As Valentine’s Day approaches, I think back to the Old Days of Norman Rockwell and his drawings for the Saturday Evening Post!
I imagine a young fella dashing into the store to grab some flowers, and then I see him at the other end tenderly handing them to a blushing young girl. I wonder if this precious glimpse of young innocent love captured in my imagination might be scoffed at by the cynics of today! Tenderness always speaks to me of a gentle whisper as God squeezes my heart with His Love. Pope Francis says, “Tenderness is not a virtue of the weak; on the contrary it spells fortitude, attentiveness, compassion, openness to the other. In short, tenderness is the daughter of love”.[1]
The Gospel for February 12th places emphasis on the commandments; not to suffocate us into obeying the letter of the law, but to encourage and strengthen us as we learn how to love. One popular quote I have heard many times is “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”[2] It’s not that easy to be vulnerable. The bonus along the way is that we slowly uncover the truth about ourselves, so that we are freer to respond and give and receive gentle touches of love in our world.
Daniel Lowery (C.Ss.R.) says “ Like the eagle that flies nearest the sun, those who trust in God gradually become detached from the earth and more and more united to God by Love. “ [3] A good question to ask myself is “What prevents me from giving myself more completely to the “One” who gave Himself so completely to me?
As I continue to work on this I remember 1 Cor 2:9-10 which paraphrased says “ Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, what God has ready for those who love Him.” What a promise !
[1]pg.274 “ A Year With Pope Francis” © 2013 Paulist Press ,NewJersey
[2]The essential Rumi – Free quotes
[3]pg.25 “Redemptorist Spirituality” -”Virtue of the Month”- Daniel Lowery C.Ss.R.