat,” according to a Christ in the City tradition in which the guest of honor sits in front of the community to answer a barrage of random questions. From questions like “If you were a potato, how would you be cooked” to “What’s your earliest memory of an encounter with God?” the “hot seat” tradition allowed the Christ in the City missionaries — and one future missionary, class of 2034 — a chance to get to know their archbishop personally.
“Having Archbishop Golka join in on our beautiful, sometimes chaotic, house of 32 missionaries was nothing but a joy. He fit right in!” said Betty Ludden, Christ in the City’s Denver program director. “It is evident how much the archbishop truly loves the Lord with his whole heart. It's intertwined into his every step and every word. We are grateful for his missionary heart, as we strive to be holy missionaries in our ministry.”
As the archbishop departed, he prayed for and blessed the missionaries and their friends on the street.
“Lord Jesus, be their Savior, their Redeemer, their everything,” he prayed. “We ask you to bless all their friends in the city, especially those who are in danger tonight.”
