Daily Digest #74

Now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. —1 Corinthians 13:13

How do we define love? Some may say it is a sacrifice. Some may say love is blind. Some say love is giving without expecting. Some say love is a mystery. Some say God is love. I say love is a verb. The meaning of love varies for different people.

I guess how we define love defines our ability to love.... The Bible defines the ultimate form of love in 1 Corinthians 13. I find it completely selfless, with never-failing hope and faith. It is a kind of love where God is put first in line, never looking on what one still does not have, and instead, making good use of the time given to him/her by doing his/her utmost to fulfill what is to be done. I guess when we love God this way, we are given the strength and courage to love others. It is through His love that we stop thinking of what we can gain, but what we can give. It is through His love that we are able to fight a good fight, to forgive those who ask for our forgiveness, to hope in the verge of hopelessness, to keep the faith despite of doubt, and to see others' beauty over their flaws. We may give up on others or ourselves, but we are assured that He will never give up on us, and that is how much God truly loves us.

For this, let us pray. May we learn to truly love God. May we be given wisdom to learn what He is trying to teach us. May we never lose hope, even when others have given up on us, provoking and criticizing instead of helping us overcome our fears and weaknesses. May we never judge others' faith, and instead, learn to point out their character flaws in a loving way. May we also remember that each of us is in some kind of battle that we may not be aware of. So may we exercise patience and kindness at all times. May we be given the courage and strength to face evil and to fight temptation to sin. May we find comfort in God at all times. May we trust His ways. May we continue building a closer relationship with His son, Jesus Christ. May we continue to pray for each other, and hope for love and peace at all times. God bless!

Lord, teach us to love. You touched the untouchable, ate with the sinner, forgave those who put You to death. Lord, teach us to love - unconditionally, purely, wholeheartedly. Forgive us, Lord, for we know not how to love You as You have loved. Teach us to reach out from our comfortable little world into the lives of others. We need You to love through us, because it is Your love that makes a difference. Grant us the grace to live in love today. -- Prayer by Barbie Dumlao from Simple Prayers for Busy People

Consider this:
"If LOVE is the soul of Christian existence, it must be at the heart of every other Christian virtue. Thus, for example, justice without love is legalism; Faith without Love is Ideology; Hope without Love is Self-centeredness; Forgiveness without Love is Self-abasement; Fortitude without Love is Recklessness; Generosity without Love is Extravagance; Care without Love is mere Duty; Fidelity without love is Servitude. Every virtue is an expression of LOVE. No virtue is really a virtue unless it is permeated, or informed, by LOVE." -- Fr. Richard P. McBrien