After my grandfather died, my grandmother’s sadness extended into a lengthy depression. She lived in upstate New York, far away from our home in Cleveland, Ohio, so we were not close enough to physically be with her very often. But one day my husband and I had an idea. Knowing that she loved animals, we found a beautiful white kitten at the shelter and brought her to my grandmother. She named her Muffin. Within a week or so, we saw that Grandma had more energy and that she was back to baking her famous molasses cookies and to telling stories of her youth. She laughed as she told us how Muffin liked to sit on the back of her chair when she was reading or how she snuggled up to her in bed at night. The love between Muffin and my grandmother extended her life by many years.
Jesus, the Master of Love
Jesus knew that our lives depend on love. He knew that we are already endowed with Love, but that we must develop our capacity for giving and receiving it. His Greatest Commandment is not merely the right thing to do, it also teaches us how to work in harmony with the energy of this Universe.The most important commandment,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” –Mark 12: 28-31
Jesus taught this because he knew that Love is the Life Force of the Universe. It is the spiritual food that we live and thrive on. It is the power of God in activity through us. In fact, our well-being and the well-being of our family, our friends, and of the whole world depends on Love and on the capacity for giving and receiving love.
Love is Spiritual Food
Last week I was at Target and observed a mother with her child. The mother looked angry and spoke loudly to the child to “Stop that!” and “Be quiet!” as she slapped his hand away from the cat toy he was touching. I saw that she was starving – starving for love. And because she was starving, she had nothing to give her son, who was starving too. I took a moment to get quiet and after engaging my heart, enfolded her with love, affirming that she was patient and kind. Then I continued my shopping. I encountered them a little while later, and her whole demeanor was different. She was smiling at her son and seemed more peaceful and relaxed.
Each of us can feed ourselves and one another with the spiritual food of Love. It’s important that we begin our days by giving ourselves this meal of Love as we sit in meditation each morning. We can then go through our days feeding others, the many others who are starving. Perhaps this is the deeper meaning behind Jesus’ miracle of feeding the 5000.
Love is Real Power
Both Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Theresa said that “Where there is love, there is God.” Where Love is given and received, there is God in activity. Love is our God-given Power to solve the problems of our lives and to help others solve theirs. Perhaps best of all, Love does not require our words – only our active hearts.
In this world, money and position are considered power and many starving people are trying to substitute these for the real power of Love. Yet Jesus told us that if we access the Kingdom of God within ourselves – the Kingdom of Love – that we would have all the things necessary to fulfill our lives.
We can use our power of love to heal. Kyle is 12 years old and has a brain tumor. He has undergone a long regimen of chemotherapy and the treatments left him so depleted that his body was not making platelets. His grandmother came to us for healing prayers. We suggested to her that she join us in encouraging Kyle’s body by actively sending him love and reassurance. We spoke the word of healing for him; that his body would begin making platelets and that a bone marrow transplant would not be necessary. It took a few months, but Kyle’s body responded well and he is now back in school, fully recovered.
Love is within all of us. Love nurtures and feeds us. Love is the power that we can use to heal our bodies, our relationships, and even our finances. Love is God. With Love, we create lives of health and happiness and abundance.