Are you in a dilemma? Check your motivation. Are you moved by love or by fear? - Daily Bible Reflections October 30,2015

THE LOVE CHECK

 

Then he said to them, “Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?”– Luke 14:5

 

       In the cold, tail-end of winter, with a bouquet of roses and a love letter in my hand, I walked up to her doorstep and rang the bell. For the past 17 months, I had done everything I knew to win her back, hoping she would recommit to our 13-year relationship. The ringing of the bell lingered in my ears.

       No answer. I rang the doorbell a second time. No answer. A third time. Then, through the stained-glass door, I saw a silhouette of a woman approached the door. As soon as she recognized me, she turned and walked back into her castle.

       I had traveled across the seas hoping to win her back. I was at a crossroads — to pursue her further or to let go. I had to ask myself, “What was the loving thing to do at this point — not just for her but for myself as well?”

       Jesus asked a similar question to resolve the issue in today’s Gospel. Would it be loving to leave your son in a cistern because you fear the judgment of others? Sometimes, complex questions become simple when we boil it down to a question of love.

       As for me, I didn’t win her back. I turned my back and won the future that was ahead of me. Edwin S. Soriano (ka_edong@edwinsoriano.com)

 

Reflection: Are you in a dilemma? Check your motivation. Are you moved by love or by fear?

 

Lord, let love be my primary motivation in life.

 

St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, pray for us.