Love is not taught

That was the first sentence that we read in our weekly monday meeting, discussing the spiritual formation according to St. Padre Pio's spiritual formator. Here's the full section on "Temperance in Love":

Love is not taught. It is a truth known to all and that you do not ignore. Therefore, you do not ask to be taught to love, but to feel love and enjoy it. If you were really satisfied to just love, you could be rewarded because you love already. And does not the desire to love pertain to love? Whoever desires to love what they don't love?

The secret of enjoying love , consists in being content to love it when one can and not to permit desire for it to disturb your tranquility. Is it therefore wrong to desire it? No, because as I said before it is an indication of love, but it is not possible to taste the good we have by seeking for what we do not have and that God does not give.

Just as you are content to grow in height imperceptibly each day, so it is with love. Would it be right to be afflicted because our Lord does not let you grow one inch or more every day? Temperance in this also is beneficial.

We, as Christian believes that Love is not an ideology, an idea, or a dogma. Love is a person. We love, because He loves us first (1 John 4:19).

In the living room of my apartment, I have this decoration on my wall that says 爱, which is a mandarin word that means "love". It's a reminder for myself that, love should be the reason that I live. But heck, it's a hard thing to do, and that's why I need that reminder all the more.

Mother Teresa once said, "I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there can be no more hurt, but only more love." Indeed it is easy to say that I love babies when they're cute and so eager to explore, but it is hard to love babies when they wake up at night, cry, and want to be hold. It is easy to say that I love God when things are great, things are going the way I wanted and all, but it is hard to love Him when all is taken away from me.

That is why we cry out to God in Our Lord's prayer, "Deliver us from evil!" It is a very important petition that in our liturgy the priest would extend the prayer by saying, "Deliver us, Lord, from every evil, and grant us peace in our day. In your mercy keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ."

As I, with the whole community, pray, "deliver us from evil!", Lord, please be with us. Grasp us when evil is up to our necks. Be our savior, redeemer, and Lord.

And that is what I want to pray for this week.