Where love begins

God wants us to be happy. A very good venue is through the family. The secret is to love like the saints did. A lifetime of loving and serving each other in a family offers us plenty of opportunities to love. Indeed, we are saved by our relationships with God, others, nature, and one’s self.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount beginning the Beatitudes with either of the words: ‘blessed’ or ‘happy’. For example, “Blessed are those who are pure of heart…” Too often, our hearts are divided and they govern us through our passions, resulting to unhappiness. God should be our focus and all the rest will fall into place. Similarly, “Blessed are the poor in spirit…” These are the ones who are dependent on God. They are not attached or too preoccupied with honor, power, glory, wealth, or other worldly pleasures which only bring bondage, leading to emptiness. Again, “Happy are the merciful…” Mercy is similar to love. He wants us to be meek. The path to love is not easy, but we only have to look at the Holy Family where Jesus grew up. The family must have exuded inner peacefulness which clearly radiates in the disposition and teachings of Jesus. Let us be a single-hearted people, loving God first and foremost!