It is only in bonds that we are free to experience true relationship

Monsignor Luigi Giussani wrote these words, recorded in the "Meditation of the Day" section of today's Magnificat: "If man is the measure of all things, he is alone, like some friendless god. The hands may grasp things, they may caress the face of a loved one, they may shake other hands, but there is no real relationship." I am sure this is much more profound and worthy of a lot more reflection, but what I grasped today was this: when we humans decide that we need to be "free"--that is, free of attachments to others--we end up lonelier. It is only in binding myself to another, whether by marriage to a spouse, or an internal commitment, such as to my children, that I will be free to experience the good that is in them, and to truly find communion with them. The more I seek to possess myself, that is, to preserve myself from others, the more I will become isolated from others. And of course, without God, I cannot truly love, therefore, my attachment to God is the source of all true love that I could possibly give to any others. So if I bind myself to Him, the source of love, He will enable me to be a font of love for others.