In the Name of Love

The idea of Christmastime

approaching brings to mind an atmosphere of celebration and generosity.

There is the merrymaking and the giving

that have since become

a Christmas tradition. But, in the deepest sense, Christmas is about love – the greatest love – with our Heavenly Father gifting us with

His Son to redeem us

from sin.

Sadly, it seems that the human concept of love has been too romanticized that people nowadays generally take the word “love” to mean the mere attraction between man and woman – or, for that matter, any two people who swear that each one is nothing without the other. To a great extent, the emotion of love has since been debased as mere sexual urge. Much about the real meaning of love is forgotten.

Romance and sexual attraction are just thin, superficial manifestations of love. These are just icing on the cake, so to speak. And it’s a simple-minded fellow who relish on the icing and then throws away the cake. Unfortunately, the popular attitude about love is like that.

But romantic love has no security; even the reciprocity of emotions between the people involved is not enough. That is why commitment between the parties in love is sought, so in times when the emotion wanes in one or the other, or in both, the relationship will still hold. It has even been both a social and legal convention that parties who decide to get into a “love” union execute a contract between them, a “marriage contract.”

Such contract is for a practical reason. When the emotions ebb, one spouse may not just pack up and walk out on the other – since they have a sworn commitment to stick it out with each other “for better or for worse, in sickness and in health.” A spoken promise is not enough; a contract has to be entered into.

As married couples would normally bear children, the marriage contract ensures that husband and wife are there to provide parental guidance and support for their children. Parents have the moral responsibility to raise their children to become upright and responsible members of the human community. It