How Well Do I Love?

By: Sister Mary Louise Mitchell

As we move closer to Valentine’s Day, a question which arises within me is “How well do I love?” Naturally, this is a most challenging question. Another challenging question is “What is the most loving response I can offer in this situation or with this person?” I recognize that to come from a stance of love I need time to acknowledge the thoughts, feelings, biases, and judgments I have about the situation or the person. So, the reality is recognizing that I must slow down, which also is not always easy to do!

During all the challenging and disturbing changes happening in our country, and our world, it is hard not to live in fear. A wise person once told me that, for her, the opposite of love is not hate but fear. If we don’t acknowledge fear, it becomes ever more challenging to respond in love.

In pondering these thoughts, my heart turned to the California communities who have lost their homes, neighborhoods, churches, schools, and all the other places that were part of their lives. To live amid such devastation and still love seems almost impossible. Yet, if you search, you find profound stories of love and care within this tragedy.

Two quotes attributed to Simone Weil caught my attention as I considered the quality of my love: “Attention is the rarest and purest form of love” or “Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” Naturally, I went searching to determine which quote was the most accurate, but with no success. Then it struck me that, if I am truly attentive to any situation or person, both love and generosity arise. Thus, my desire this Valentine’s Day is to ask for grace to be truly attentive to all that is happening near and far away. Will you join me?