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Love as we know it

In a world where love has become an overused word and theme for movies or crooners such as Bruno Mars, it makes one question the definition of love. This isn’t an article with an intention to give you a slam book answer; rather this article was written to challenge your notions of love. With pressing issues regarding sex, dignity of life and the degradation of “love” as God created it, we want to keep our youth equipped with the right spirit in the battle field. People are so accustomed to a distorted view of love, focusing on “eros” (which came to light because of the Greeks); a definition which puts a spotlight on physical intimacy and the feeling of “intoxication” that comes with it. Because of this, people started to nurture the view that the Catholic Church with all its rules and guidelines on moral living, was hindering people from being happy by putting a negative connotation to the feeling of “intoxication” which comes with eros. But I beg to differ. Instead the Catholic Church introduced something pure with the intention of aiding man in reaching his perfection. Its definition of Eros revolved around man’s ability to be torn away from his existence. What the Catholic Church aims for is the preservation of the beauty of love and not the perversion of it. It goes against the degradation of something precious created by God.

Things we see today, especially in media, tend to negate the truth that love involves more than just human beings being attracted to each other, guys being in pursuit of a gorgeous girl, and a girl giving her sweet “yes” to a desperate romantic. Love is connected to something higher than us human beings. According to Pope Benedict XVI, “First, there is a certain relationship between love and the Divine: love promises infinity, eternity—a reality far greater and totally other than our everyday existence. Yet we have also seen that the way to attain this goal is not simply by submitting to instinct. Purification and growth in maturity are called for; and these also pass through the path of renunciation.” He goes on to talking about how love possesses a “searching” nature, always out for the discovery of the other and the pursuit of the other’s welfare. Love becomes about the care and concern of the other rather than simply just “happiness”; it diverts from self-centeredness.

I once saw a shirt that said “I used to think love was shaped as a heart but actually it’s in the shape of the cross.” As tingly as love stories and love songs can make one feel, with guys willing to “catch a grenade”, “jump in front of a train” and “take a bullet straight to his brain for ya”, it fails to bring justice to what true love is. If you want to talk about true love, we look to Jesus, in all His divinity shedding his innocent blood for sinners- for people lonely, for people addicted, for people who just didn’t care. Jesus gave it all ‘maging sino ka man’.  With a love that big and that real, the question is, how are you going to respond to someone who constantly pursues you?

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