Hold Nothing Back -- Give ALL

      You will remember that in our Lord’s counsels for perfection: “Give not only thy coat but thy cloak also”; “Go not only one mile but other two.” He would have us know we are to be wholly forgetful of ourselves and consider only the other. He does not say: “Give thy cloak if thou canst possibly do without it”; “go other two miles if it is convenient, or if you are not too fatigued.” He would not have us consider ourselves in the least. This is generous love and nothing less worthy of a Carmelite soul. These counsels of our Lord are for those desiring perfection, for those who love Him enough to want to be perfect. He knows that such souls – real lovers – will only need to know His good pleasure. They do not consider the cost to themselves, unless it be to offer Him thanks that they can give Him something that does cost. Mother Aloysius of the Blessed Sacrament

     Mother Aloysius is inviting us to heroic, generous love…to love as God has loved us…holding nothing back…and giving ALL!

     We are to imitate the love of the Blessed Trinity: the Father pours Himself out completely to the Son…the Son pours Himself completely to the Father… and Their outpouring of love and complete Self-giving results in the Person of the Holy Spirit!

     There is no thought of “self, but only of the “Other.” It is not doing only what needs to be done but doing more for love of God. We are to make Him present in the world through our selfless self-giving.

     Being generous and selfless, does not come natural to most of us. We can do it for a stretch of time, when necessity calls, but doing it day in and day out, is quite difficult for us. Without the help and grace from God, we will fail. We must realize our limits and cling to God for His assistance, knowing He will not let us down. The Lord hears the cry of the poor!

     Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen tells us: “To become generous, we must first learn to forget ourselves, our own interest, our convenience, our own right, making no account of weariness or pain. We have but one thought: to give ourselves entirely to God and to souls. It desires nothing but to spend life, strength, and talents in serving God, knowing it is in the total gift of self that the greatest love consists. To become generous, we must learn to do with our whole heart, not only what is a duty, but also what, though not obligatory, will give more glory to God.”

     St. Mother Teresa, a contemporary of our times once stated: “Give until it hurts … and then give some more.” This is the perfection that Mother Aloysius is calling us to carry out and witness to our world. It will cost us a great deal, both physically and emotionally, bringing the love of God to those we encounter.

     Keeping our focus on God and our tremendous love for Him, as well as His love for us, will help us to move toward this generous self-giving. Begin by doing everything for God. Do it with love and to the best of your ability. Start with family members. Work without grumbling or complaining. Smile a bit more. See Christ present in them. Add little gestures of kindness, expecting nothing in return. Ask God to pour His love into your heart to enable you to continue to give selflessly. Remind yourself you are doing this for love of God and not for those you are serving. When you feel like it is becoming more natural to you, open wide your scope of people, little by little until, by God’s grace and your cooperation, it becomes a way of life. God will stretch out your heart, pouring His love into it, enabling you to love more as He does.

     As we become more selfless and generous, we will become more aware of the ways God is calling us to love. God will know that we have become “such a soul – real lovers – who only need to know His good pleasure,” and then with a heart full of love, will do whatever He tells them. This call to perfection can only be carried out by a magnanimous soul: one who loves God enough to give “whether it is convenient or not, wholly forgetting ourselves and only thinking of the other.”

     We are talking about the action of saints: living heroic virtue for the love of God and neighbor! We will not be able to achieve this without the grace of God and our openness to act with it, along with a deep desire “to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” Mt 5:48.

     Let us ask God to instill within our souls a profound hunger to move towards His call to perfection by imitating God’s perfect love and giving without counting the cost. 

     May Mother Aloysius intercede for us to achieve this lofty goal.

     “You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion.” 2 Corinthians 9:11.