Will you?

Mar 12

I just received a handwritten note from a parishioner at Our Lady of Lourdes. I’ve known this personsince I started celebrating Mass at the parish in 2015. Recently, he moved away from Toledo, OH to be closer to family, and I will miss him. In his note, there was a line I brought back to prayer. He was referring to when I first came to Our Lady of Lourdes. He wrote, “I prayed often that you would love our parish community.” I sat with this prayer because it reflects a desire we all have. This is an invitation to love what he loves. I started praying on how often I’m really asking the same question, “Will you love what I love?”

Think about how this question is done subtly, Netflix, podcast, and book recommendations. It’s almost like saying, “I loved these! Will you love them?” When I share something I care about, like walking someone through my garden, “Will you love what I love?” It can get harder though. I think of when I share my hopes and dreams, “I love this idea! Do you love it too!?” Finally, I think of the times I meet graduates for marriage prep, “I love my fiance.’ Will you love whom I love?” This is the underlying question when you introduce significant others to friends and family: “Will you love whom I love?” This is often an underlying question.

I brought this reflection to the Gospel of Luke 9:28-36 for this Sunday. It is the Transfiguration of Jesus where Jesus’ clothes turn dazzling white, and the three apostles hear a voice from the cloud say, “This is My chosen Son; listen to Him.” Is this essentially, “Will you love My Son whom I love?”

Looking for people to love what I love is natural, but it is also a recipe for great upset. Of course, I will still do it and share the things I love, but I cannot pin my hope on the outcome. I can share my thoughts, hopes, ideas, and garden, but I cannot expect people to love them like I do. Therefore, I have to change my prayer. It can no longer be, “Lord, have people love what I love.” It must become, “Lord, help me to love what You love.” - “This is My chosen Son; listen to Him.”