"__________, I love you!"

When I pray I love telling Jesus that I love Him. I slowly enter into a peaceful state by repeating the words, "Jesus, I love you.......Jesus, I love you.......Jesus, I love you."

How could we not? How could we not love the second person of the Trinity who chose to become Man so that we could know God more fully and be saved. How could we not love Him who chose the path of humility. From his humble birth to his humble lifestyle to dying crucified on a cross, Jesus always chose to become small, so that we could share in His greatness. How could I not tell Him I love Him when He entered my life and changed my ways of seeing reality. How could I not tell Him I love Him when He gives me His Word, His Church, the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, nature, friends, family and witnesses that tell me of His love.

Yet, a few weeks ago Jesus transformed this prayer and told me something more important. He said, "Juliett, I love you."

As I prayed before, during and after receiving the Eucharist, I kept telling Him that I loved Him. Yet, in my heart I sensed that He was telling me to stop repeating those words and instead start repeating, "Juliett, I love you." After sensing that this was how He wanted me to pray, I slowly and gently started repeating, "Juliett, I love you....Juliett, I love you.....Juliett, I love you." Of course it was Jesus saying these words to me.

The more I repeated the words, the more they touched my soul. Before I knew it, I couldn't stop crying.

As I kept repeating the words, "Juliett....I love you" I started thinking about two heart-breaking situations in my life. I started to think of my mom and Parkinson's and the consequences of the stoke my dad suffers from. I kept thinking in about these two situations meanwhile repeating, "Juliett...I love you." And then it hit me.

He does love me. He loves me and he doesn't will death or illness, but loves me in the midst of the illnesses and disabilities. He tells me that He loves me as I live with the pain of watching my disabled parents, yet He doesn't rejoice in this. He loves me, so He suffers with me. He loves me, so He will bring good out of these circumstances. He loves me, so He will transform me in the midst of this. He loves me, so He doesn't leave me alone in this. He loves me, so He will draw good out of the pain. He loves me, so He won't let pain have the last word. He loves me, so He will see to it that good prevail even in the midst of sadness.

"Juliett, I love you."

Have you spent time today listening to Jesus call you by name and tell you that He loves you?