You might easily believe that God designed the human heart to be a tabernacle for love, but that does not seem to be the case. Yes, our memories are stored in our minds and in our hearts, but love is not truly kept, be that in our hearts or elsewhere. Love cannot be stored nor retrieved. Love is a choice, not a feeling, in the here and now. Love is not an act of the heart, but an act of the will in the present moment. Love is sustainable in the present moment but only by grace, which sustains love always and forever.
Love is only possible in the present moment or something that awaits us always and forever. Love truly exists only in the here and now. And we must choose to participate in love. If we wait for love, then we are really only experiencing the anticipation of love, not love itself. The love that awaits us is accessible only through the present moment. That is why to continue to love, grace is necessary. God sustains us in his love, which is ever present. So with the power of grace, we are capable of continually choosing to love now and always.
Love exists like music. You have memories of hearing the music, its melody, and its lyrics, if applicable. However, music, like love, exists when made present in the here and now. For example, if you are like me, you might struggle to recall the tune or lyrics to a song until someone whistles the tune or recites the chorus, until the music is made present. The music is known by making it present in the here and now. Yes, there might be a distinction between recorded music and live music, but recorded music is only known when played as if it were live, as if it were present in the here and now. Recorded music is live music imitated, like a greeting card or a love letter. We desire live music over recorded music, just as we need love in the present moment instead of recalling past love or anticipating future love. Even a love letter attempts to make love present by connecting the person to remembered love or to anticipated love, promised to be made present in the future.
Believing that love awaits us is how we have hope for the future. We are in need of faith as we eagerly anticipate the giving and receiving of love. Faith or trust in the person who promises love is essential if one has hope that such anticipated love is to be made present. We have hope if we trust in the promise of love.
With God, who is love, love awaits us continually and so love is always at hand. That is the reign of God, here at hand now, and always forever. This here and always is only possible with God, for He is the source of love. Ultimately God promises the love that is forever made present in Heaven. Yet God makes possible for love to be made present now, despite our sinful nature. That is why the Paschal Mystery of Christ is key to both the promise and the reality of love. In Christ, love is made present here now, and love awaits us always and forever in Heaven.
