SAINT ANDRÉ BESSETTE, RELIGIOUS (OPTIONAL MEMORIAL)

His commandments are not burdensome. 

You’ve probably heard stories about mothers and fathers who have made heroic sacrifices on behalf of their children. Some are well-known, like St. Gianna Molla, who declined cancer treatment to preserve the life of her unborn baby. Many more are hidden, like the weary parent who gets out of bed to soothe a fretful child. You have probably been the beneficiary of such sacrifices; perhaps you’ve made them yourself.

Why would we make such sacrifices? Love. It’s love that makes them easier and the alternative almost unthinkable. When we gaze upon the face of someone we love and see their pain or vulnerability, sacrifice becomes not a burdensome duty but a personal gift. Our hearts are moved, and the burden dissolves.

This principle works beyond our immediate circle of loved ones. If human love can inspire us to give of ourselves in this way, how much more will God’s love poured into our hearts expand to people beyond our family and friends! John tells us, “We love God because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). God’s love not only inspires us to love him; it enables us to see everyone with the love he has for them and moves us to love them as he does.

So when you are called to make a personal sacrifice for the sake of someone else—especially if you start to wonder whether you can find enough love within yourself to do it—keep this principle in mind. You might be called to do something dramatic, but more often it’s something ordinary: hanging back and letting a more reticent person answer first or accompanying a neighbor to a medical appointment. But whatever it is, the task can become lighter as you see Christ in the other person and love them as he loves them. Look to Jesus and see his love for the people you are called to serve. The burden that comes from feeling like you “should” do something will fade, and you will be more able to freely love them as he does.

God loves the people around us more than we could ever love them. Let that love give you the strength to respond generously to the needs all around you.

“Jesus, let your love flow through me and out to others.”

Psalm 72:1-2, 14-15, 17
Luke 4:14-22
1 John 4-19 – 5:4