“I will try to fan into flame the spark of divine love that is
hidden within you, as far as I am able through the power of the
Holy Spirit.” (St Basil the Great) St Paul tells us in Romans 5:5
“The love of God is poured forth in our hearts through the Holy
Spirit, who has been given to us.” This love is a given, not
learned or earned. But it is like an ember that needs to be
fanned into flame lest it grows dimmer within us. Prayer, the
Sacraments, the works of mercy and reflecting on the Word of
God will fan the flame of love within us. The question before us
is at death will love be extinguished, will it still be a small
ember or will it be a roaring flame? Or to put it another way:
will we have a cold or lukewarm heart or will we be in an
intimate relationship with God. This will determine our eternal
salvation.