This is the presentation.

What is the meaning of Love and what at the expression that we know of Love? Love is not a new word. It is a word that we use everyday and it is commonplace.

February 14^th is the day of lovers and on this day the air was packed with love. The color was red. Red roses and read hearts were allover. The electronic media was all love and love.

We have all at one point loved or “fallen” love. We have all been loved. We know the experience of loving and being loved. 

I  wish to make this exposition a concrete thing and not so much abstract.  Maybe I will not go to the details of what you know but just to highlight some points that we need to deepen when we talk about love.

Love is a conscious act. It invites us to a participation in life, events and things. Direct love of another is an extension of the direct love that every one has for itself. This to start with love as a selfish act – it is derived from our love of self. It is because our friends are like ourselves that we can love them as we love ourselves. Love makes us distinct, different and the other. 

Love has been given several definitions in our time to the extent that the word has been misused – this is because of culture and the modern trends of thought. Love must be seen with the person – not only the body – if this is the case then the person is abused and dignity is lost. See the cases of rape, and abuse of children/adults. The human person is both body and soul – love then should not be narrowed to the body alone.

Love flows from the senses – to the will – to the intellect and leads to freedom and freedom leads to the good where the Good here is God. Love then is infinite and eternal.

Love is that which grows and matures with time. It is always searching for new meanings. Selfishness is a negation of love. Love is selfless, cares and is concerned about the other.

What is pleasure then when we talk about love? Pleasure is fleeting and is momentary. It may be part of the big picture of love. Feelings are important but alone may bar us from seeing the totality of love. Love goes beyond feelings as it grows.

Love is a sacrifice – a self giving – total self. See the image of Jesus on the Cross. This is the highest point of love. The cross for us Christians is the greatest sign of love. We must also be ready to sacrifice – deny ourselves something because we love, our friends, God.

Love is a journey, an exodus out of our world, out of looking inwards to looking out of ourselves.

Love is liberating – when we give what is our very own we are made free and opened to another world; the world of self discovery and the discovery of God the author of love and life. God is the source of love and in him our love for the neighbor is renewed.

One who loves – receives and gives. This therefore makes love a two way channel – we give love and receive love in return. Love is reciprocal and thus must be unconditional giving.

The effort we must make everyday is to make our love go beyond exterior appearances and see beyond the presentations which could merely be veils.

We must remember that we who are created in the image and likeness of God bear a mark of his love. This should propel us to serve others (Mother Teresa an example) those that are suffering (suffering humanity).  In the service that we give we will be showing our responsibility to creation – created in love.

Love is knowledge, dynamic, support, charity, justice, harmony, caring, compassion, exclusive (in marriage) constant, moral, common good and letting go.

Love is not survival, utility, comfort for its’ sake.

The missionary aspect of love is that we need to extend our love to those not loved and those that society has stripped of human dignity. There are many people who are going through tough time in married life, in the college because of broken relationships, children who are abandoned by parents, the victims of Aids, to mention but a few, we must reach out to them – prayer and consolation when we can are expressions of love.

I was accompanied by Deacon Mutua of Allamano House and the group was of about sixty (female and male).