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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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