I hope that you have verbally told Jesus, for years, every day, several times a day, that you love Him. As we near Pentecost, the Lord wants to significantly deepen our love for Him. He wants us "to grasp fully, with all the holy ones, the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ's love, and experience this love" (Eph 3:18-19).

The Lord will challenge us to reflect more deeply on what it means to love Him. He will insist that we obey the commandments (Jn 15:10; 1 Jn 5:2) and love him by feeding and caring for His people (Jn 21:15-17). The Lord will also underline that loving Him means caring for the least of the brethren (Mt 25:40). As the Spirit guides us to the truth (Jn 16:13) about true love, we will see that "love suffers a long time and bears burdens" (1 Cor 13:4, our transl). We will also see that all love is based on truth (see 2 Jn 1-3), and love which doesn't share the good news of God, Who is Love, is not loving. Finally, the Lord will teach us that love means laying down our lives for others (see Jn 21:19; 1 Jn 3:16).

Knowing that true love is crucified, cry "Holy Spirit, produce the fruit of love in me" (see Gal 5:22). Come, Holy Spirit of love!"

Nihil Obstat:  Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, July 26, 1997

Imprimatur:  †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, July 29, 1997