If we think about something beautiful or imagine something wonderful, we know our heart is filled with good feeling. What about love? The words like romantic, fantastic, first kiss and honeymoon come along with the image of love we have. About five years ago, I went out to give a vocation talk like the seminarians here on Saturday. The pastor had a wedding on that day and he was invited to the reception. So he took me to the reception. Everyone seemed happy and joyful there. When it was a time for dancing, many begun dancing with the bride and groom. There were one man and woman who caught my eye. They were dancing with such a joy, swinging back and forth, intently looking at, constantly smiling at each other and not concerning anyone else. They were in love, I knew. That was a true and intense love.
We long for this kind of love—intense feeling, intimate relationship, and strong sense of belonging. In fact, our longing for love lies in the essence of our belief because we believe in the God who is love, the communion of love in Trinity through which we find the meaning of our life, even in the suffering. But people think, sometimes, the vocation to love is only for the religious or priests. However, the truth is that all Christians’ vocation starts, grows and bears fruit in love. Whether you are in marriage or single life, all vocation roots in love. Without love how can a husband or a wife find a meaning in their marriage? As St. Paul said, “If I have the gift of prophecy, and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” Without love, our life isn’t worth living. What profit is that if someone lives and dies without loving or being loved in his or her life? Our vocation to the true love is our destiny to which we live, move and have our being.