Love Is...

Last weekend we celebrated All Saints Day, a day in which we remember men and women who have gone before us and who have lived holy lives and who are now in Heaven. They have finished the race, they have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7) What’s beautiful about this is that we too are called to that life. This year has been rough to say the least. There’s much suffering, division, violence, and uncertainty. What are we to do? Sometimes it seems as if things get worse. How are we to respond? I’m not exactly sure where I heard this or who said it but I find this to be especially true in these times. God answers the problems of the world with saints. If you read the lives of the saints, you will find that they often lived in pretty dark times. Why is this surprising? Do we not need people to be light when the world is especially dark? We are called to be the light. We are called to be saints. Yes, you were made to be a saint. Unfortunately, sometimes most of us are scared of this statement. No, not me. Holiness is for those who have squeaky clean records and have never committed a sin. I’m just too bad or too ordinary or too much. I object. We can all be great saints, and it’s not really that complicated (yes, it’s difficult and not easy but simple). We can be saints because we all have the capacity to love. Put simply, a saint is one who loves. But what can this look like? St. John encourages us that we must love not just in words but in deed and truth (1 John 3:18). I have found this to be true in my own relationship. Never more have I learned what love looks like than when I have encountered it face to face in my own relationship. Samuel and I just celebrated our anniversary at the beginning of this week. It has been a gift for both of us and has definitely taught us about love and thus about our God because He is Love. There are certain aspects about love which I wish to reflect on. 

Love requires vulnerability and makes us uncomfortable.

Which friendships/relationships are the ones you enjoy most in your life? Obviously, the ones that allow you to be who you are. Who really wants any kind of friendship/relationship that just scratches the surface. Let’s face it, we all desire to be seen. Truly seen. And loved in who we are. Perhaps we live in a society where there is so much focus on the outside that we don’t really look inwardly and share that part of ourselves with others. We are afraid that if another truly saw us, they wouldn’t love us. I have learned that in order to encounter love, I have to let my guard down and allow the other person to love me in my brokenness.How can we know if we are truly being loved for who we are if we never allow others to see who really are? This is where love is found.  I remember feeling somewhat down because I often am sensitive and get hurt too. Love is scary and it’s easier to hide our hearts so that they are never hurt by others. In that moment, it was like Jesus reminded me of His Sacred Heart. If you look at the image, you can clearly see His heart, it’s out of his chest, and it is pierced. Look at the cross, Jesus is the vulnerable one. He reveals to us Love and we, in imitation of Him, must allow ourselves to be vulnerable at times even if it’s uncomfortable. How beautiful to be loved in that way. Similarly, we should become a place and a space where others can be themselves. 

Love makes one beautiful and confident.

I remember seeing a friend one day and she asked me, “Who’s the guy or did you win the lottery?” At the time, Samuel and I were dating,  and I didn’t know if anyone had told her about this. She proceeded to say that she just knew. I had this “glow”. Love makes us radiant. Once we allow ourselves to be loved in our brokenness and uncomfortable moments, we shine with joy. We become more sure of ourselves because another has seen the goodness in us and called it out. Similarly, even with God, when I know I am His beloved daughter/son...why should I fear? I am free to be who I am. I become more fearless and willing to take leaps of faith knowing that I am loved. 

Love molds us and expands our hearts. 

Remember that being vulnerable thing I mentioned? There’s more. The more we are vulnerable and allow ourselves to be known and loved, sometimes the more we realize that we are broken in places. We begin to allow our hearts to be changed by this love and in this process, our hearts begin to grow. We also have room to move out of ourselves and love others. Think about it. When you’ve experience something beautiful, don’t you just want to share it?

Love is about acceptance and mercy.

I have learned that we carry a lot of expectations around with us wherever we go. We expect things to go a certain way. We expect people to be a certain way. We expect even ourselves to be a certain way. However, it rarely goes as planned. I never knew what God had in store for me before He brought Samuel and I together. Sure, I had my handy dandy list of things I desired in a guy but there are some things I never would have seen coming. We over romanticize love and expect the person to be perfect before we can love them. Not true. We assist them on their way to being better by loving them. Love is often transformative. When we don’t see eye to eye, I must be humble enough to realize that my way isn’t always best and that Samuel is who God has made him to be. I’m only called to love him and lead him ever closely to Jesus. Similarly, he does the same for me in the most beautiful way. He sees me, my weaknesses and strengths, and loves the whole Megan. I remember the most beautiful words he said to me during a conversation. It went something like this, “Megan, my love for you is untouchable. Even if you make me mad one day, I will still love you.” 

Love points to God. 

This is probably my favorite point about love. Sometimes I can just see the hand of God in the ordinary things of my life. A friend’s word of encouragement is like a word from Jesus. A hug from a child is a hug from Him too. Jesus’ love is everywhere if we open our eyes to see it. I think this point hits home for me. I have often told Samuel that he is such a beautiful reflection of the love of God for me. In him, I see Jesus’ love in a very tangible way. Similarly, I have been given the opportunity to reveal the love of Jesus to him as well. It’s really a beautiful thing. One day I realized this--that everything is meant to point to God. Our lives, our vocations, whether we are priests or sisters or married or single, we must run toward God and lead others there. Everything is about Love. Love allows us to see God and allows us to reveal God to the world. Love with all of your heart, friend. Love is what we were made for. 

With love,

Megan