Just a Thought: There are...

There are four letters in HATE,
but there are also four letters in LOVE...

There are seven letters in ENEMIES,
but there are also seven letters in FRIENDS...

 HURT,
 HEAL...

 NEGATIVE,
 POSITIVE...

FALSE,
TRUTH...

Everybody has a story. But none of us know how long it will be. Some of us have volumes, others have chapters, while others, mere pages, paragraphs, or simply, the title. Death comes like a thief in the night. Every comma, letter, word, subplot adds up to the life we lived. Giving a finite amount of characters, how do we fill them? Leaving them empty is a choice, too.

If your story were to be written, what words would be used to describe your life? Would those around you agree with you? How many other stories would be inspired by yours? How many have been or will be extinguished because of you?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TAKING,           ANGER,           FIGHT,            SAD,           FAITHLESS,

  GIVING...          MERCY...         PEACE...         JOY...          INTEGRITY...

WASTE,        COLD,          REVENGE,         RUDE,         STAGNATE,

  RENEW...      WARM...      FORGIVE...         KIND...        IMPROVES...          

LUST,            ADDICTIONS,          DISAPPOINTS,       NEGLECT,       

  PURE...          DISCIPLINE...          RESPONSIBLE...    NURTURE...  

Why Not? - Shania Twain

Shania Twain, an international county star, freely admits her brokenness. I can't help but admire her for that. Her brokenness comes from: poverty, domestic violence, death of her parents and brother, workaholism, betrayal, divorce and insecurities. While Shania never mentions God in her healing process, her story is still one of hope. Anyone who has had the rug pulled out from under them will be able to relate to her story.

Her story is about learning how to deal with the struggles in life and overcoming fear.

I love her themes, "Why Not" and "From This Moment".  I think she is a great secular example of what kind of attitude is needed to best use the moments allotted to us.

Anyone who knows me knows how much I admire St. Faustina's understanding of "the moment".   St. Faustina tried to use every moment to better her relationship with God. I think that this is the highest use of each moment.

Even if you disagree, for good or for bad, each "moment" is an individual choice. What are you choosing? What will you choose? Remember, even not choosing, is a choice.

(Note there are somethings in these videos that I do not support such as immodesty (Shania's career years), the dissolubility of marriage, and some of the spiritual practices they participate in.)

What is Love?

Recently, I was challenged to evaluate what I mean by "love".

Others before me have distinguished it as existing in four forms: agape (charity), eros (passion), philia (brotherly), and storge (affection).

St. Paul describes for us the characteristics/virtues associated with love:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 

 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 

--1 Corinthians 13

   
The type of love that St. Paul talks about is charity (agape).

In my personal experience, I have found that love is seeing a person for all of his/her faults and still willing and acting for that person's greatest good.  As St. Mary Mazzarello says, "True charity means returning good for evil - always."

It is an active choice.

I also see that it is a life long mission.  It involves all the virtues.  The most obvious are: humility, mercy, forgiveness and perseverance.  It is always being purged and deepened.  It is the hardest thing in life; it is what also what brings true peace and happiness.

I think it is both too complicated and too simple to formally define.  However, if I were limited to a few words, I would have to say that love is voluntary self-sacrifice for the good of another.

People to love:
1. Those to whom we are bound through blood.
2. Those who we have committed to love.
3. Those whom we encounter day by day.
4. Those who are suffering; think of the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.
4. Those who we have no affection for.
5. Those who have hurt us.

See The Way of Perfection