HOW DO WE MEASURE LOVE?

HOW DO WE MEASURE LOVE?
(A Reflection on the ‘Human Person and Fellowman’)

We, human persons, are created by God out of His love; thus, we share in the essence of our Creator, who is Love Himself. This just implies that we are born from Love and for Love. Therefore, it is our nature to love. We can never deny this nature; and, all we can do is to act according to this nature. Love therefore is innately implanted by God in the very heart of our being. Created in His own image and likeness, we become bearers of love. This great gift of love calls for a great responsibility. It is our mission therefore to share this love to others.

Love is both giving and receiving. There is no such thing as “selfish love” because, love is never selfish. It is really very fundamental to love ourselves first and foremost for we cannot give what we do not have. But it doesn’t mean that our act of loving stop from there. There is a need for us to share this love to others. It is our task as human persons, as bearers of love, to spread this love that we are receiving from our Creator. Without other people, we are not capable of showing our nature as beings who are capable of loving. It is only through them that we can fully realize ourselves. Other people need our love as much as we need the love of others.

We love other people in different ways and to different extents. We say that we love someone more than any other persons. How do we measure love then?

In my own reflection through my personal experiences, love can be measured by the sacrifice that we can give to our object loved. The measure of sacrifice that we can bear for a certain person can manifest the immensity of love that we can give. We have this famous expression in our own language: “Hanggang saan ang kaya mong ibigay sa ngalan ng pag-ibig? That is why it is said in the Scriptures that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for a friend. It is the greatest sacrifice to give up one’s existence for the one that we love. God showed this truth when He sent His only Son to be crucified for His great love for the world. This greatest sacrifice, God humbled Himself and took the form of a slave and died for our sins, gave the greatest love that the world has ever known.

Another useful yardstick to measure our love is the pain that we feel when we love somebody especially when our love is unreciprocated. The measure of the pain that we feel manifests the measure of love that we give.

When do we love the most? We love the most during the times when it is very difficult for us to love. It very easy for us to love those persons who also love us, but to love those who persecute us is easier said than done. What profit can we get if we only love when it is very easy for us to love? Our love is far greater when our hearts feel pain, hurts and aches but we love no matter what! As what Mother Teresa said, “Love until it hurts.”

The deep longing of the human heart is, indeed, love. Our origin is love; our nature is love; our end is love. St. Ignatius says, “At the twilight of our life when all is said and done, what matters most is how much we loved.”