St. John wrote, “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8, 16). Love towards God is at the heart of Christian living. St. Paul wrote, “the greatest of these is charity” (1 Cor 13:13).
St. Thomas Aquinas explained: “Now that which is of itself always ranks before that which is by another. But faith and hope attain God indeed insofar as we derive from Him the knowledge of truth or the acquisition of good, whereas charity attains God Himself that it may rest in Him, but not that something may accrue to us from Him.”
A spiritual writer, Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, OCD, teaches: “Charity plunges us into the very centre of God’s intimate life.” He also wrote: “Charity elevates our love and makes us capable of really loving God as He loves Himself, although not with the same intensity.”
In 1674, Our Lord expressed his desire for love to St. Margaret Mary in these words: “Behold this heart which has so loved men that it has spared nothing, even to the point of spending itself and being consumed to prove its love to them. And in return, I receive from most men only ingratitude because of their irreverence and sacrileges and the coldness and scorn they have for me in this Sacrament of love. But what offends me most is that hearts consecrated to me act in this way. Do you at least console me by supplying for their ingratitude, as far as you are able.”
On one occasion, St. Margaret Mary asked Our Lord who among his followers in the world at that moment was giving his heart the greatest joy. Our Lord did not mention any well-known person, or even someone who later went on to be canonized.
Rather, he told her that the person giving his heart the most joy was a little-known novice instructor in a small convent in the countryside. What matters for Jesus is not great achievements, but great love – even in small things.
Our Lord taught Sister Josefa Menendez (1890–1923) the importance of doing small things with great love: “I so much want souls to understand this! It is not the action itself which is a value; it is the intention with which it is done … I have many hidden souls who in their humble labours are very useful workers in My vineyard, for they are moved by love, and they know how to cover their deeds with supernatural gold by bathing them in My Blood …. When as soon as they wake they unite themselves to Me and offer their whole day with a burning desire that My Heart may use it for the profit of souls … when with love they perform their duties, hour by hour and moment by moment … how great is the treasure they amass in one day!”
Our Lady is the model of charity towards God. St. Anselm said, “Wherever there is the greatest purity, there is also the greatest charity.” St. Bernardine wrote that Our Lady’s love towards God surpassed that of all men and angels.
Our Lady loved God with her whole heart while on earth. She told St. Bridget: “I thought of nothing but God, nothing pleased me but God.” Now, in heaven, she desires us to love her Son. She also told St. Bridget: “Daughter, if you desire to bind me to you, love my Son.”
Mother Teresa once said, “If you try, you will find it impossible to do one great thing. You can only do many small things with great love.” May we offer all our actions with love through Mary to Jesus!
聖人在小事情上都愛天主
聖若望宗徒寫道：「天主是愛。（若望一書4:8,16）」基督徒內心生活，就是愛天主。聖保祿宗徒強調：「現今存在的，有信、望、愛這三種，但其中最大的是愛。（致格林多人前書13:13）」聖多瑪斯解釋：源於自身的比從他處接受的更為高尚。信德和望德是藉認真理識和得到美善而到達天主，但愛德直接到達天主好能安息於主，而並非為從天主得到其他東西。」
靈修作者、加耳默羅會士、嘉庇厄爾神父教導：「愛德置我們於天主親密生活的中央。」「他又寫道：「愛德提升我們的愛，能夠愛天主如同祂自愛一樣 ── 雖然與祂自愛的程度有差別。」
1674年，吾主向聖瑪嘉利大透露祂對愛的渴求：「看！我這心毫無保留地去愛世人，甚至達到燒燃殆盡的地部來証明對他們的愛；但 由大多數人 所得到的是 負義忘恩 ，因為他們對我在此愛情的聖事表 現不敬 、 褻瀆 、冷淡和輕蔑；而最開罪我的，是連那些獻身 於我 者的心也是這樣。至少，你要盡你的能力來賠補他們的 忘恩 以安慰我 。」
有一次，聖瑪嘉利大問吾主：在當時活著的人中，誰給基督的心帶來重大的喜樂；吾主給她的答覆，卻不是任何重要人物的名字，也沒有提到任何將來被封聖的聖者的名字；相反，祂明言最使祂喜悅的，是野外一個細小修院內一位寂寂無名的初學師。耶穌所要的並非人為祂做到的大事，而是內心對祂的大愛 ── 即使在小事情上。
吾主教導若瑟芬.曼妮蒂詩修女（1890-1923），用大愛處理小事情的重要：「我很想所有人都明白這一點！價值不在於行動，是在於行動本身的意向 …。在我葡萄園內有很多隱藏的靈魂以謙卑的勞動而成為非常有用的工人，他們因被愛所推動，並知道如何將他們的行為藉沐浴在我寶血中而蓋上超性的黃金……當他們睡醒時，便與我聯合在一起並熱切地把整天奉獻，好讓我的聖心能為人靈的神益而用它 …… 他們時時刻刻懷著愛去盡本份，每天都能積聚很大的珍寶！」
在天主台前，聖母是愛德的典範。聖安生說：「最大的純潔，也是最大愛德的所在。」聖納德認為，聖母愛天主的心，超越天神和人類。
在世上，聖母全愛愛慕天主；她告訴聖畢哲：「我不想其它，只想著天主；只有天主才能使我喜悅。」現在她在天堂上，切望我們愛她的聖子。她向聖畢哲說：「女兒，如果你想與我聯結一起，愛我的聖子吧。」
聖德蘭修女曾說過：「假如你嘗試，你會發覺做不到一件大事，但可以用大愛心去做很多的小事情。」但願我們把在愛德內的善功，經過聖母奉獻給耶穌！
