Happy Hump Day and…the first Wednesday of February.
What does February mean to you? What is the first thought that comes to mind when I say the word February?
I imagine some common responses might be:
- Love
- Penance (with Lent beginning)
- Groundhog Day
- A birthday (mine 🙂)
- An anniversary
- Flowers
- The first signs of spring (not for Manitobans… but perhaps for others)
Anything else?
I would guess that many of you thought of love, so let’s sit with that word for a moment… what it really means to love and to build a culture of love. And remember, culture implies community. Love was never meant to be reserved only for those closest to us.
As you know, love is not a feeling; it is a decision. It is the choice to bring goodwill into another person’s day. Because of that, love can take many forms. It might look like holding the door open for someone who is struggling, spending time with the sick or lonely, picking something up at the store for another person, dropping your child off at school, taking the garbage to the curb, or preparing dinner for your family.
These small, ordinary acts of love are the ones that build a
quiet, resilient culture—one that adversity cannot easily touch. Making these daily love deposits and showing up for your neighbour (whether friend, spouse, or stranger) is what brings the deepest peace into your life, often without you even realizing it.
Building a culture of love also means seeing the good in others. It means seeing the human person for who they are, perhaps even recognizing the suffering soul within them—rather than focusing on their faults, limitations, or struggles. Offering a listening ear or a simple smile instead of coldness is one of the greatest acts of love, and often one of the most difficult.
Love also shapes how we pray. How often do we approach God, asking Him to do our will, rather than seeking His? We often hear about the 80/20 rule when it comes to food: eat whole foods 80% of the time and indulge 20% of the time. I sometimes think prayer should follow a similar rhythm: spending most of our time praising God, and less time petitioning Him.
At Mass this morning, my priest said something that I wanted to share with you: if you have your health, you are richer than any other man and need not ask for anything more. Isn’t that true? We often repeat the cliché, your health is everything, but do we actually wake up with that awareness each day? Or do we lie in bed mentally listing everything that needs to get done?
Perhaps we should be thanking God that we have things to do, rather than depending on others to care for us because we are confined to bed by illness.
This February—and every month of the year—let us open our eyes, minds, and hearts to build a beautiful ecology of love.