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Queen Jadwiga's Knights                                                                                                                         

No. 2, April 2005

LOVE

A reflection by Archbishop Sir Francis T. Little

 

Love is for the long haul. Love is not be found in distracting dalliances or in lingering liaisons. Love enthuses the heart and fires the long term commitment. Love strengthens the resolve of the will and enhances the spiritual vision. Love gives fresh energy to the flagging spirit and new pep to the step. Love sees beyond, hears a music which attracts, evokes in the spirit a feel for good things. Love knows no frontiers, is open to all peoples. Love is sensitive to the needs of the deprived, makes a preferential option for the poor. Love continues to enthrall, leads to enhancements. Love nourishes a sense of hope, clarifies ideals, makes the truths of faith come alive. Love stretches out the helping hand and fuels the fires of compassion. Love inspires one to go the extra mile, to surrender worldly goods, to smile when things go wrong. Love urges one to share God’s blessing with others, to care for them, to enable them to see their worth and to know that God loves them.

Love conveys a message of human dignity to those who live in desperate conditions, and lifts up those who are downcast. Love is ever there, prompting us through moments of despair. Love confirms in us the assurance that we are befriended even when the feelings of loneliness are oppressive. Love is the basis of our community life, is savoured when relationships are warm, is undergirding when misunderstandings arise, is sustaining when clouds of depression overwhelm us. Love is at the heart of our prayer life, is the motive which maintains our fidelity in prayer, is the continuing motivation of our daily offering. Love has carried us to achievements beyond our dreams, and has inspired us to continue in perseverance when oppressive fog blots out the footprints on our pilgrim path, when the turmoil of life disheartens us.

Love grows in maturity as unexpected challenges are asked of us. Love motivates our rising, the duties of our day, and the moments when the evening star says it is time for slumber. Love leads us to embrace the directions in which the Lord is sending us. Love makes us forgiving even at times when we lest feel like it. Love underpins all the endeavours of our religious lives. Love constantly reminds us that our love is but a reflection of the love Jesus showed us, of the love which Mary keeps ever in her heart.

 

 

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