Looking at today’s newsfeed, horror strikes us with full force. A road accident claimed 55 lives in Guatemala, in a place I come across every time I travel to that country. The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is becoming increasingly fragile, with the lives of hostages still being held in the balance and the entire Palestinian population fearful that the United States is taking away their land. All over the world, governments are on the alert for a global trade war because one country wants to impose itself unilaterally on the others, threatening their economy and sovereignty.
But then there are the situations that will never make the headlines: a young family stricken by the illness of the father; the dismay of the migrant who feels less and less welcome everywhere in the world; a young priest ready to throw in the towel because he doesn’t feel listened to, welcomed and accompanied by his bishop, and discouraged by the complacency of good people. And love is wounded… in major global issues and more personal situations.
Will a box of chocolates change that ? Certainly not ! But if everyone rediscovered their hearts and agreed to reconnect with what lies at the heart of their lives, perhaps our words, attitudes and actions would change… Pope Francis recently wrote these very challenging words: “If we devalue the heart, we also devalue what it means to speak from the heart, to act with the heart, to cultivate and heal the heart. If we fail to appreciate the specificity of the heart, we miss the messages that the mind alone cannot communicate; we miss out on the richness of our encounters with others; we miss out on poetry. We also lose track of history and our own past, since our real personal history is built with the heart. At the end of our lives, that alone will matter” (DN, 11).
We find these words in the very first pages of the encyclical on the human and divine love of the Heart of Jesus Christ, Dilexit Nos. By looking at “the heart that has so loved mankind”, as Jesus himself revealed to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque when he showed her his Sacred Heart, perhaps we can discover just how much we are loved by God. “He loved us !” What good news ! As I read these words, I was overwhelmed by this revelation during several days ! God has loved us ! God loves us ! God loves me ! And he loves me with a human and divine heart in Jesus Christ – just as I am ! What a mystery and what a grace !
But this human and divine heart of Jesus not only invites me to live an intimate relationship with him; through a heart-to-heart encounter, Jesus wants to give meaning and direction to my life. Because true love can never be a love closed in on itself ! True love is verified by an open and available relationship with every person, with the world. This experience of love, which has left its mark on my heart and is transforming me day by day, also invites me to offer it to anyone who crosses my path. What’s more, this experience of love can transform the world in which I live, if my every gesture, word and attitude is motivated by an inner fire nourished by God himself, who is Love.
In a changing world, it’s the little ordinary-extraordinary gesture that can really make a difference. It’s that little gesture that allows us to proclaim the beauty of little things and the magic of love. At the same time, it is through and in the everyday that we become these missionaries of love, announcing the grace that is within our reach: to live in love as the basic commandment of all humanity. “This dynamism of love has nothing to do with proselytism; the words of a lover do not disturb others, they do not make demands or oblige, they only lead others to marvel at such love. With immense respect for their freedom and dignity, the lover simply waits for them to inquire about the love that has filled his or her life with such great joy” (DN, 210).
What if Valentine’s Day was more than just a day on the calendar ? Perhaps we should simply say, like a Quebec singer: “I just love you !”
