Spread the Love

Marianist Reflection for February 2025

by Fr. Peter Heiskell, SM

God literally pours His love upon us. The more we are aware of that, the more we will spread the love ourselves.

February 14 is Valentine’s Day. So, allow me to share a few thoughts about love.

St. Thomas Aquinas defined love as “willing the good of the other.” That’s a pretty different understanding of love from what our culture would suggest or what we might see on social media. True love doesn’t always come with warm, fuzzy feelings.

Aquinas’ definition of love can sound a little dry and academic, but perhaps this example of my mom’s love brings it to life. In February 2023, my mother passed away at the age of 85. As time goes by, I am more and more grateful for the love she had for me.

I was always a VERY picky eater. The only lunch I would tolerate from kindergarten through high school was peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches. And not just any PB & J! It had to be made with Goober’s brand that came in one jar. You can see the peanut butter and jelly in vertical stripes on the insides of the jar: exquisite and delicious!

My mom prepared lunches for all four of us Heiskell children every school day. My sisters and brother got different sandwiches in rotation, but Peter got Goober every day. If you do the math, I’m figuring she made well over 3,000 Goober PB & J’s just for me! One more key detail about my PB & J sandwiches: Mom used the same knife for every sandwich. It came from the LL Bean Company – their products are known for endurance and high quality – and was designed for spreading foods like peanut butter, or cake icing, quickly and smoothly. Below is an image of the jar of Goober and the knife. I saved the spreader when we cleaned out my mom’s apartment, and I keep it as a reminder of her love for me.

Obviously, my mom loved me. You don’t make that many sandwiches for your kid unless you “will his good.” She spread a lot of love with that sandwich knife! Not to mention sandwiches for three other kids, plus all the extras that go in the lunch bag. And then there were all the other little ways that Mom loved me and my siblings: laundry, shopping, driving us all over Long Island, cleaning the house. Yes, it is easy to see how my mom embodied the definition of love: “willing the good” of each of us children in countless ways!

While I was thinking about this letter during Morning Prayer, the Brothers and I prayed Psalm 32(33), and these words jumped out at me:

“May your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.”

In this Jubilee Year 2025 calling us to be Pilgrims of Hope, we realize that our hope is rooted in God’s love for us, in God “willing our good.” As Pope Francis’ letter about the Jubilee begins:

“Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”

Yes, God literally pours His love upon us. The more we are aware of that, the more we will spread the love ourselves.

Two beautiful ways that God’s love comes upon us are in the Sacraments we can most easily frequent: Reconciliation and the Eucharist.
● God pours His love upon us as we hear the words of absolution.
● And God’s love is literally upon our tongue as we receive Holy Communion.

To an outsider, that might seem like small, insignificant stuff, but for us men of faith, those are two powerful ways God spreads His love upon us, strengthening us to spread His love to others.

In this month of Valentine’s Day, may our hope grow ever stronger, as we realize how much God loves us, and reflect how we can spread the love!

There is one other date in February that celebrates love. February 2, the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus, is also the World Day for Consecrated Life. On this day, we celebrate the love that motivates all members of religious orders and congregations to take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience as they seek to spread their love in the world through a multiplicity of missions: from education and formation in faith (Marianists), to care of the elderly poor (Little Sisters of the Poor). Please show some love and remember us in your prayers on February 2!

To paraphrase Psalm 32: May God’s love be upon you as you place all your hope in Him. On behalf of all my Marianist Brothers,

Fr. Peter Heiskell, S.M.


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