Troubadour Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George + June 2015
Loving to the End Scriptures, we are told that Jesus loved those who My mother was were His own “in born above the 38th parfinem,” or literally, allel in a land we know “into the end.” In now as North Korea. As both of these ancient a young child, she languages, the word crossed the mountains “end” has the meanwith her mother and ing of fulfillment. four siblings before the Jesus loves us in country definitively such a way that does separated into a “North” not only concern His and “South.” Unfortuown end, but also nately for her, she was ours. the middle child. This In the case of meant that she was too my mother, she could big to be carried, but too not possibly have small to endure the pace known the perilous of travel. At one point and desperate implialong the way, she was cations of refusing to completely exhausted walk. Someone else and refused to walk. She had to understand sat down on the path this and intervene. with no thought of danThe love of another ger and death. Her had to move her out mother left her there . . . of her unwillingness. for a very long time. Someone had to save And then she returned. her. Jesus does exShe forced my mother to actly this par exwalk. My mother’s life MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS, cellence. His love was saved by a love that HAVE MERCY ON US! effects true demanded of her somechange within us, thing she neither undermaking us what we should be. In loved us to His utmost, giving stood nor wanted. Thank God. His very life for our sake. To be loving us to the end, He loves us In chapter 13 of St. John’s Gospel, we hear that Jesus loved loved in this way would already into our end, into our destiny. He those who were His own “to the be enough, but there is more. The secures for us what we are incaend.” What do these words mean word used for “end” in the origi- pable of obtaining ourselves. for us? We often think of the end nal Greek is “telos,” meaning the This is the love we celebrate during the month of the Sacred as a finish line or a limit. In this end for which a thing is made. Heart of Jesus. This is the language of destiny! case, the words of the Gospel Let us not be afraid! would simply mean that the Lord In the Latin translation of the by Mother M. Maximilia