What is Love?

Today’s Gospel Text: Jesus said to his disciples: As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. John 15:9-11

Reflection: Can anyone define what love is all about? When the professor asked the question he meant romantic love and it was never easy to answer that. 

Leaving romantic love aside; Is it possible to define love in general? We could have quite a few definitions of love and worse still, there could be a huge discrepancy between what is understood and practiced.

If there is a huge discrepancy in the understanding of the concept of love and then add to this discrepancy, the discrepancy between practice and love, then we are indeed heading in wrong directions in finding solutions for world problems.

How often we may have entered into discussions for a solution to conflicts and may have come out convinced that it is love that can bring about a perfect solution to human conflicts.  Yet we were not wrong but somewhat with our limited knowledge managed to bring about a fragile peace.  

If there was a hitch then it was in the perfect understanding of the concept of love and in the practice thereof.

Many who believe in love tend to practice those elements of pseudo-love which believes in compromise, giving precedence to falsity or lies, tolerance for the sake of peace and some may even go to the extent of pleasing the corrupt and the fraudulent powerful.

These do bring about the same effect of love, just as a petrol in a diesel car can run the car, but not for long before the engine designed for diesel gives way.

Similarly, the human understanding and practice of love is shortsighted and many a times is like the petrol in a diesel car, which at times can prove fatal for the existence of nations and peoples.

This very reason, having known the human limitations of understanding love and in the practice thereof that Jesus offers us a perfect understanding of love in the gospel:

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. “(vs. 9-10)

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, I pray that I may know you and your love and may even strive to abide in it.

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