Daily nurturing our love

GIVEN our human condition, marked as it is with many ups

and downs, we need to see to it that our love continues to burn

regardless of the changing circumstances. We have to nurture it such

that at the end of the day we can really say that all our time has

been spent in love. Love should be the original and ultimate motive of

our day, since love takes care of everything. All other motives only

play supporting roles.

            Where there is love, we will always have joy and peace,

eagerness and drive to do things, even to the point of making

sacrifices for others, giving ourselves to them in all generosity and

gratuitousness. We would even be willing to bear and assume the

burdens of the others.

            Where there is love, boredom can hardly enter into our

lives. We may be tired physically, emotionally, mentally, but deep

within us there would still be that burning, raging desire to give

ourselves to others without counting the cost. Our weaknesses and

difficulties would not be a reason to complain. And when we feel them,

we would be happy to consider them as living proof of the intensity of

our love.

            Where there is love, temptations would find it hard to

find their way to us. Love is a natural repellant to temptations, sin

and all forms of evil. And that’s because love by its very nature is

always hot, and like a hot soup where no flies would ever dare to get

close to it, love drives away temptations.

            Of course, we have to understand that the love we are

talking about here is the real love that comes from God, and is lived

always with him. It cannot be just any kind of love that is generated

merely by our own feelings and estimation of things. It is the love

that Christ talked about when he said, “A new commandment I give to

you, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (Jn 13,34)

            We need to see to it that we have this real love by always

taking care of our intimate relation with God. We need to talk to him

always, relating everything to him, asking for enlightenment,

motivation, and any help we need. We should always be drawn to him in

an increasing way as the day goes on.

            This definitely would need that we be simple and humble so

that the faith, hope and charity that God shares with us get

activated, and we get to see things in a spiritual and supernatural

way, and not just in a natural way that will always be marked by our

limitations and weaknesses, not to mention, temptations, sin and all

forms of evil.

            We have to be wary of the constant danger of spiritual

lukewarmness when we get contented with what we think is already

passable insofar as our relationship with God is concerned. This

danger puts us at the mercy of our physical, emotional, intellectual

condition, etc., that cannot fully cope with the demands of the

spiritual and supernatural reality of our life.

            Every so often during the day, we have to check whether

what is truly guiding us as we go through the different events of the

day are the principles of faith, hope and charity, and not just the

state of our human and natural conditions. We have to develop the

skill of detecting whether we are being spiritual and supernatural in

our outlook or just being human and natural.

            We have to reaffirm our conviction that it is the

spiritual and supernatural aspect of our life that gives the proper

direction to our human and natural conditions. It is what would keep

us going despite difficulties, trials, failures, and the like that we

can encounter during the day.