by Peter Paul Colina
Love is believed to be the strongest force a person can ever hold, and I think that is true. But if I may add, it is not just love that makes it strong. It is a love that is pure, patient, and profound. A love that comes from God.
For the past few months, nine of us—Jesuit Volunteers Batch 46— walked the road of volunteerism with hearts full of hope and idealism. Some of us have done this before, but for most, it is our first time to serve as Jesuit Volunteers. Yet all of us set out as pilgrims, full of hope, believing in a hope that does not disappoint.
In November, we gathered again after being sent to our mission areas. We brought with us stories that have changed us. There were moments of doubt, days of questioning our own capabilities, times we asked God if we were really doing the right thing. The excitement slowly gave way to reality. Once, we were full of confidence and energy, now we find ourselves wrestling with our limitations and weaknesses.
In those moments, we may have focused too much on ourselves, on what we could do, on what we could contribute, and we may have forgotten the deeper truth. This is not our work, this is God’s work. We are merely His lowly servants, fragile, limited, yet chosen.
And when the noise of our anxieties quiets down, God’s question echoes once more in the heart: “Do you love Me?”, not “Are you successful?” Not “Are you capable?” But simply, “Do you love Me?”
Perhaps this is what has sustained us while in mission, not strength, not skill, not certainty, but love. A love that continues to say yes even when the work feels heavy. A love that believes even when results are unseen. A love that stays even when it hurts.
Because in the end, when all efforts are spent, when plans fall short, when our hopes are tested, nothing remains but grace. And before that grace, there is nothing left but gratitude.
Everything is grace, nothing is left but gratitude.