Blogs from Jupiter

A text message from a friend woke me up late in the morning. And it was a question whether she should a send a text message that will officially make her break up with her problematic and confused boyfriend. I texted her to let me see it first before she sends. The text was about saying goodbye (officially) and the shortcomings of her lover, and I advised her yes, send it. I know the process of letting go is never easy and its always hard to find closure in complicated relationships. I told her, if you really love the person, set him free. It is the only way you could set yourself free as well. At the end of our exchange of text messages, she ended up not sending it. She’s not ready to really let him go.

Last night, I had time to read and contemplate readings on St. Therese of Liseux’s Way of Love and Confidence:

"What does it mean to love? To love is to give onleself. Living on Love is giving without claiming any wages here below. Ah! I give without counting, truly sure that when one loves, one does not keep count. It belongs to love to sacrifice everything, to give genorously, to become a spendthrift, to act with folly. Love is prodigal to excess and never counts the cost; love knows not how to calculate and freely foregoes all of hope of any dividends. Oh! Happy recklessness! Oh! Blessed intoxication of love! Oh! For that love which gives all with the total surrender of self besides! Nevertheless, with many of us how often is it only after the greatest deliberation that we finally give way; how to loath we are to sacrifice our temporal advantages and our spiritual interests. Does this deserve the name of love? No, for love is blind; its a torrent that rapidly sweeps up everything in its train.

In all your actions, try to avoid the least trace of self seeking. The one who really loves rejoices at the hapiness of his beloved and makes all the sacrifices."

I texted her these quotes. And she told me, if that’s the case, she shouldn’t be texting him at all as she is counting. I replied that after texting him her goodbyes, send another text that she forgives him and that for her to seek forgiveness as well. It was one tall order for her to seek forgiveness.

"Love is forgiving, understanding and kind"– Helen Keller

I am no Dr. Love. I have my own pittfalls when it comes to love. I admit that I count a lot of times, and that I have my moments of self seeking when it comes to my relationships. But the only way to liberate ourselves from the follies of love is to let love seek you. Allow love itself liberate you. Like what St. Therese said: "the one who really loves rejoices at the hapiness of his beloved and makes all the sacrifices."

Or better yet, level our love a notch higher by allowing God to come into the picture. Because at the end of the day, God is Love.