The Power of Love

The Power of Love

Fr. Jos. Le Van Quang - CSSR

 Father  Joseph Le Van Quang is a priest of Redemptorist Congregation. He is a doctor about psychology, is author of many valuable books about  Pastoral experience, Psychology of education, Psychology of marriage and Psychology of serving patients. Now, he is doing his apostolate in Taiwan. He not only spends his time to do apostolate but also writes book from the experiences in his life.

“The power of love” is a book which had written from the experiences of his life and his apostolate when he became a priest until he went to Taiwan. It's all valuable experiences which he experienced during the time he had lived in Vietnam. He faced with many difficulties, challenges but with the power of love helped him overcome all. However, he said that: The power of love must come from God, only God's love is just strong enough to help him overcome the difficulties during the time he went to do apostolate. He would like to introduce this book to the readers, especially the priests, the religious  who carry the mission of serving others with desire is everyone can recognize the power of God’s love in this life. This book focuses three main themes are: the first is the power of love is forgiveness, the second is the power of love is sacrifice, the third is the power of love is faith.

He wrote that: “ If we want to have peace in our soul and happiness in our life, we have no other path except the path of love ”. Truly, we can live without food, lack of clothes, but can not live without love. Love is a the deepest desires of us. For some people, love is something of passion. For others, love is something  of romance.  For some others, love is something relate to sex. However for God, love is something that can not describe in words but by His death on the cross for us. That is the most perfect evidence shows that God is love. He only knows love, and do it all for love. God's love is infinite, but we never can hold or control it because His love doesn’t spend for a person but for all of us.

       The first, the power of love is forgiveness. The love of God is so great, but when we are sad, boring, disappointed we do not remember or feel that His love always besides us whether we have many mistakes and willing to reject the presence of God in our life. Sometimes, we do not want to face with our mistakes though we feel unhappy and we think that God will never forgive, so it is time we are wasting  His love, because he will never be angry with us. He knows that we are easy to commit sin, so He always waits us come with Him. We really love us and He always willings to forgive our sins. He invites us to His Love through confession. When we commit sin, only confession just bring us back to Him, to His love. God said that: “ Go, and sin no more”._{John 8,11}. This is a forgiveness that contain a message with full of sympathy and great love to us who are  sinners. God is not too strict with our mistakes, he will never close His heart when we repent and return to him. In contrast, with a kind heart, a open hands, God always invites and waits for us to return. God dared to die for us, so He also willings to forgive our mistake. Therefore, we have to believe completely, let put our life in His hand, in His Love. However, God also wants us to forgive others as He said that: “Forgive as the Lord forgave you”_{Colossians 3, 13}.  Actually, We are very easy to judge, hurt and bring suffering to others, but we feel very hard to forgive the mistakes that others make for us. God always invites us let forgive for those who hurt us. It is so difficult, but with the power of love from God we will strong enough to forgive, to pray and to love others, especially our enemies. When we forgive to others that is time we return to peace in our soul, happiness in our life and live in God’s love. God brought love to our life, and He also wanted His love blossoming on the earth. Only the power of love just makes us become in one and become brotherhood in Jesus Christ.

         The second is the power of love is sacrifice. God came to this world in a poor family and received sufferings. He sacrificed, abandoned His glory to experience the life of on earth. And only because of love that He was ready to sacrifice his life, death on the cross to be redemption for man.  He has loved us and chose the path of pain. Really the power of love that God gave us so great that we can not understand. However, he also wants us to understand and empathize with Him, so He also wants us to love Him and willing to sacrifice for Him. God died for us, and now we also learn to die for Him. By  death every day of themself, we just understand the value and beauty of mystery of the passion of Jesus Christ. Only when we dare to die for love, we can experience a deep meaning of the mystery of the passion of Jesus Christ. Sacrifice that God wants us to do is love Him, let choose him as a best friend in our life, let give Him a position in our heart, let spend time to talk and share with Him every day, let listen to His voice every day, let accept difficulties in this life with a faith in God, let him guides us ... and especially love those around us. This is not easy, but with the love God and the love we give Him. He will have way to guide and help us. One thing more, He wants us to do is sacrifice to serve. Service is an important part of love. When we serve other, that is time we show both love and sacrifice of ourselves. Truly, only the power of God’s love can make us sacrifice and serve other with a generosity.

        The third, the power of love is faith. In this life, sometimes we have problems or challenges, we often complain and blame God, we ask where God is or why he does not help us. Sometimes we doubt the presence of God and  His love in our life. Such times it requires us to have a strong faith in God, it is time that faith is extremely important to us. These difficulties can make us fall and lose way, if we do not have a strong faith and a strong love in God. Therefore, faith  requires a courage to believe in the love of God. When we dare conviction that although we are unworthy, but God still accepts and loves us, that time we will not be worried, afraid anymore. When we believe in God’s love, we no longer have to worry about loneliness, challenges, difficulties because faith gives us a freedom from all anxiety, fear in our life. Only with faith, we just can find true peace and true happiness in this complex life. And also with faith, the pain in our heart just can heal perfectly. Indeed, when we are disappointed, only the faith in God just brings us to new spiritual life. However, the most importance to have a strong faith in God's love. We must have an intense love in God. Only love can help us trust, set all future and whole life in God. Only love can help us courage to trust  to follow Him, though there are many difficulties ahead. Only love can help us to abandon everything  to believe in providence and His plan for our life. And only the power of love can help us do things above.

         Through this book, I feel my love gives God too little. I always said I love Him, I want to become His friend, want to offer my life to Him, choose Him is all my life, but my love gave Him not strong enough. I said a lot but did not act. I did not really let Him own  my life, and sometimes I still did not really trust to sacrifice my life for Him. I have not spent much time for Him, my heart still spends for money, fame and desire... Sometimes I did not want to see the presence of God in my life when I had failed or bored. The book took me back to my faults, the times I made Him sad or when I forgot His presence in my life. Therefore, what must I do to to have a intense love in God? That is a question I will companion with all my life. I know that I have the ability to answer that question, but I'm still scared to act. Therefore, I have to try more, pray more, need a courage to “die” for my love is Jesus and only the power of God’s love can help me do it.