st. clare novena

May we love everyone, even our dearest friends, only in God, for God, and according to God! To love people in God is the best way of preventing their human imperfections from tarnishing a friendship, even a spiritual one. Love is more perfect if we see and love God in our neighbor because in this way God will be loved above all else, and our neighbor as much as the love of God demands. We have nothing to fear in a love so selfless! How excellent it is to love our neighbor in God! We must guard against the guiles of self-love tempting us away from this total focus on Divine Love! For in loving God in our neighbor, we can never make a mistake!

Cordial love of the neighbor does not consist in feelings. This love flows not from a heart of flesh but from the heart of our will. We must stop twisting and turning about to discover what we like or dislike. Whether we experience aversion or inclination for something really does not matter, provided only that in our wills, we remain firm and unswerving in pure love. Then we will give God proofs of love amidst the strongest distastes and aversions as well as during consolations and sensible love. Only if we proceed in this way will we improve!

Loving affirmation consists in supporting our neighbors in whatever they say or do, even if we do not understand, even if their actions displease us. We are not astonished by their shortcomings and failings, nor do we harbor any ill feelings towards them. Rather, our attitudes must be transformed into tender and loving compassion for them. Francis de Sales says that love never searches for evil, and if she happens to stumble over it, even then she does not judge.

Gentle love scatters abroad an aura of joy and peace. That is why we try to cherish and please our neighbor. To remain openhearted we must forgive ourselves when we fall and courageously make amends with loving patience. By persevering in such actions, we eventually will be given humble, gracious, and pliable hearts which will enable us to render great services to our Lord.

O God! How rare is perfect and disinterested charity! It seems to me that this is so because people do not apply themselves to the practice of humility and gentleness. A materialistic spirit and self-interest spoil everything. God wants to eliminate such a spirit in us!

We ought to cultivate a simple lifestyle, not so as to accumulate wealth for our own material conveniences, but so that we might be charitable to the needy. Let us give generously and boldly to the poor in the name of our Lord. The blessings of peace and joy will be our reward for such stewardship!

Eagerness to “Live Jesus!” will enable us to exercise holy love in all things, great or small. When we assist neighbors in need, we are a loving support, a help and comfort to them. Since we try to see Jesus in everyone, we will serve each regardless of our personal ease and convenience.

If we wish to possess the virtue of neighborly love, we must accustom ourselves to accept people just as they are, regardless of their failings and actions, even those that offend us. Still, we reprove the faults of those under our charge, especially our own children, but in such a way that they know our love for them is constant and unconditional. For while we have no control over our feelings, we do over our actions. To act thus is to be like Jesus, our model!

If we truly love our neighbors, we refrain from saying anything prejudicial to them. We support everyone as we would like to be supported. We try to give the example that we would like to receive from others. We excuse and forgive the blunders of others as we would like ours to be forgiven and excused. We rejoice in the happiness of others and are sorrowful in their pains, just as we would like them to respond to us in ours. We graciously help others in their needs both by prayer and actual service because in this way we truly show our good-will and love.

Let us keep our hearts and spirits centered in God! We will experience the union with God which the Divine Savior begged from His Father. Before His passion, Jesus prayed that the apostles and all those who believed in Him would be one with Him. Just as the Father was in Him and He in the Father, so all would be united lovingly together in Him. Let us mediate peace within our families. We will grow in virtue. Every family living together in harmony will be richly blessed. May yours and ours be among them!

If we patiently accept through love all that God allows to happen, then we will begin to taste even here on earth something of the delights the saints experience in heaven. But for this we must serve God willingly and lovingly, seeking to obey the Divine Will rather than to follow our own inclinations and desires. For the perfection of love demands that we desire for ourselves only whatever God wills. Let us implore the good God unceasingly to grant us this grace!