Actions Rooted in Love

Jesuit scientist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin held that God is at the heart of all cosmological and biological life, the depth and center of everything that exists. He once wrote, “Our nature is already endowed with grace, and thus our task is to be attentive to that which is within and that which is without—mind and heart—so that we may contribute to building up the world in love… Our lives have meaning and purpose. . . . We either help build this world up in love or tear it apart… Every action can be sacred action if [it] is rooted in love. . .”

I feel both convicted and heartened by this statement. “We either help build this world up in love or tear it apart…” I take this to mean that at almost every moment, we have an opportunity. How we interact with those around us, how we give or withhold, what we read and post on social media, what we hold in our hearts, and what we surrender, all matter. 

I pray today that you and I would be the kind of people who contribute to building this world up in love. May we see the possibility of our actions as sacred, holy, and meaningful. And may we begin by noticing God’s presence at the heart and center of all that is.

Let us pray: On this Valentine’s Day, open our eyes, Holy God, to see your presence in the people and world around us. My our words, actions, and very lives ever be rooted in love. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.