“Let us love, for that is what our hearts are made for.” (Thérèse of Lisieux)
With her simple yet unerring insight, the so-called “Little Thérèse” amazes us once again by getting right to the heart of the matter. We are created for love, and only when we love do we awaken to our true nature. Is that surprising?
No, it has always been God’s will. Our heavenly Father has always loved us. When He called us into being, He gave us everything we need for life with that same love, whether in the natural or the supernatural order. Since God Himself is love (1 John 4:16), everything springs from this love and is permeated by it. So why would the Father give us a heart that cannot love? After all, we are created in His image!
Yet, love is indeed a great challenge for us, even though it is easy to see that it is the most beautiful, richest, and most perfect thing. It’s no coincidence that the Apostle Paul teaches: “I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” (1 Cor. 13:1), and he extols love in many ways.
We know why we do not simply act in accordance with this truth, and why our hearts have strayed or grown cold. We also know God’s response to our turning away: the revelation of an even greater love, which we contemplate on the cross. In The Little Book of the Father, God speaks of His desire to melt the ice around our hearts.
Therefore, we know where we must go if we wish to respond to Saint Thérèse’s loving invitation. We choose love and offer our hearts to the One who always loves, so that He may set them ablaze and so that we may do what we were called to do in life.