Like many other 'professions', there can be a temptation for priests to feel that they are functionaries from time to time, especially if they are task oriented, or placed in situations where there are endless demands placed on their time.
In a society that focuses on productivity as a measure of success, it can often be difficult to judge success in terms of small acts done with great love (thanks to Mother Teresa of Calcutta for that one). Yet, this is exactly what priests should be about in their day to day life. Drawing from the infinite love of Christ, shared in the intimacy of prayer, a priest is called to model this love for those who are entrusted to his care.
Love takes many forms, even within a given day. From the moment of the first sunlight which arouses a prayer of thanks, even as we're wiping sleep from our eyes, to the time that darkness again sets in, we should always be attentive to the opportunities presented for us to respond in love.
These opportunities can come in the most unexpected forms at times, from the most surprising places and circumstances and even from the least likely people. They can take the form of a visitor who arrives at our sick bed to express a word of comfort and compassion, or from a companion who joyfully shares the news of an unexpected visit. It can be seen in the faces of two who prepare for an imminent wedding, and be present in the eyes of the haunted or scared who have nowhere else to turn.
Love is a two-way street, just as present to the giver as to the receiver, but it can easily bypass us if we neglect the opportunity to recognize it, to celebrate it or to cherish it.
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