Today began cold again, +10 degrees, and the air felt sharp enough to make my cheeks sting the moment we stepped outside. Sister Mary Claire and I hurried along, all bundled up, and Robert pulled up right when we needed him—like the Lord sent him at just the right time. Mini came too, of course. She hopped up so proud on the seat, with her ears up like little airplane wings, as if she was on an important mission to get us to Morning Mass.
The ride to Church was quiet and frosty, the kind where the fields look pale and still, and you can almost hear the cold. Mini kept leaning forward to see everything through the windshield, and once she let out a tiny happy sound, like she knew where we were going. Sister smiled at her and told her, “Yes, Mini—Mass first, then all the rest.”
At Church, Father’s homily was about today’s meditation on Love, and it felt like he was speaking right from the Last Supper, like we were allowed to stand near the doorway and listen. Father said Jesus gave His friends a new command—not just “be nice,” but love each other the way He loves us. And that love isn’t only for the people who make it easy. Jesus loved people even when they didn’t deserve it, even when they ran away, even when they were ungrateful. Father explained how Jesus didn’t just say loving words—He proved His love with what He suffered, and with how He gave Himself.
That part made me feel very small inside (in a good way), because I know I can be sweet to people when I’m in a sweet mood, but Jesus is asking for something braver: a love that doesn’t quit, and a love that doesn’t depend on someone “earning it.” Father talked about how the early Christians were known for loving each other so much that people could actually see it in their lives—like it was their mark, like a bright ribbon.
And then Father said something I want to keep: that the Holy Eucharist is the living source of love, because Jesus doesn’t just tell us to love—He comes close to help us do it. That made me think of all the times I feel impatient or offended or tired, and how I try to fix it just by trying harder. But today I understood a little more that I need Jesus Himself to make my heart softer and stronger.
So on the way home, I told Sister Mary Claire I want to practice love in a real way today—not in big dramatic ways, but in the little ones that actually count: “So today I’m going to try to stay gentle, not get snippy, not count who did what, and do one kind thing quiet—just for Jesus.” Sister said that is exactly what makes love “new” in the way Jesus meant it—because it looks like Him.
And the best, holiest part of my whole morning was Holy Communion. When I received Our Lord, I tried to be very still inside, like a little lamp that doesn’t want to flicker. I told Jesus, “Teach me Your kind of love. Put it in me.” I will remember that warm, sacred moment for the rest of the day, because it felt like Heaven came close enough to touch my heart.
Short Prayer:
O Jesus, please make my heart like Yours—gentle, brave, and full of love. Help me love others the way You loved me. Amen.
Love, Kathy.
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