From the Deacon's Desk

Each day, I reflect upon a word or a phrase from the readings of the day. I encourage you to do the same and perhaps incorporate that word or phrase into your daily prayer.

Jesus said to his disciples: “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.” (John 15:12)

A story to reflect upon the love that Jesus speaks of:

Luke and Katie, married for 1-1/2 years, made a commitment to devote time to mission work. They worked in the Philippines. Luke did the purchasing for several local orphanages and Katie worked with the poorest children living in the slums of the city.

They prepared for several weeks for the big Christmas Mass for the children. Nearly 1500 children, the children they served, would be there, with the Archbishop of Manila celebrating the Mass.   

After the Mass, the Archbishop gave any child who was interested the opportunity to come forward, say their name and age, and share what they wanted to be when they grew up. As one can imagine, with 1500 kids many were interested, so the line was quite long.

The children in the line stated their name and age and then shared that they wanted to be doctors, nurses, teachers, and so on. Katie and Luke kept wondering when the Archbishop would say, “OK, that’s all for today.” He never did; he just kept listening.

Finally, there was only one little girl left. This girl was from an orphanage for children with special needs. She had Down’s Syndrome. She came forward and said her name and her age. Then the Archbishop asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. 

She said, “I want to be LOVE.”

That is the love about which Jesus spoke. That is the love we are called to offer one another.

Love is not an action or a feeling. It is not a noun or a verb. Love is a state of being.

What a simple yet powerful message: Don’t just love, be love.