Love is demonstrated in deeds


 

Love asks for love, and this is demonstrated in works, in the daily effort to treat God and to identify our will with his will. The Second Reading encourages us in this daily struggle, knowing that we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, the saints, who witness our struggle, and those we have at our side, whom we can help so much by example and by our own efforts to be closer to Christ. Let us shake off every ballast and the sin that besets us," the Reading continues, "and let us continue to run with perseverance the race we have begun: our eyes fixed on Jesus, the initiator and perfecter of faith.... Our eyes are fixed on him, like the runner who, once he has begun the race, does not allow himself to be distracted by anything that separates him from the goal, keeping away every occasion of sin with determination and energy, for you have not yet resisted to the point of blood in fighting against sin. If necessary, we must go so far as not to commit even a venial sin. It is better to die than to offend God, even if only slightly.


Many times we have to say yes to Love; an affirmative answer that He Himself asks of us through a thousand small daily events: in denying ourselves in order to serve those who live or work with us in things that are often small; in small mortification, which helps us to keep temperance and sobriety; in punctuality when we begin our duties; in the order in which we leave our clothes, books or work tools; in the effort that is often involved in doing our meditation time well, telling the Lord many times that we love Him, struggling with distractions; in the joyful acceptance of the will of God, when it does not follow our own plans or our own wishes. .. Thus are forged the small victories that God expects every day from those who love him. Also for love we have to say no many times: in keeping our eyesight; to the body that asks for more comforts, more comfort and less sacrifice; to the desire to leave work before the hour? There are many suggestions, the motions of the Holy Spirit to correspond to that infinite Love with which Jesus loves us.


Love expresses itself in the sorrow of sins, in contrition, because so many times - almost without realizing it - we say no to love.... These are occasions to make an act of deeper sorrow for what we have not known how to reciprocate, desiring very much that frequent Confession in which we always find divine Mercy and the remedy for our ills. "He who does not truly repent, does not truly love; it is evident that the more we love a person, the more it hurts us to have offended him. This, then, is one more of the effects of love".


And one of the seraphim flew towards me - the Liturgy of the Hours says - with an ember in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs, he put it in my mouth and said to me: Look: this has touched your lips, your guilt has disappeared, your sin is forgiven. We ask the Lord that the fire of his love may purify our souls, so much filth, and inundate us completely: "O Jesus..., strengthen our souls, smooth the way and, above all, embryo us with Love: thus make us living bonfires, that light up the earth with the divine fire that You brought".



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