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.
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?
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)
~Sister Joan Sobala
