the greatest love that anyone could ever know..

..that overcame the cross and grave to find my soul..

this is one of my favorite songs.. it's simply moving..

and what about that song? nothing special. it's just that now more than ever, i feel that crazy little thing called LOVE.. but it's not just love.. it's a very special love, the perfect one.

one of the tasks i've written in my "to-do list" for today is blogging. i even wrote down the things i want to share.. but as jireh said in one of his blogs, and i quote: "It's amazing how inspirations or motivations come at us all of a sudden. Without warning, without even a hint that it's coming. And you are glad it's that way because you wouldn't have had it any other way. It's like a nice surprise present."

indeed, today i was inspired to write something about LOVE. i know it's the first of April, and it's definitely not the "love month" but that's what my heart tells me to write about.. and i trust my heart. :)

the inspiration actually came from shy's blog (Paano Ba Ako Magmahal? =)), particularly the Bridgemaster video from YouTube. (thanks for sharing sis!)

i've been wanting to blog about last Sunday's homily (the grain of wheat) but i just couldn't find enough inspiration to do so.. until i came across that Bridgemaster video.

it is only now, just now, that i am able to organize my thoughts.

and here's that powerful message.. the message of LOVE..

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but shall have everlasting life." - who can ever forget that famous verse (John 3:16)?

2 Sundays ago, Father Hernan, in his homily, asked us, "if we weren't sinners, do you think God would still send His Son?"

what do you think? yes, still? not anymore? maybe?

the answer is YES. because God sent Jesus because of His LOVE for us. to save us from our sins is just a consequence of that love, therefore, a secondary reason.

and how is it connected to last Sunday's homily? simply this: God showed His love for us through His Son's sacrifice.. how we respond to that sacrifice, is our way of showing how we love God.

the essence of last Sunday's Gospel is found in this verse: "Amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit." (John 12:24)

Jesus came to die, not to live. just as He did, we are called to live a life of sacrifice. the proper response to The Son's sacrifice is also a sacrifice. let me explain further. :)

in the Bridgemaster video, the father sacrificed his son to save the lives of the passengers. a certain lady, an addict, witnessed how deeply hurt the father was. and that made her think of the life she leads. in the end, she chose to make the sacrifice of change (i strongly believe that to change for the better is one big sacrifice, a very challenging one). and when that father (who lost his son) saw that lady again, carrying her son, he smiled for he knew his son's life was indeed able to save a lost soul.

i believe that is also also how God feels every time a sinner repents and finally seeks devotion. and i guess that's all He ever wanted.

Father Babes made his point clear during his homily last Sunday: "LET OTHERS BENEFIT FROM YOUR SACRIFICE." Jesus sacrificed His life so that we may benefit from His death; He's the grain of wheat which fell to the ground, died, and produced lot of fruits - changed lives, healed wounds, blessed minds, purified hearts. ^_^

just like the grain of wheat, let not our lives be just a matter of existence and death, let it be a LIFE THAT MATTERS, A LIFE WELL LIVED, A LIFE OF SACRIFICE FOR OTHERS. i remember this: "it's not how long you lived, but HOW WELL you lived." do we live for ourselves? or do we live for others and for God?

again, God so loved us that He sent His Son not to live, but to die for us. as a response to that love and sacrifice, let's not just live for ourselves, instead, let us live to die for others. i think that's the best way to show our love for the Father. ^_^

just a random thought.. something to think about.. ^_^ in the Lord's Prayer, the word "love" was never mentioned. they say that it's because the greatest expression of love is forgiveness. ^_^

that's all. let LOVE rule! ^_^

I will live to LOVE YOU.
I will live to bring YOU praise.
I will live a child in awe of YOU.
(Til I See You, Hillsong United)