Erico Joseph T. Cañete
The Extent of Love in Advent
(A Reflection)
THE NATIONAL CATHOLIC REGISTER explained that advent is the season that brings to mind the two comings of Christ, i.e. as a season to prepare for Christmas when Christ’s first coming to us is remembered and, as a season when that remembrance directs the mind and heart to await Christ’s Second coming at the end of time.
Advent season, on top of being a period for devout and joyful expectation, entails a spiritual cleansing and meditation on the essence of love where Christ’s salvific mission is rooted.
What then is the comprehension or extent of love in this season of advent? In particular, what is the extent of giving love on Christmas Day?
Let’s reflect on love.
It is surprising to know that the antithesis of love is not apathy or hatred. It is the self. Where there is the self, where there exists the self, there would be no authentic love. Exaggeration of the self begets self centeredness which eventually destroys love.
This does not suggest to cease loving one self for how could one give love if one doesn’t have love for the self in the first place? The dictum ‘Nemo dat quod non habet – No one can give what he doesn’t have’ proves this. Love oneself, enrich oneself by the essence of love but don’t be confined with it. Move out from it otherwise one would be enslaved by the bondage of self centeredness or egoism.
Having this comprehension of love in layman’s term brings us to these love imperatives:
(i) We have to love others selflessly.
What is love after all but a contemplation of the YOU and not enriching the ego. When on says, “I Love You”, one declares that from this moment onward, I stop loving myself for what I love now is your ‘self’ or the ‘You’ of the beloved. If the beloved reciprocates, he/she takes care of yourself likewise. Hence true love is not a clash of the ‘I’ but a union of the you.
It’s like saying, I don’t like white but since you love it, I would teach myself to love it too. It’s in the same manner that the beloved loves my black.
(ii) We have to love others in words, thoughts and deeds.
Mean what you say and say what you mean.
(iii) We have to love the unlovable and the disagreeable.
This extends to the beggars, the infirmed and even those people who make us sick.
(iv) We have to love our enemies.
Easy or difficult? Easy! Remember that it was Christ who commanded this. He would not command us to love our enemies had this been difficult then. What is difficult is making friends with our enemies.
(v) We have to make a hierarchy in loving with God on the top.
Give love in this season of Advent and beyond for there’s no greater gift save love.
Merry Christmas everyone!