Love

We become what we love.   Say this out loud, "I become what I love."   So, what do I love?

If you only love yourself and you don't know who you are (a beautiful child of God), then what do you become?

Not too long ago I was having a conversation with some women who have both experienced great tragedies in their lives.  They were both shocked to find that they lost friends while they were going through these tragedies; friends they thought would be with them through anything.

One of the women lost her firstborn child in infancy.  There is nothing to prepare you for this or help you through this here on earth. This tragedy takes strength that only comes from heaven.  On the day they left the hospital, without their son, she was told she'd lose some friends.  She thought that was ridiculous, her friends would all be there for her.  Sadly, some weren't.  It was too painful for them, what had happened, and they didn't know what to say or they didn't know what to do, so they baled.  They left this woman out in the water and hoped someone else would throw her a life preserver.  Fortunately, others did, but where were her friends?

Go through some sort of life changing event and you'll quickly find out who your true friends are - and even family.

Her friends loved their lives - whatever those lives were - and this tragedy of hers, and therefore her life, no longer meshed with their lives, so they let her go.  I don't know how these people live their lives but in this tragedy, they put themselves first - above this woman and her hurt and certainly above God - who calls us to love. 

Jesus tells us to love God with all our hearts, souls, mind and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves.  I wonder how that friend feels today, all these years later.  Has she ever managed to reach out to another in love, unselfishly?

Another friend and her husband lost their business and of course all the money it had provided for them.  Sadly, they lost many of their friends as well.  They have wondered if those people were in their lives for them, or for their money.  The probably will never get an answer to that question.  Money is important to many people and in fact, for some, it is their god.  If you don't have money, they don't have time for you.  This was a dark time for them and they learned that losing those friends was much worse than losing the money.

Tragedy struck again for them when she was in a car accident and nearly lost her life.  Fortunately she was the only one involved in the accident so no one else was hurt, but they weren't sure she was going to make it through (she did, beautifully).

This second tragedy had poeple coming out of the woodwork; some they knew and some they did not.  Meals were delivered for over 6 weeks, money came in, gift cards, assistance at home, with the kids, rides to the doctor, etc.  People surprised them with their generosity and people they didn't even know came forward to help.

People who love.

Love equals action and when you love, you will be compelled to serve, to help others.  It doesn't matter if you know them or not, the love will compel you to action.

I believe there are two kinds of peole who serve - those who serve so they look good to others or get something in return and those who serve because they love.  God knows the difference and the judgment is His.

Those who love serve with purity of intention (I've previously written on that, check the archives).  They don't expect anything in return.  They serve because they love.  They love God and they love neighbor, and in that, they are ultimately loving themselves too.

So, what do you love?  Do you love self? Do you love God? Do you love neighbor?

What does love compel you to do?

Good news must be shared...

A friend of mine is reading a book and she said they are comparing the woman at the well to Martha and Mary (sisters of Lazarus).  As she was saying she'd like me to do a talk on this subject I was thinking it was strange to compare those three women.  For me, I was leaning toward comparing the woman at the well to our Blessed Mother.

It may not make sense to compare the Blessed Mother to the woman at the well either, given they come from two completely different backgrounds, but it's not their backgrounds I want to compare, but what they did after they encountered our Lord.

Our Blessed Mother is of course without sin and we know this because St. Luke tells us in his gospel that she is "full of grace" and you cannot be full of grace and have sin in you.  The Samaritan woman; however, is a sinful woman.  Two completely different backgrounds, but their futures (once they encounter Christ) are full of similarities.

Mary's encounter with Jesus starts with the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel.  He appears and tells her she has found favor with God and that she will become the Mother of His son.  She consents and the Holy Spirit descends upon her and she becomes pregnant (I'm paraphrasing of course, the full story can be found in the gospel of Luke).  Once she is with child, she immediately leaves for the hill country to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, who is with child as well.  When she arrives, the child within the womb of Elizabeth "leaps with joy".  Mary spends three months with Elizabeth, helping her prepare for the arrival of John the Baptist. 

The Samaritan woman has also found favor with Jesus (and we have too, He loves each and every one of us).  She, like us, cannot accept Christ as easily as Mother Mary did though.  When she encounters Jesus, she argues with Him (have you ever done that?) and wonders out loud how He can do all He promises to do for her (again, I'm paraphrasing, see John 4:7-42 for the "rest of the story").  She is confused about this encounter with Jesus but when Jesus tells her what her sins are, she completely understands He is who He says He is.  He has shed light on her sins and the darkness is banished.  She leaves Jesus and heads into town and tells everyone about Jesus.  Many Samaritans came to know Christ because of this woman.

