We tend to spend a lot of time trying to figure out what God
wants us to do in this life we have been given, but the mystic St. Catherine of
Siena makes it very simple: “You are rewarded not according to your work or
your time but according to the measure of your love.” She also heard God say to
her, “The soul, as soon as she comes to know Me, reaches our to love her
neighbors.” Thus it stands to reason that if we do not find ourselves inclined
to love our neighbors, we need to spend more time getting to know God.
But what shape should our love take, we wonder? What is the
best use of our precious time? Jesus’ response is essentially that it doesn’t
matter—we should respond to whatever needs we encounter each day: “For I was
hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger
and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in
prison and you visited me” (Mt 25:36). The nature of compassion is the same
whether we are volunteering at a local food pantry, listening to the worries of
a colleague, or watering a thirsty plant. As St. Benedict would say, “Listen
and incline the ear of your heart”—then we will know how to respond in love to
the needs we encounter.
With the following song lyrics, John Lennon graciously
provided us with a catchy reminder of St. Catherine’s wisdom 580 years after
her birth:
All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need
Perhaps listening to this song would be a useful meditation
during the season of Lent or anytime we find ourselves making the invitation to
love more complicated than it really is.
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