You Were Made Out of Love

YOU WERE MADE OUT OF LOVE

In the past three years, I've lost three people I've loved to suicide: A teen from a worship band I used to lead, a teen from my church's youth group, and my childhood best friend of fifteen plus years. I cannot fathom the depths of loneliness and despair they must have felt in order to even consider taking their own life. It breaks my heart and brings me to tears to think that they may have doubted their own worth in the eyes of God and those who have loved them.  

I learned of my best friend death while I was walking out of the EWTN studio doors. It was like my heart sunk down to my stomach. My brain just couldn't process the loss, and it is still having a hard time realizing he is gone from this Earth. The vibrant, goofy, compassionate, and ridiculously talented musician that I had so many childhood and teenage memories with was not here anymore, and there was a part of me that felt guilty for not having stayed in touch better throughout college and our young adult years. What if I had called him more? What if I had invited him back to church more often? What if I had prayed more rosaries for his conversion? The list of "What if's" goes on and on and is merely a departure from the reality of what is. Yet even in the midst of this seemingly hopeless event, God's eternal and unrelenting love of my best friend was made known. That night, retiring to the little apartment EWTN was letting me stay at, I walked up the stairs to the upper floor where Fr. Mitch Pacwa lives. He had offered me a drink the night before upon my arrival to the station, but it was late at night and I had decided to decline. I knocked on his door and asked him "You still up for that drink?" I could see the kindness in his eyes as he welcomed me into his home (filled with beautiful Bambi's nailed to the wall staring at me...) as we sat down with our beers and chatted about everything from hunting to Marian Apparitions, I told him about the death of my best friend. He graciously asked if I would like to come up to his house early the next morning and join him in a private mass said for the intention of my friend. Of course, I agreed, and the next morning he celebrated a gorgeous mass in a small bedroom chapel, surrounded by holy orthodox style images of Jesus and the early followers of The Way. I can't help but think and hope that God, in his infinite wisdom, who is outside of the bounds of time, used the power of that mass offered by Fr. Mitch to save my best friend from the despair and hopelessness that had caused him to take his own life and that he was now journeying towards Heaven, no matter how long it may take him to get there. The Divine Mercy of Jesus knows no bounds. I now pray and hope that maybe someday I may join him in the heavenly band singing "Holy Holy Holy, Lord God of Hosts". Please pray with me for his soul and for the peace of his family amidst this terrible tragedy.  

This whole event has convicted me of this: 

"God is love" (1 Jn 4:8.) and we are told in Genesis "God looked at everything He had made, and found it very good". (Gen 1:31.) 

"Everything", in case you didn't know includes you and I. From the moment of conception, you and I were created by Love, for Love, to be loved for all of eternity. The answer to life is as simple as that: You were made out of love to share in love with our Creator who is perfect Love Himself.  

I want to share that truth to as few or as many as the Lord desires through song. I wrote a song about a year ago called "Out of Love", having no idea of the events that would transpire with my best friend and the struggles He faced. I would like to share it with you, but to also ask for help in sharing these lyrics with the world: 

It's 3 AM, It's really time I get some sleep 

But I can't close my eyes 

The sun's asleep, beneath these dreaming pines 

Why am I alive? 

The Answer I've been seeking... 

Turns out, Its seeking me 

You want me, you want me more than this question I have 

You made me, You made me out of love, and purely that 

I'm wide awake, just starin' at the stars 

They whisper who You are 

The Maker of the heavens 

Is staring back at me 

I feel You loving me 

And You want me, You want me more than this wonder I feel 

You made me, You made me out of love and purely that 

I AM, You are the reason I'm alive 

You're the reason that my heart keeps beating 

I AM, You are the Maker of the skies 

You're the reason that my lungs keep breathing 

I'm Yours 

Over the next month I am going to begin the process of recording this song, and making it available to the public, in hope that even one person may know their own inestimable worth in the eyes of God through hearing this song. As a youth minister and father of three beautiful children now, the financial struggle is real... And I really don't make much money at this point on the sale of my original songs, yet I know this song must be heard. Please consider donating to my music ministry today. Every song takes hours and hours of time just to write.... The recording and releasing process is another whole ball game. The writing and releasing of just one song can take upwards of forty hours, and then the marketing of it can take endless hours! Please consider supporting this ministry I have felt called by the Holy Spirit to do, and hopefully through the songs I feel led to write, God in His infinite love will bring His people lost in Egypt back to Himself. God bless you, and please reach out to a friend that may be having a rough time right now. Click on my "Home" page and click the "Donate" button if you feel led to help me get these songs out to the world!

May God who is Love Himself bless you today! - Cody

- Cody Roth is a Catholic singer/songwriter from the MS Gulf Coast and was recently featured on EWTN's "Life on the Rock".

To hear his music or to donate go to: www.codyroth.com