"So faith, hope, and love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love."
-1 Corinthians 13:13
I want to love beyond my life.
Love, that unarguable essence of God's Grace, echoes throughout eternity. As St. Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians: when all else vanishes, it remains alongside hope and faith.
What will become of the mark you make on eternity with your life? What will remain when all else passes? Will you give the world the gift God placed on your heart?
I'm reminded of how our gifts can allow us to love beyond our lives when I listen to one of my favorite YouTube videos by a popular singer Christina Grimmie. Some may remember Christina for her performances on the NBC reality show The Voice. After the show finished, Christina started performing in public until one day in 2016 tragedy struck. After a performance in Florida, a gunman approached Christina and fatally shot her.
When I watch the video of Christina performing her own cover of "In Christ Alone" even over a year after she was killed, it reminds me that her gift, the gift God gave her for music and joy and love, still are making an impact in the lives of people all over the world. In fact, when I started writing this the video had 4,674,202 views and her channel had 3,821,402 subscribers. By the time I write these words, she has gained 88 views on that video and 35 subscribers to her channel.
And this will continue to happen, she will continue to make an impact, her videos will continue to draw people to the love of God through her gift of music for as long as YouTube exists.
That's pretty awesome!!!!
This is what the saints have done through the ages, is it not? They write books, raise families, start organizations, give charitably, create films, start podcasts, leave videos, and make their mark in so many other ways both simple and profound. Not everyone needs to have a YouTube channel or three million subscribers to make an impact. Small acts of kindness given with great love make the same dent in the universe.
That's the key: whatever the act, big or small, to do it with great love is to send out a ripple into the universe that will echo forever.
So today, tomorrow, and everyday of your life, whatever you do, do it with remarkable love.
Is there any other way for a Catholic-Christian to live?
The video is Christina's rendition of "In Christ Alone". You can watch the video by clicking here.