Love is one of those concepts that is constantly being delved into. It is a natural human desire to love and be loved. What is love? It is more than an emotion since the whole spectrum of emotions can be related to love. You can be happily or sadly in love. You can suffer love or find pleasure in love. To be happy, sad, pleased or pained are all emotions. Love, though, seems to be a state of being.
St. Paul exhorts the people of Ephesus to “live in love.” This is an echo of Jesus’s own words, “remain in my love.” (Jn 15:9) Both of these statements emphasize love more as a state of being than an emotion. Emotion is passing – transient. Love – real love – is a constant.
Experiencing Love
The most constant experience of love we can have is God’s love for us. It does not grow with time, since God loves us to the maximum capacity of His love from the moment we exist and for all eternity. It doesn’t pass away since His love is as eternal as Himself. It is not restrictive but instead leaves us free to respond with love, or not. His love is completely independent of our response.
Our love, on the other hand, can grow or diminish with time, it can be heavily influenced by circumstances and emotions, and its sustainability is often influenced by the response of the one we are loving.
How to Love
How can we live in love? Is it even possible? Jesus invited us further than just remaining in his love. He invites, “Love one another as I have loved you.” St. Paul goes on to say to the Ephesians, “and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us.” Love is that state of being that calls us to give more, to respond with virtue rather than vice, to forgive and be compassionate. It is a choice made not for ourselves, but rather for the one loved. It is a choice freely made, because the lover deems it worth the cost, the pain, the suffering, or renunciation that choice may entail. The free choice is what makes it real love.
The apostle John puts it well in one of his letters when he says, “God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God, and God in him.” (1 Jn. 4:16) Living in love is living in God, from His Heart. If your love for others flows from your love for God, there is also a freedom from fear. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out all fear.” (1Jn. 4:18) Let us love! Let us love with a real love, and live there, in that love!
“Love is that state of being that calls us to give more, to respond with virtue rather than vice, to forgive and be compassionate. Wow! If I were into tattoos, I would have that tattooed to my forehead so I would see it everyday while shaving! Beautiful distillation of growing in love on our journey towards God.