Love always asks for more

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

THAT’S the very nature of love, if it’s true love, one that is a vital participation and reflection of the very essence of God which is also meant to be our own essence, since we are God’s image and likeness.

It’s a love that never says enough in spite of our obvious limitations and weaknesses. When we reach those limits, like Christ we would just commend ourselves to God’s own ways that go beyond our natural powers, making the impossible possible. As God’s image and likeness, the supernatural powers of God are also shared with us.

We are reminded of this truth of faith about love in that gospel episode where Christ had to deal with an increasing number of people seeking favors from him by curing them of their various illnesses. And yet, in spite of this challenge due to love’s demands, Christ never forgot to pray. He went to an isolated place to pray. (cfr. Mk 1,29-39)

This can only mean that while love can ask of us anything, it always follows a certain order. That love should always be based on God whose help and power we always have to implore. That’s why we should never forget to pray if we want our love to the true love.

This love should always be pursued and lived everywhere. And one area where it should be lived in a more aggressive way is in the area of politics which is a big challenge today. How are we going to humanize and Christianize our politics that now is assuming a clearly toxic character? How can we keep our politics from going to the dogs?

A cursory reading of the comments in social media immediately indicate a tone of bitterness and acrimony. There's so much bashing and mudslinging that an objective and fair consideration of the issues has become all but impossible.

Many people are making themselves instant political pundits who seem to know everything about the issues at hand. They shoot from the hips, voicing out their opinions as if they are infallible dogmas.

Some political commentators present themselves as if they have the monopoly of what is right and proper, flaunting their so-called encyclopedic knowledge of the issues involved. Any differing position is immediately branded as wrong. And they can come out with what may appear as brilliant arguments that are nothing other than sophistries.

They confuse bullying tactics for conviction and righteousness. And they justify their behavior by saying that this is the political reality of the times. In other words, if they don't act the way they are acting nowadays, they are not being realistic.

If they happen to have the upper hand in any issue, they usually gloat over their opponents who often are regarded as idiots, completely bereft of reason. They consider those in the other side as entirely no good.

This is now the challenge of love. How can we instill the real love in this kind of environment? How can we humanize and Christianize today’s politics? Politics is in urgent and constant need for evangelization. 

Aside from proclaiming what is absolutely moral and immoral, the evangelization of politics should foster an environment of frank and cordial dialogue among the different and even conflicting parties involved. It should foster among the different parties a keen desire with matching effort to pursue the common good. Moral principles should be followed on top of the adherence to agreed rules of engagement as articulated in our legal and judicial systems, etc.