New Month

Where did January go? It seems that we had just celebrated the Holidays and now we are in the beginning of the second month of February in the year of our Lord 2010. A month that has a day of celebration of love on Valentines day. We had the reading yesterday that many pick for part of their wedding package. The second reading from 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13 that has "Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, it is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails," these words are placed in cards as well for those who love.

Upon reflecting these words from Sundays reading, I took a good look in my own life and asked many questions of myself. Do I love this way? Am I patient with my family and those around me? Am I kind to my family and those who I encounter? Have I been jealous at any time when others have been rewarded or have found something I may not have? Do I puff myself up as if I am more important than my neighbor? Is my ego inflated because I have more than those who have less? Am I rude to my family and those around me? Do I seek my own interest rather than my neighbors best interest? Do I get angry easily? Have I brooded over injuries? Have I rejoiced over a wrongdoing? These have all been good questions to see if the love I have for my neighbor and myself are on the up and up. But the greatest question I asked myself also was about these questions and my relationship with God.

I look deeply into these questions and see if I also have been patient to my loving God, since he responds in his own time regarding prayer and questions that may have not been answered. Have I been kind to him? And the list went on. Our relationship with family and friends and the love we say we have, the answers would have been easy. But if we also asked them about our personal relationship with God how then would those answers be? I know how mine came out, do any of you know how those questions may have been answered for yourself. It's possible that we would see that there are areas that need some correcting. Give it try and ponder the gifts of love. Maybe we would find that not only in our daily relationships we would work harder at giving love, but also find that we need to work even harder on loving God.