Love that can be seen

Christian love is not only an inner attitude, but is shown by concrete facts, by acts that can be seen, starting simply with a smile. This is the invitation Chiara Lubich launches in the following writing. And even if during the pandemic our smile may be hidden behind a mask, there are a thousand other ways to show our love

“Love one another”.^[1] This is the vocation of every Christian, but we could also say it is our vocation in particular.

In the last few days I was struck by what was said of the first Christians: “See how they love one another and are ready to die for one another.”^[2]

Therefore people could see that each of them was ready to die for the others. This might have been because in times of persecution it was not unusual for one of them to offer to die instead of another. Nonetheless, the fact remains that this measure of love among Christians could be seen.

Generally speaking, we are not actually asked to die, even though we should always be ready to do so. Every act of mutual love should be based on this foundation. …

May all we do show that we are ready to die for our brothers and sisters; whether it is simply a smile, or a gesture, or an act of love, a word or some advice, our appreciation, or a correction given at the right moment.

May our love be seen, certainly not to show off but to make sure we have the powerful weapon of witness.

We too, like the first Christians, often find ourselves in a world without God, a world that is de-Christianized. Therefore we must bear witness to Jesus.

                                                                             Chiara Lubich

(Taken from a telephone conference call, Rocca di Papa, 11^th May 1989)

[1] Jn 13:34.

[2] Tertullian, Apologeticus, 39:7.