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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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