New stamps for my collection: Love your Pets!
Today’s quote: “Remember that Love is the power which transforms the world. Love not only of Me, Love not only of the few dear to you, but Love of all – of the publicans, the sinners, the harlots – Love. It is the only weapon with which sin can be driven out. Drive sin out with Love.”
I am on a love kick, but it is fitting for the readings today as Jesus expresses : “you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is that you must love your neighbor as yourself.” Mark 12:30
In the first quote the suggestion is that only Love can drive sin out. Love of whom? Love of what? Christ answers this in his message to the questioning Pharisees. In the past month I have been applying to teaching positions out of state. One of the things that is distracting is to get comfortable in your station in life and end up not serving the Lord in what He calls you too. The center of love becomes not God, but material desires.
The way that I have refocused my love is to listen to readings such as these and hear that call to build the Church. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:8 “One may have the gift of preaching with wisdom given to him by the Spirit; another may have the gift of preaching instruction given him by the same Spirit; and another the gift of faith given by the same Spirit” and he goes on to describe the very best in Spirit that all men are called too.
I questioned myself as to what my gifts were. Certainly I am called to instruct and to teach. Then how can I build the Church? Paul comes right back to it. “If I have all the eloquence of men or of angels, but speak without love, I am simply a gong booming or a cymbal clashing.” 1 Cor 13:1
It is very easy to get distracted in this world with the ability to earn a great living and be as blessed in life as you can be. I hate to say that I am extremely blessed to the point of ridiculousness. That said, I have always felt a call and a duty to serve God, but I still get distracted by shopping and the desire to buy a million books.
I hope I am doing okay as I try to find the best position for me, (hopefully in a Catholic school again) but maybe I am called to be a teacher to those who are most in need of love. Pray for me as I am trying to relocate to Florida. I pray that I am continually reminded of loving others even though it is hard and sometimes, they just don’t want to be loved, because they have never known love.
“You must want love more than anything else; but still hope for the spiritual gifts as well.” 1 Cor 14:1
