The Virtue of Love
30 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in Love
What is Love?
In the Gospel it is said God is love. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 180)
In the hearts of men no real love is found, and the condition is such that, unless their susceptibilities are quickened by some power so that unity, love and accord may develop within them, there can be no healing. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 171)
In the world of existence there is indeed no greater power than the power of love. When the heart of man is aglow with the flame of love, he is ready to sacrifice all—even his life. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 179-180)
Love is light. Love is beauty. Love is grace. Love is the Divine Power of attraction that unites the hearts of all people on earth.
Love gives us hope when we feel hopeless. It creates a shelter in the midst of a storm. Love is the powerful force that flows from deep within us, that begs us to not give up, no matter how difficult the challenges ahead may be.
A friend shared an inspiring book with me this week on the power of love. In it, the author describes a story of a man who used a Hawaiian Healing method to clean and clear a lot of pain and trouble in his life. The story is that there was a man who worked as a warden in a prison with criminals who had committed very horrific crimes. The staff had become overwhelmed with the violence and challenges facing a specific ward. This particular warden, who believed in the power of Love, would sit in his room and go through each file of the inmates. As he did so he would repeat, “I love you. Please forgive me. I’m sorry. Thank you.” And as the story goes, amazingly there began to be great positive changes on the unit. Eventually, all but just a few inmates began to improve and leave or be transferred. Soon, with no one left to fill the cells of this unit, it was closed. Others would approach the warden and compliment him on his excellent program and ask him how did he ever rehabilitate these hardened criminals. His answer was this. That he loved them and told them and even from a distance it had a great effect on their personal transformation.
