Today's readings for ordinary time as well as for the feast of St. Scholastica, the twin sister of St. Benedict, bring our focus upon the celebration of love.  Scholastica did not see her brother, Benedict, all that often.  During a visit through the area where Sister Scholastica was living, Benedict was able to "fit in" some time to see his sister.  When he decided it was time for him to move on to his next stop, Scholastica prayed for something to detain him since it was so rarely that he came into the neighborhood where she live.  She dearly loved her brother and desired to spend more than just an hour or two visiting with him.  Love prevailed.  A terrible storm drenched the area of her convent forcing her brother to remain over night in the guest quarters of the monastery.

Consider the millions of people who have or will have attended Mass on this day before the sun begins its first rays of light on tomorrow.  Consider the millions who  take even a moment today to pray.  What are these millions doing?  Why are they doing what they doing what they are doing?  In most instances these folks along with you who read these words and those who will be present with me during Mass (in a short time from now) ... all of us will be responding to an inner desire to pray for others, an inner desire driven by love for that person or special need of others as well as for ourselves.

Recall that we are made by God; that he has embedded in each of us something of himself.  It is the desire to love and the desire to be loved.  Love is a divine gift to each human being.  It is a need most of us have to let this gift of love spring forth from our hearts.  A question we might ask is this:  how do we unwrap the gift?  Our prayer for the faithful prayed during each eucharistic celebration is one way we unwrap the gift from God.  What will you be doing today to make real God's gift to you today?