Adrian Rufo P.

Naragas October 1, 2018

Christian Ethics Rev. Fr. Ramses Oñez

Love is Terrible, Love is Beautiful

“Walang Forever!”, “Forever is just a Word! It is not true in love!” These are the popular
adages of the people that we can hear nowadays. These adages are popular especially among the
teenagers. We can often hear their murmurs in the social media expressing their grudges towards
the person who broke their heart or towards the person whom they love before that somehow did
not respond as to what they expect them to be. Why does it become popular by the way?
In our generation today, there is a great tendency that is evident in our society that
everything seems to be in a manner that is instant or immediate. Perhaps because of the
advancements that we have been experiencing today that made our lives efficient but somehow
alarming. This tendency to perceive things in an instant or immediate manner encompasses
almost all of the aspects in our lives. It may be in our lifestyle, work, or worst even in our values.
This is true especially when we speak about love. People often perceive love in an instant or
immediate way. When we speak about love, it is something that is romantic or a magical feeling
that brings us to the clouds. It is a love that is clouded with emotion that brings us to the highest
peak of our feelings. So, when the time when this magical feeling will fade away, their interest
for each other will also fade away. Because of this, people has now become bitter when it comes
to love. People fail to realize that they are only seeing the mere shadow of what love truly is.
Their misconception of love will become the barrier in seeing the real image of love.
True love is beyond the mere feeling of love. Love is not just a feeling. Love is a gift
from God. In our Philosophy of Man class, Love is described as Total, Eternal, and Sacred. Love
is total because loving is offering the totality of my being to the totality of your being. Loving
someone does not mean that is loving a particular part of that person, it is loving the totality of
what the person is. Love is eternal because the gift of love is not given only for a limited period
of time. Love implies immortality. In love we catch a glimpse of eternity especially in the
marriage vows. Love is sacred because the person involved in love are irreplaceable beings. It is
something that no material possession can replace or that no money can buy. Their relationship is
sacred. This is what love is supposed to be. A love that is beyond the mere feeling of love.; a
love that is patterned towards Christ’s love for us.
In my life, I have many experiences of love that can somehow relate to the common
tendency and the real essence of what love is. I have experiences of love among my friends, my
family, etc. but what I can relate more that I can share is my love towards my vocation. My love
towards my vocation is like a love story. Just a typical love story it all started with a “crush” or
an attraction. When I entered in the seminary, at first, everything was perfect! It was like a
paradise that I ever dreamed of. Everything was good and nice. It was a feeling that I hoped that
would never end. But when years passed by when I decided to commit and to give my all to the
seminary, all the things that I have believed to be good changes.
Everything now has become difficult and you have to expect crisis every once in a while.
I had an experience that is very dreadful that made me think in surrendering in this kind of
vocation that I have been living. Fortunately, it did not happen. Even when I thought of giving
up, there is always something in my heart that is telling me not to give up. This something in my
heart is my assurance in continuing to this vocation that I have been living for. This is the
assurance and my constant belief that God is always in work in my life.
The challenges that I have encountered are my assurance that God is constantly in work
in making me a better person. My love towards my vocation became genuine every time I
encounter a problem. Because of the problems that I have encountered in my life it made me a
better person today. I felt the love of God more especially in times of crisis and loneliness. This
experience of mine I believe that is enough to be considered genuine love.
The more I give myself to my vocation, the more I feel God’s love for me. It is of great
privilege to experience this kind of love. It is a love that is not just a mere feeling but a love that
is marked by decision and sacrifice. It is a love that I can say that even if many challenges and
changes will come, I am still assured that this love will still remain intact and firm.
Love is terrible because it is not an instant feeling that you have to experience. You need
to die a little in order to feel alive. You need to experience brokenness and pain in order to have
true love. Love is beautiful because it is a gift from above. It is a privilege because it is through
love that we can see the beauty of everything and most especially God himself. This is the real
essence of what love truly is.