Love In Action: A love that is lived
Mary’s Visitation shows us that love is more than words. It notices, makes the journey, remains beside another person, and becomes a love that is lived.
White statue of Mary holding the child Jesus beside a leafy plant near a window.
A Thought to Begin
“Goodness works quietly, the power of love is expressed in the unassuming quietness of daily service.”
Scripture
“Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste… Mary remained with her about three months.”
—Luke 1:39-56 (NABRE)
Reflection
I received a beautiful Waterford statue of Mary as a bridal shower gift.
I loved it for its beauty, but at the time I did not yet understand the role Mary would come to play in my life or how deeply I would rely on her love and guidance.
That understanding came later.
After our daughter Caitlin died at three months old, I began turning to Mary in a new way.
Mary knew what it was to love a child completely. She also knew what it was to watch her child suffer and to remain at His side when she could not take that suffering away.
I found comfort in not needing to explain my pain to her. She understood a mother’s love and a mother’s grief. I turned to her daily, praying for the grace to live my life in a way that allowed me to feel not only God’s love, but also the enduring love of my precious daughter Caitlin. In time, this prayer led me to seek ways to reach out to others in love and service.
For many years, I most often pictured Mary standing at the foot of the Cross. Her presence comforted me because she understood both a mother’s love and a mother’s sorrow.
But when I reflect on Mary through the lens of Love in Action, I am reminded of the Visitation.
After receiving life-changing news, Mary did not keep to herself. When she learned that Elizabeth was expecting a child in her old age, she went “in haste” to be with her—to share not only her love, but Jesus.
She did more than speak words of love or promise prayer. She made the journey. She showed up and remained with Elizabeth for about three months.
She showed her love by living it.
What may have seemed like a simple visit was, in truth, an incredible act of love: one woman choosing to be present to another.
Mary has taught me, and continues to teach me, that love in action means going wherever love calls us.
It means offering an extra hand.
It means sharing joy, celebrating with another person, and helping them recognize how deeply they are loved and accepted.
It means staying when we cannot remove another’s pain.
It means listening when there are no words that can bring true comfort or reassurance.
It means praying, sitting quietly, sharing hugs and tears, and reminding someone that they are not alone.
Sometimes we are called to go. Sometimes we are called to stay.
Both are acts of love.
Although the original Waterford statue was later broken, the crystal statue of Mary I have today carries the same meaning. It reminds me not only of Mary’s presence during one of the most painful seasons of my life, but also of the kind of love I hope to live each day.
A love that notices.
A love that is willing to journey.
A love that remains.
A love that is lived.
Something to Think About…
“It is we who have to be His love, His compassion in the world of today.”
How might God be asking me to become His love and compassion for someone today?
Continue exploring Love in Action
Love in Action: In Deed
Who has God placed in your path today? I am learning that living my faith means noticing those everyday opportunities to share His love—and choosing to respond.
A Thought to Begin
“Love ought to show itself in deeds more than in words.”
— St. Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises
“It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the action that we do.”
Scripture
“Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.”
Reflection
At the end of Mass, I often hear these words:
“Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.”
I cannot honestly say there have been many times that I stayed and reflected on those words or considered how God was inviting me to live them.
But I do think about the spirit of those words often.
I don’t believe they simply mean volunteering at the soup kitchen once a month and calling it good. I believe they are an invitation to a way of life.
As I have come to understand God’s love in my own life, I have also come to realize that His desire is for each of us to share that love with others—not only with our family and friends, but with every person He places in our path.
Over the years, two saints have especially shaped the way I try to live out that calling: St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Teresa of Calcutta.
St. Ignatius reminds me that love is shown more in deeds than in words.
Mother Teresa reminds me that it is not how much I do, but how much love I put into what I do.
Together, they remind me that every act of love matters. God isn’t asking me to do everything. He is simply asking me to love the people He places in my path, using the unique gifts He has given me.
That became a life-changing realization.
I began to notice the opportunities God places before me every single day.
When someone unexpectedly comes back into my life, I often find myself asking:
“Lord, why have You placed this person back in my path? How are You inviting me to love them? What do You want me to learn?”
Have you ever wondered why God places certain people in your path, no matter how small a role they seem to play?
Maybe it is the cashier at the grocery store.
Maybe it is the elderly neighbor.
Maybe it is the coworker who needs an encouraging word.
Maybe it is the young mother struggling with her little ones at Mass.
I have come to believe that no one enters our lives by accident. Every person God places in our path is an opportunity to share His love.
Will we notice?
Will we take the opportunity to reach out?
Will we choose to become the hands and feet of Christ?
After all, that is what life is really all about—sharing God’s love.
Our family has a simple motto:
“The heart is happiest when it beats for others.”
I have found those words to be beautifully simple…and profoundly true.
Something to Think About…
Who has God placed in my path today, and how might He be inviting me to love them?
My prayer is that together we will begin to recognize the people God places in our path and discover that when we share God’s love with others, our own hearts become happiest.
Because love is never wasted.
Every act of kindness, every encouraging word, every quiet sacrifice, and every moment of compassion becomes another way Christ loves the world through us.