“The measure of love is to love without measure”
St. Augustine
Do you often wonder what your purpose is in this life?
For me this was the very moment my life took a sharp turn and changed by the grace of God. I wasn’t quite sure what I was really asking when I asked God what my purpose was. Today, the answer to that question is becoming clearer.
In today’s reading in the Gospel of Luke 6:36-38, Jesus tells us a few things. He tells us not to judge nor condemn, to forgive and give. He says if we do these things “a good measure, packed together, shaken down and overflowing will be poured into [our] lap.”
Christ as Teacher in The Better Part on today’s gospel eloquently states, “God never holds back his love and neither should we. God is like the sun, tirelessly emanating the goodness of love as the sun emanates light and heat. When we were baptized, he came to dwell within us, so that he could emanate his goodness to the world through us. Unfortunately, our tendencies to pettiness, selfishness, and partiality often obscure his light instead of transmitting it. Learning to transmit it more and more, in every moment and in every relationship, is the only task that really matters – the only lesson that Christ is hoping we will learn (with plenty of his help) perfectly.”
This morning as I reflect on the gospel reading and the excerpt from The Better Part, my purpose started illuminating my mind as a blinking neon sign.
LOVE
Our main purpose is to LOVE. As simple as that.
My next question was how. How do I love all? How do I love my neighbor as God wants me to? How do I emit His light fully from within me?
The answer – through the unique gift He gives me. Identify my gifts and use them to lift up others, forgive others and give to others.
God gave us each unique gifts. Some have a unique ability with their hands to build and repair things we rely on in our daily lives. Some have a unique gift of words to comfort another. Some have a gift of hospitality to take care of another as royalty. The list goes on and on.
We typically see these gifts on steroids when a disaster happens. What would happen if we poured out a small measure of what we do as a community in times of disaster on a daily basis? Perhaps we would transmit God’s goodness as the sun transmit light and warmth in an infinite measure.
During Lent, we focus on almsgiving. The invitation today is to identify your unique gifts if you haven’t already. Pick one and use it to pour love into another.
Lord, I come to You asking Your help in discerning the one unique gift You have given me to pour out love to my neighbor. With the help of the Holy Spirit, may I emanate the goodness of Your love as bright as the sun illuminates the day and warms the earth. Amen
Women Who Walk By Faith 
Joann thanks again for sharing your gift if the Word with us. Your Love and your light are both shining brightly today. May God richly bless you for your faithfulness to share with us.
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Thanks David for your kind comments. Thanks for being a huge fan. Blessings to you and your family.
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This reflection just might be my favorite one of all! Love is what I try to teach, preach and try on my own to accomplish. I believe the one true question when I meet God face to face will be, “How wide and how deep did I love others?”
Thank you for your reflection on love
Linda
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And that you do well my beautiful, most loving sister. Looking at loving with my gifts and talents makes it more easy to bite and chew versus looking through lens of circumstance and biases in relationships and people. I think we all have head knowledge we should love and are called to do so. It’s more often that how part especially when someone has hurt you or you have a strong bias towards an individual or a group of individuals. Blessings and love to you.
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