The mystics wrote that God created the people on the earth to love: to love themselves,  others, the poor, and most of all, their lives. He gave, he said, the gift of the creative spark and commanded human beings to use it, to live their lives fully and with freedom and self-determination.

In our time, religion is much more often associated with anger,judgment, hatred and self-righteousness. Love is how the world endures, said the mystics. It is the point. It has become a cliche, something mouthed by marketers and politicians and opportunists, but I take it this way: I am called to love my life, and to live it full and meaningfully. That is a gift to the world.