Friday, February 11, 2022

Valentine's Day...A State of Heart

 

Dear Friends,

                Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, when we honor the people we love in some way. But is what we do tomorrow a true symbol of what we do all year long?

                For love is not momentary, not limited to a greeting on a certain day, no matter how profound the verse on the card may be.

                What we give on Valentine’s Day depends on the state of our heart, and the state of our heart is what we would do well to think about before Valentine’s Day dawns so that we can judge whether what we say tomorrow is rooted in our lives.

                Here are some questions to address to your heart:

                All year long, do I have a courageous heart – one that does not fear loving deeply and                             broadly?

                Do I love the stranger, immigrants and the poor and find ways to engage with them and not                    just people I love most dearly.

                Do I have a heart imbued with joy or a heavy heart that makes life gloomy?

                Over my lifetime, have I had a forgiving heart that sets other people free and myself as well?

                Do I have an empathetic heart that recognizes the misery of others and tries to be                                     compassionate with them?                                         

                Do I have it in my heart to encourage and awaken the spirit of possibility in others?

                Do I believe that God lives in the sanctuary of my heart? If so, what does that mean for my                    life?

                Do I continue to love the people who have weathered life with me and do I tell them so?                                                                                                                                                                              As I think about these questions, and perhaps some things that have only recently come to light in my heart, what lurks or lurches in my heart? What do I feel when I come face to face with God’s Image in others in my daily living?

 O God, Mother and Father of us all, I pray to you with deep reverence:

                May your love become like a furnace burning in my heart. (Jer. 20.9)

                May Your Son’s peace reign in my heart. (Col.3.15)

                May Your Spirit stand guard over my heart and mind. (Phil.4.7)

 From this side of the computer to you…May you have a happy heart this Valentine’s Day.

~Sister Joan Sobala



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