Today’s readings are all about love. The message for me is: if you want to grow in virtue, then start loving yourself and others as God loves. It is a high demand, but that is what real love entails.
As I contemplate love, I can easily fall into the error of only seeing the comfortable areas of love: snuggling a newborn cooing in my arms, a tender look exchanged by a couple, young people in love walking hand in hand, siblings with their arms around each other, best friends sharing a joke. All of these images portray love, but just a part of love.
Love also has its hardships. Love is also a tired parent awake at all hours of the night feeding a crying baby. Love is disagreement on where to eat on a date. Love is listening to a spouse tell the same story for the umpteenth time and choosing to laugh at the appropriate moment. Love is telling a sibling or friend a hard truth that they may not appreciate but need to hear from you.
Sometimes, love is stepping back and letting another person who is more qualified step in. Sometimes love is saying no. Sometimes love is giving space. Sometimes love is waiting. Sometimes love is listening.
What Makes it Love?
So, what does characterize all of these as love? The acts themselves are not love. One person acts for love, another for something else. I myself can deceive or be deceived, but that deception is not love. What makes it love is me; the person acting. When I choose love in my actions, love is what it represents.
Love is a free act. It cannot be forced or pretended. Love is the choice of a good for me or another. Heroic love is to choose the objective good of another over my own good because I love.
Example of Love
Take Jesus Christ as your example. Read the Gospels and see how he loves. Form your criteria for love based on his example. How did he treat people? Why? Ask him about your loves. How do you treat people? Why? Ask him to guide you to love with more truth for the true good of yourself and others.
[Readings: James 5:9-12; Mark 10:1-12]
You may read the following related article as well
Daily Inspiration with Fr. Maurice
