Love Saves A Life

Late one evening, a  priest got a call from the local fire department asking for his help. A young woman had climbed up onto the top of a bridge and was threatening to jump off. Despite all their efforts, they had not been able to convince her to come down. With no other options, they were hoping he could help.

The priest rushed to the scene as quickly as he could and looked up to see the young woman sitting at the top of the bridge just as the fireman had said. Since she was so high up, it was clear that the only way he was going to be able to talk to her would be to climb up onto the bridge himself. There was only one problem. He was deathly afraid of heights. At the same time, he knew he couldn’t just stand there while the young woman took her own life.

So, saying a quick Hail Mary and summoning all the courage he could, he put his hands on the cables and started to climb up the beam, putting one foot in front of the other and trying not to look down.

However, the higher he got the more the wind picked up and the less steady he felt on his feet. Soon, panic set in and he broke into a cold sweat. Paralyzed with fear, he didn’t think he could take another step.

About that time, the young woman caught sight of the priest and her heart was moved. Seeing how terrified he was, she called out, “It’s okay, Father. You’re almost here. You can do it.”

Encouraged by the young woman’s words, the priest decided he would keep his eyes on her and make his way slowly up the beam. Soon he was close enough to her that she could take his hand and help him steady himself enough to sit down next to her.

He took a minute to catch his breath and wipe the sweat off his face and neck. As his heart rate returned to normal, he knew he should probably talk to the young woman to find out why she wanted to take her own life. But the only thing he could think to say was, “How are we ever going to get down from here?”

To his surprise, she turned to him and said, “Don’t worry, Father. I’ll help you climb down when you’re ready.”

And so, the young woman got up and took the priest’s hand. Walking slightly ahead of him, she guided him down the beam helping him to steady himself until they both were at the bottom of the bridge and safe. Once on the ground, the fire fighters came and wrapped them both in blankets and gave them coffee.

As the priest started to return to his car, a fireman pulled him aside and asked, “What did you say to her, Father, to make her climb down the bridge with you?” The priest replied, “She saved my life.”

This story illustrates for us the power of love. Seeing the young priest’s act of courage and love made the young woman forget whatever it was that had compelled her to attempt suicide. Knowing that someone cared enough about her to risk his life to save her made all the difference. The priest didn’t really have to say a word to her. By his actions he showed her that she was cared for, she was valuable and she was important. Perhaps for the first time in a long time, she came to understand that her life mattered even to someone she had never met before. In the heroic actions of that priest who faced his fear and risked his own safety to save her, she saw the love of God. That glimpse of God’s love was enough to give her hope to continue living.

This is the love that Saint John speaks about in today’s second reading,  “In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him.” How can we know what love is unless someone shows it to us? How can we know the love of a God we have never seen before? We see it by looking at the cross. The God we rejected, the God we disobeyed, the God we have fled from has loved us enough to send His Son to die for us. In that cross, we see God’s love and so find hope to continue living.

It is not enough to witness that love, however. We must also accept it and respond to it. When the young woman saw the priest coming up to her on the bridge, she could have had a different reaction. She could have told him to go away and leave her alone. She could have decided to jump off the bridge anyway. However, seeing his love and courage, she decided to respond with love. Since he was willing to risk his safety for her, she wanted to return the favor by helping him get down from the bridge. She wanted to show him love in return for his love.

The same is true for us. We can look upon the cross and decide  to reject God’s love. We can decide not to respond and, instead, keep on living only for ourselves. We can decide not to share His love with others. We can decide to make our own choices about what’s right and wrong rather than live by God’s commandments. However, such an attitude will only leave us isolated and alone. We will eventually find ourselves like that young woman at the top of the bridge - alone with little hope and few options.

Jesus shows us another way. He tells us in today’s gospel, “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love.” The way to respond to the love God shows us in Jesus is by obeying His word. And His greatest commandment is that we love one another. We know that we have accepted and welcomed His love into our hearts if we are showing love to others, especially when it is difficult, when it requires facing our fears and when we are faced with rejection.

But what a difference it makes when we choose love! It literally saves lives!

(story taken from Sister Bethany Madonna, “Desires of the Heart: Receiving the Gifts of the Father”, Lighthouse Talks, Augustine Institute)