Faith powered by love

What matters is faith that makes its power felt through love ~ Galatians 5: 6

These words, from today's first reading, struck me quite forcefully today. We hear about and talk so often about faith; about what we believe or not, about rules and discipline, about the outward signs which show our faith... but what is faith without love? And what is our faith about if it isn't powered by love?

And how do we show the power and strength of our faith if not through the power and strength of our love? That, after all, is what lies at the heart of the Gospel, of the whole life, message, example and death of Jesus; it is what lies at the heart of God, and of every call to live for God.

May we desire and learn to live so that it is love, only love, which powers our faith, our hope, our way of being, believing, seeing, responding... our whole lives...