My three-year-old son will often come up to me and say: “I love you, too.” Mind you, he’s not responding to me because I said “I love you” first. He just says it. But I think he might be on to something.
When we talk about devotion to the Sacred Heart, which we just celebrated, this is what we’re talking about. Responding to the love of God with love. God creates us, sustains us, guides us, saves us, and blesses us out of love. As St. Teresa of Avila said: “Blessed be the Lord, for in the end His was the first hand.”
In my own life, I often fail to remember this when it comes to prayer. Prayer is not just time for me to study Scripture or sit in silence. While those things are obviously good, I can do them and lack love. I can do them with my mind and body, but what of my soul and heart? Prayer, and everything we do in the Christian life from fasting to cold showers, is a response. It’s our chance to say: “I love you too, Lord.”
I recently came across the following quote from Saint Gertrude.
“Awake, O my soul. How long will you remain asleep? Beyond the sky there is a King who wishes to possess you; He loves you immeasurably, with all His Heart. He loves you with so much kindness and faithfulness that He left His kingdom and humbled Himself for you, permitting Himself to be bound like a malefactor in order to find you. He loves you so strongly and tenderly, He is so jealous of you and has given you so many proofs of this, that He willingly gave up His Body to death. He bathed you in His Blood and redeemed you by His death. How long will you wait to love Him in return? Make haste, then, to answer Him.”
How long will you wait to love Him in return?
It’s your move.
Who’s been the king of your Summer? Start overcoming Summer sloth today by reading through 2 Samuel with us and following King David’s example!
