LOVE KNOW LIVE

     If we treat love as a verb and a decision then we tend to view it a bit differently from the way we would the noun, especially when surrounded by a slew of heart-shaped candies, mushy cards, and suggestions for romantic overtures around Valentine’s Day.  Real love requires sacrifice, selflessness, and a commitment to the overall wellbeing of another.  It’s not always neat, pretty, or easy to love others.  Christ showed us that during His Passion and death.

     “Real love leaves scars” a priest once told us in his homily.  We can’t offer true love and charity to others without giving something of ourselves.  Oftentimes suffering, struggle, and resistance are necessary elements we face internally or externally when we commit to being there for and with someone, come what may.

     Of course we have the most amazing examples of love from which to learn: the Father’s love for us, as expressed in giving up His Only Son for our salvation, and the Blessed Mother’s love for God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the whole of humanity in saying yes to being the supreme God-bearer-Theotokos.  We can know love because God loves us first and shows us how to extend that charity, tenderness, and devotion through serving others. 

     We know someone loves us when he or she willingly accepts any challenges, suffering, and/or transformation necessary in mind, body, and spirit to bring us closer to the Lord.  Christ gave up everything out of love for us: His peace of mind, His healthy body, His power, all of it.  Some who many not know Christ can still know love because they have people in their lives who care deeply for and about them. 

     If we make a friend, we’re risking loving that person.  When that outreach is accepted, the person comes to a greater knowing that he or she is loved.  Once we know we are loved by others, but most importantly, by a merciful, compassionate God, then it is possible for us to go forth and live in that love.

     God is love.  We were created out of love and are sustained by it.  Taking time in prayer to listen to the Lord increases our awareness that God loves us and wants to love others through us.  We need to be plugged in, recharged, and rejuvenated by the Source of All Love if we are ever going to know and therefore be able to live out those most important of all commandments: 1.) Love the Lord God with all your mind, and with all your heart, and with all your strength 2.) Love your neighbor as yourself.  

Note to Readers: This reflection on their theme is dedicated to the participants of the 463rd Men's Cursillo taking place at Shalom House from this evening through Sunday.  This article first appeared in the February issue of The Rooster Review.  

Ask, Seek, Knock: My Scripture Reflection on the Gospel of Luke 11:1-13

The Lord knows the deepest desires we have in our hearts because He put them there.  He knows what we long for and delights in giving what it is we want and need to fulfill those yearnings.  Far better than a genie in a lamp, our Lord wants to shower us with blessings which He knows will help us grow in love, compassion, and mercy towards others as well as ourselves.  Just as we take great joy in doing things for the people we love, the Lord trembles with jubilation as He satisfies the desires of our hearts, the ones He put there to bring us closer to Him.   

     
Sometimes we pray for what we think would be good for us, but, fortunately, we have a most loving, gentle Father who always knows what will be best for us in time and eternity.  I’ve read a number of books over the years that talk about how there are some blessings and graces God wants to give us and will if only we will take the time to ask.  The Prayer of Jabez is one such book.  Bruce Wilkinson talks about the abundant blessings the Lord wishes to give His children each day.  All we have to do is ask.  He’s ready and waiting to love us in intimate ways far beyond our imagination, but we have to be open to receiving what He gives. 

     
We need to learn to ask with our hearts, minds, and bodies open to the Lord’s Will.  Though some people might prefer to have a genie in a bottle to appear whenever they want something and immediately grant their wish, those of us who walk with the Lord become increasingly cognizant that there are many times when we aren’t even aware of whom or what we need most in a particular situation.  I’m reminded of this when reading one of my favorite Scripture passages in Romans 8 where it says that “the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings” (Romans 8:26).  God understands what is in the depths of our hearts even when we are hurting too much to formulate the words to ask, when we lack much of the energy needed to seek, or when we feel almost too weak to knock.   

     
There is a vulnerability and humility in asking.  It requires admitting to ourselves and others that we are in some way lacking in mind, body, and/or spirit.  We are not complete in and of ourselves and know we must seek out that which we lack.  The experience of recognizing and accepting we aren’t self-sufficient is humbling.  Coming to the point at which we see this and are able to own it can, in some instances, take years to do. 

     
From a very early age, we try to establish our independence and self-sufficiency.  Toddlers who have learned a new skill or reached a new stage of development will often be adamant in reminding those around them: “I do it myself!”  Many of us keep this habit long after we have left the teenage years, another stage often marked by a fierce desire for independence.  We get into trouble when we use that philosophy when it comes to God.  There are spiritual gifts, material things, and emotional strength that we’ll need from God and that He’ll give us through others because we don’t have all we need on our own. 

     
We can sit there in the hallway crying and fussing because we can’t get our bright red galoshes on our feet without assistance, or we can accept help and get outside to splash around in the puddles. 

     
Just as a loving parent anticipates the needs and wants of their children, God knows our needs and delights in granting us the desires He placed in our hearts to begin with.  It is through His infinite wisdom and unconditional love that we grow in our trust that the Lord wants us to approach Him, humble ourselves enough to ask Our Father for what He already knows we need, and be willing to seek the Truth that will lead us to the right door on which we are to knock and enter to be warmly received.

Note: This reflection is one I wrote in honor of the participants of the Men's Cursillo Weekend taking place at Shalom House, July 25-28, 2013.  It was originally published in the July 2013 edition of The Rooster Review.