WHISPERS OF LOVE

 

WHISPERS OF LOVE

(June 8-10, 2023)

Whispers of love is one reality that, maybe, we never really put so much attention to. Or maybe we refer it only to one act or moment of an experience of a loving relationship – a romantic loving relationship.

I remember in my seminary-college Psychology class (during the late 70s which means this one on Psychology has been updated ever since), we discussed what was called the Stages of Love Development. Only by memory will I recall it here as I could not find any material reference to it now even in Google, my apologies).

Stage 1: Self-love – it is during this time that the person was all concerned about oneself and no one else. What he wants is what he gets. No other person exists except himself. This period is from infancy to about 2 years old, roughly).

Stage 2: Jealous love – it is during this time that the person notices that there are other people who try to grab attention from oneself. Like he/she notices that the parents now also give attention to other siblings and not just for oneself. Competitive characteristics begin to emerge.

Stage 3: “Barkada” love – it is during this time when the person begins to develop friendship. The person realizes that he/she does not have to be in competition with others. Community awareness and concern begin to emerge. Friendships start to grow.

Stage 4: Romantic love – it is during this time that the person begins to be conscious of his/her feelings towards another person in an intimate way.  The person now entertains the idea or being” in love.” Love blooms.

Stage 5: Commitment love – it is during this period when the person’s loving relationship matures so to speak. The feeling of loving another person has grown and matured and he/she becomes dedicated only to a single person. Marriage is usually the highlight of this stage. Love for the family also enters the picture.

Stage 6: Community love – from family to other families, to the neighborhoods, to other groups, to the community. It is during this time that the person has widened his circle of people to love. His social reality is now a focus and his commitment to social development is a concern. Communal and social awareness develop.

Stage 7: Distancing love – here comes the stage where the person’s love development is coming to a full circle. It is during this time when attention to oneself is coming back. As affected by time and space, the person’s love energy for others seems to have come to completion and is now returning to oneself. Love for solitude is manifested.

Stage 8: Divine love – as the person’s love cycle completes, the awareness of the Divine is stronger, not that during all the earlier stages that God was absent in the person’s life. No. He/She was aware of his/her relationship with God and is conscious about his/her faith belief; only this time, the focus is the person’s relationship with God. As the person feels that the twilight is dawning, the person’s consciousness of the eternal has become prominent. The person becomes prayerful, much happier, at peace.

I may not have the exact terms for the stages, but my recall about the descriptions on the stages is pretty much accurate. If not, my apologies. I am already 63 years young. And you know how memory sometimes fails during this year. But I am grateful for all these years.

The stages are not perfect experiences of a person’s love development. It may be experienced in a shorter or longer period depending on the person’s personal capability and growth development. Sometimes the person may jump from one stage to another but will slide back to where the person was or that stage the person missed. He/She might also get stuck at a certain stage. The experiences of those stages are not always smooth. Oftentimes, I believe, they are much of a struggle and a challenge. But progressive and developmental growth is always a big possibility. Man is a dynamic human being.

To end this reflection: Love whispers in every moment of our life. We only need to listen and be aware of the need to spend some time by and to ourselves, maybe in solitude and prayer, so that we can hear the WHISPERS OF LOVE coming from the One who never fails to love us all, GOD.

Remember always that no matter what happens in our lives, there is our faithful God by our side, silently and patiently watching over us. We only need to acknowledge His Divine Presence in our life…because GOD LOVES US.

I am loved. You are loved. We are loved.