“Put Your Love Into Action”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
May 25-26, 2019
Scripture: John 14: 23-29
23) Jesus answered and said to him, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. 24) Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me. 25) “I have told you this while I am with you. 26) The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name—he will teach you everything and remind you of all that [I] told you. 27) Peace* I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. 28) You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. 29) And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe.
While meditating today, I thought about the lyrics from “My Fair Lady.” During one scene, Eliza Doolittle tells Professor Higgins that she is sick of his words and that if he is in love, he must show her; otherwise, he is wasting her time. You see, the word “love” is a verb, and it implies action. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). In other words, if you love Him, you must show Him. Your love is expressed in action and it will draw you close to God. Is it always easy? No, sometimes it will be difficult and unpleasant.
Priests take three vows: poverty, chastity and obedience. Want to know which one is the most difficult to keep? Obedience is by far the most difficult. A good example is the difficulty our first parents, Adam and Eve, had obeying the only rule they had: they were not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, else they would die. But, we want what we want when we want it. It’s all about us. Love, instead, always thinks about others first. Saint Augustine said that work itself is love: “What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.”
People sometimes tell me that they are Catholic, they believe in God, and they love Him, but they don’t go to church. Really? Is it so difficult to spend less than one hour a week to show your love and gratitude to Him who suffered and died for our sins so that we might have eternal life? Is that love? Nah…that is not love.
The goodness of soldiers and their love for one another is abundant. How do they show it? Well, during long road marches, if a soldier is struggling with their heavy back packs, other soldiers shoulder and carry the packs for them. When a soldier falls, the others pick the soldier up and carry him or her. When we lose soldiers, it is our hands that take them to their graves. This is love by doing.
Father’s Afterthoughts…
Monday is Memorial Day. It bothers me greatly that people don’t observe the day respectfully by honoring soldiers who gave their lives for our freedom. Instead, it is a day for “White Sales” and barbecues. How sad. Nobody loves a soldier until the enemy is at the gates.
How will you apply this message to your life? Will you put your love into action?