You are loved

I was in Trafalgar Square on Saturday with a sister here to learn English, when a young man, probably in his mid-teens, approached us, shyly proffering this homemade heart. So you know you are loved, he murmured, so quietly I scarcely heard his words; but, briefly catching sight of the scripture reference, I accepted. He and the young women he was with beamed when I thanked them saying that I too am a Christian - and yes, I know I am loved. 

John 3:16... Even without bibles to hand, my sister and I could easily guess the verse: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost, but may have eternal life. A promise and an assurance which - oh yes! - lets us know that we are loved.

This is the Gospel for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, known as Laetare Sunday - a call to rejoice and exult, in joyful anticipation of Easter. And really, what Gospel could be better for such a day than one which reminds us of the unmeasurable immensity with which we are loved? Love, as the Michael Ball song says, changes everything; how you live, and how you die - and just the conviction of being loved can have a similar effect. There is such joy in knowing we are loved - truly, completely and tenderly loved - and in knowing the One who is the source of all love. And there is joy, too, in ensuring others know that they are loved - the joy I saw in the young man's delighted smile, when I accepted his homemade heart.

You are loved... The young man didn't know he'd handed this message to a Sacred Heart sister, whose mission is to make known the love of God's Heart... and who also happens to be a blogger! And what better way to begin this week than with a homemade heart, a trinity of roses, and a reminder to me, and to everyone who reads this - You are loved. 

May we all know and see this love in our own lives, and make love - human and divine - known to those we encounter, especially those who most need to know that they are indeed loved.