Blessed Mother loved God so much that her overflowing love bore a Son of God to save the entire human race. Her deep and passionate love for God is unmistakably on display for the whole world to see through the labor of her love, Our Lord Jesus. While I was praying the rosary this morning, I contemplated on Mary’s depth of love for God. Her pure and obedient love helped God accomplished His will for the redemption of all humanity. God desired to give a free gift. And to do that, He sacrificed the free wills of certain people He has chosen. And Mother Mary was one of them.

The result of her obedience and love was Jesus. She loved God and God loved her and Jesus came into the world to love the whole world. Jesus came with a great task. His mission was to draw the people of all nations back to God. He was called to be born a humanbeing and walk on the earth with the lost flock to bring them back to His Father’s house. And He was to do it through love alone.

He didn’t have a knife to threaten anyone back to His Father’s place.

He didn’t have a gun to control the violence.

He knew those won’t work.

But he had more powerful medium. He had the Word. He knew he carried the Holy Spirit, knew that he was the embodiment of the Holy Spirit, the most powerful medium for His mission. Holy Spirit carries the will of God. People are drawn to God by the touch of the Holy Spirit. And Jesus became a bridge for us that we may cross over the troubled water. He did it out of love for God, love for His people.

It is amazing what love can accomplish.

Love will carry you through life all the way to the finish line.

It was a beautiful Saturday. I woke up feeling brighter, much brighter. I was a happy barista all morning, and then a happy babysitter in the afternoon. My nephew came back from his soccer game rejoicing his team’s victory. They had won by 10 to 0.  Dad and I went to the Dollar Tree store to buy some supplies for my craft project. My victorious nephew came with us. I got him a glowing boomerang, and I got myself a small solar light and a glass jar to make a solar lantern. The boomerang will glow at night, and my solar lantern will warm the night. I intended to fill my world with lights. I desired to brighten the darkness. I was glad that my nephew was joining me in my new project.

That late afternoon, we went out to have sushi and sashimi dinner. It was just my parents, my sister and I. The four of us went out like we used to do when we were young. Before we left home, before we plunged into the adulthood. We gave thanks to God for bringing us together after all the years we have endured in separation. We missed the sister that lives in Seoul with her husband and children, but we knew if God allows, all of us will be together fully united. One day, the day will come.

The late sunlight was so bright on our way to the Asian market. It was quite chilly after the big rain we got recently but the sunlight won out. The warmth of the sun heated the chilly Spiring day, and I knew it was another story of the love God had for us. The story was written in the warmth of the sunlight.

I was sitting in the passenger seat while my sister was driving us to the market. My parents were sitting in the back.

“Why do you have a smile on your face?”, my sister asked suddenly. I didn’t even realize that I was smiling.

I turned to tell her why I was smiling. I turned to tell her where my mind had just been.

In my mind, I was sitting on the top of a low hill. It was so green, so breezy, but it was such a warm day. And I was exuberating my happiness, shouting;

“Live! I’m going to live!”

I have just made my final decision to live and never turn my face away from it. No matter what may come, no matter what my brain makes me feel, no matter the hardship, I am going to live for the joy and love of God, enveloped in the great love of our Lord Jesus and Mother Mary. Kindled by the Holy Spirit, I will burn, and burn, with passionate love for life.

Yes, I am going to live. All the way to the finish line.

That was why I was smiling on the car ride.