Love

Christmas is here and today is the last Sunday just before Christmas. Now is the time to light the Candle of Love to celebrate the most important aspect of our loving tradition.

Love is a very abstract thing. It is very hard to write down a definition of love and yet it is understood by all the people. Love also exists in many other animals, particularly in mammals which makes one question whether it is just a natural habit of the group. However, the love demonstrates by humans can be in so many forms in complicated patterns. There are romantic love, both the opposite sex and the same; parental love; the love of your favourite artists; the love of nations; the love of nature. The list could go on forever. Some say that what makes humanity is the ability to use our love to drive our actions. We are not motivated by instinct so much as by love. It is the fuel for all the actions we commit. Indeed, sometimes it could also drive the misguided actions but underneath them still lie pure motivation.

Of all the four virtues we celebrated—joy, hope, peace, and love—love is the one that is most powerful. With love, people can experience joy despite their hardship; with love, hope is always possible to come. Love your enemy was the teaching of the Lord, and with that, it will bring peace. People can open to one another and learn about their differences, but above all, they must learn to love one another. As the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13:13 “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

Christianity is built upon the notion of love, so is Islam. Buddhism promotes mercy which is another form of love. Pagan loves nature. The Chinese love their ancestors. Love is indeed the root of all our faith and belief.

We light this candle to celebrate Love, to pray that people love one another, and to remember to love other people around us.