Caring is the Fruit of Love 

Are we truly aware that a Christian life is one characterized by Love? Do we get up in the morning eager to show love to everyone we meet all day? When we go to bed at night, do we look back to see if we have been focused on Love? 

If those who know us were asked to describe us, would “loving” be the first word on their lips? Is it our first desire, our motivating goal in life, to become a loving person? Is this the “success” we work for? What do we think of as “happiness”? 

If, for us, happiness means “being loved,” we might feel disappointed. If it means “success,” we might fail to achieve it. But no one who tries to be loving can fail. To try is to love. To love is to try. Loving means choosing to be and do what we can for others. To choose this is to love, even if we fall short in countless ways. 

If our failures to love distress us, that proves we have loving hearts. Those who don’t care about loving don’t care when they are not. “If you care, you are there.” If in your heart you desire to love, discouragement is a contradiction in terms. What is en coeur, “in the heart,” is “encour-agement” by nature. 

Jesus invites us to contemplate his heart, pierced and open. His passion on the cross made his heart’s passion visible. What crucifies us identifies us. 

To live in Love: Care. 

— Fr. David M. Knight

View today’s Mass readings on the USCCB website here

Easter season is the time to focus on the Holy Spirit. Starting on Easter Sunday, we will look carefully at how the Spirit is proclaimed, invoked, and presented to us in the Mass. Lex orandi, lex credendi: “As the Church prays, so she believes.”

After that, we will reflect on the Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2; Galatians 5:22), and at how the Spirit enters the life of those who believe.

As you read these reflections, ask for the gift of Understanding. Ask to really understand what you believe, what you see and hear at Mass. Go deeper into understanding the Mass than you ever have before. We experience the Faith when we become aware of its mystery. We hope you reflect deeply on the Mass and Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and find yourself more and more drawn into the mysteries of our Lord in the Mass and in His Gifts.