But are they contradictions or simply different manifestations of love?
The ancient Greeks had four words for love: storge, the affection we have for family members; philia, the bond between friends; eros, the desire for physical union; and agape, our unselfish willingness to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of another.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said that all these aspects of love come down to this: love is one thing, with the different meanings coming to the fore at different times.
But, he added, agape is the one we should be most mindful of as we enter Lent. It’s a time when we demonstrate our unselfish willingness to sacrifice ourselves—in this case for the sake of God.
So whichever manifestation of love we celebrate today, be assured that each can be sacred if our acts of love acknowledge, celebrate, and reflect God’s mercy.
Our prayer today:
Peter W. Yaremko, a former journalist, is the owner of Executive Media, Inc. and is a specialist in executive communications. He attends St. Peter the Apostle Church in Provincetown, Massachusetts and blogs at peterwyaremko.com/paradise_diaries.