I was one of the few seminarians who stayed in Singapore over the Lunar New Year holidays. Sunday was the 1st day of the New Year, & also Valentine's Day. I witnessed something extraordinary. I had just gotten on the travellator in Plaza Singapura when I noticed a young couple in front of me. The young lady held a bouquet of flowers in her hand & some presents. They were talking intimately when suddenly, while still on travellator, the young man got on his knees & said, "I love you. Will you marry me?" As he said this, the young lady burst into tears. She reached down & drew him to her.
I initially tried to get off the travellator to give them their personal space. However, there were people behind me & this small group of people burst into applause & cheers. I quite happily joined them. This led to my reflection. Very often I receive a lot of wishes over on Facebook. However, Valentine's Day is not just about wishes. It is about saying the 3 most precious words to the persons who are most important in our life. Very often, small talk and conversation tends to crowd out the three most essential words. The same thing in my prayer life too. I have so many things to pray for, so many petitions to offer up, so many worries to unload, that I sometimes forget to say these three most important words to our Lord.
The prophet Ezekiel tells us "I shall give you a new heart, and put a new spirit in you; I shall remove the heart of stone from your bodies and give you a heart of flesh." (Ez 36: 26) It is with this heart of flesh that we are able to say, "I love you" unreservedly. It is with these three life-affirming words that others find life so worth the living. For me, I must learn to say these words not just to my Lord, but also to others, to affirm them & to tell them how important they are to me, and most importantly that I love them, just as Christ loves them, in openness, in life-affirming & selfless love."
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Stay tuned for the next post by Bro Jovita Ho on 19th Feb 2010.
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