Two women, two completely different backgrounds, but both bring others to Jesus immediately after they receive Him.  They don't keep Him to themselves, they take the light He has given them to others, to share Him (evangelization).  Christ is too great to be contained within us and if we truly have Christ within us, we will not be able to contain ourselves.  He will come forth from us, just as He did with Mary and the Samaritan woman.

Mary will live many, many years with Jesus and after His crucifixtion, she lives her days with John, the beloved disciple, praying and continuing to lead others to her Son.

The Samaritan woman, scripture tells us, was responsible for bringing many to Christ through her acceptance of Him.  We can imagine she lived at least a few more years and continued to love Jesus and bring others to Him. 

As I was writing this, I thought of another who received our Lord and immediately evangelized.  He failed to convert anyone as far as we know, but he was able to save his own soul.  Remember the good thief?  He came to know Christ while he was hanging on this own cross next to Jesus and he rebuked the other thief for mocking Jesus and then he confessed his own guilt.  He asked our Lord to remember him when He came into His kingdom (Luke 23:32-43) and what did Jesus say?  He assured him he would be with Him that day in paradise.  The "good thief" saw the light of Christ, the truth, evangelized to another, confessed his own sins and was able to gain heaven.  Some say that was his last act of "theft", to be able to "steal" heaven at the last moments of his life.  Gotta love divine mercy!

I still need to read my friend's book to see how the woman at the well compares to Martha and Mary, but for now, I'm happy comparing myself to her and learning not just from her example, but that of our most Blessed Mother and the good thief.

Loving God and Neighbor

“May it be done to me according to Your word.” Luke 1:38

“His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever He tells you.” John 2:5

            The greatest commandment, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27) tells us how we can make our way to heaven.  Love accomplishes and overcomes all things.

            In the first Joyful mystery of the rosary, the Annunciation, we meditate on the words of Mother Mary, “May it be done to me according to Your word.”  She is teaching us love, obedience and humility.  Because she loved God, she was able to be obedient and humble and we were able to have a savior who would redeem us.  I love meditating on this verse and in fact, making it my prayer.  I also want to be the handmaid of the Lord, though I fall so far short of what our Blessed Mother did.  She, who was full of grace, did not have sin in her.  I find myself repeatedly going to the confessional to beg mercy of our Lord and ask Him to lift me up again and again.

            Immediately upon finding out her cousin, Elizabeth, is also with child, she journeys to visit.  She spent 3 months with Elizabeth, helping her to prepare for the coming of John the Baptist.  Love of neighbor. 

            This isn’t the only time Mary shows us how to love our neighbor.  In the second Luminous mystery of the rosary, “The Wedding at Cana”, Mary tells Jesus there is no more wine.  She then very simply turns to the servants and tells them to do whatever He tells them to do.  She knows running out of wine at a wedding can be very embarrassing to the hosts and she wants to avoid that, so she simply turns to her Son.  Her command to the servants is also a command to us.  We should, at all times, do whatever He tells us. 

            My spiritual director once told me that the only correct answer when God asks something of us is Yes!  If we’ve even heard Him talking to us, that is not usually our first response.  We tend to think of ourselves and how what He wants is going to interfere with what we want for our lives, as if we know best.

           At times I can be impressed with myself for listening to what God tells me to do, being obedient to His holy will for me.  Unfortunately, the pride of sin is no help to my salvation.  It also dawns on me that it is not the things I’ve done for God I’ll have to answer for, but the things I did not do (in the Confiteor we pray, “…in what I have done and in what I have failed to do…”).

            Each night before bed I pray, “The Prayer for Daily Neglects” (I won’t put the whole prayer here, it’s on page 16 of The Pieta Prayer Book) and in essence, I am asking God to expiate all the sins I have committed each day and during all my life, to purify the good I have done badly each day and to supply for the good I ought to have done, but neglected to do.  Unlike Mary, I am not full of grace. 

            “Be it done unto me according to thy word.” That is my prayer, my daily prayer.  What I also pray for is holy hearing so I know what God is asking of me.  Then I pray for obedience and humility and an increase in faith, hope and charity.  No wonder we are told to pray without ceasing.

           “Do whatever He tells you.”  Definitely easier said than done, but not impossible!  What does He tell us?  Love God with all your hearts, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.

            Today, we celebrate the feast of St. Francis Xavier.  He certainly taught us love of Christ and love of neighbor.  So did Blessed Mother Teresa, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, St. John Vianney and in fact, all the saints.  With the help of all these beautiful saints and our Blessed Mother, we can learn to love God and love neighbor, just as Jesus taught us.