A Missionary's Take on Love

Love.  Somewhere along the way, I think we human beings have lost the concept of what love truly means.  We have all of these amazing examples of what true love is from Jesus, Mary and all of the saints, but somehow in the busyness and noisiness of our world, we forget them and create our own definitions of love.  “I love holidays”… “I love going to the beach”… “I love eating halo halo”  (a favorite dessert among Filipinos containing ice cream, ice, jello, beans, corn, coconut, corn flakes, and coconut milk!!)  But do you see in all of these examples that love becomes a selfish feeling? …it’s all about me.  Or perhaps it’s not that we forget the meaning of love, but that we think true love is too difficult, so we make it easy and make love all about the words, saying “I love you,” but not showing it in actions.  So love becomes an empty concept, without any meaning behind it, without any actions to support it.  But the problem is, it leaves us feeling empty, it makes us search for other ways, perhaps sinful ways, of giving us the fulfillment and satisfaction of love. 

So then, what is true love?  St. Basil the Great says “What is the mark of love?  Not to seek what is for your own benefit, but what is for the benefit for another.”  It sounds hard, and it may seem like it’s no fun, but really, when you are truly putting others before yourself an amazing thing happens…the heaviness of your own load lightens and you become filled with brightness, happiness and joyful fulfillment.  And it just makes you want to love more all of the time.  It’s the grace of truly loving, and I’ve experienced it myself in the Oikos Ptochos Tou Theou Mission.

During the last week of January and the first week of February, Borongan was graced by the presence of missionaries from all over the world giving their time, talent and treasure to the poorest of the poor in Eastern Samar.  Along with the Diocese of Borongan and the Provincial Government, the Diocese of Joliet helped the poor here in a medical and dental mission, a construction mission and an outreach mission, reaching out to thousands of people in need.  As part of the Oikos Community, I was helping with the dental mission, who gave dental care to 625 people in 8 days, working at the Provincial Hospital in Borongan, in Taft, at the prison in Dolores, at a school in 

 Calico-on and in Bato.  When Friday, February 8^th came along, and the missioners left, I was ready for a rest day…more than ready.  However, that was not to be!!  Friday became a prep day for a barrio immersion in Camantang, Can-Avid.  We packed rice and sugar for food packs to give the families, treat bags for the kids, food for dinner and lunch for the people in the barrio and prepped all of the dental equipment for our dental mission.  And so, I worked with the Oikos Sisters and the volunteers of the Oikos Mission getting ready for the two-day immersion.  Was I tired?  Yes!  Did I want to sleep? Yes!!  But when I did go to sleep that night, it was with a feeling of joy and fulfillment knowing that I gave of myself in love. 

On Saturday, February 9^th, the Oikos Mission traveled to Camantang, Can-Avid for our immersion with the people there.  It was a jam-packed two days where, as we always do, we shared our

blessings with the poor.  We have graciously received donations of clothing for men, women and children, slippers, rosaries, blankets, homemade dresses for girls, water filters and menstruation kits for women, all of which we shared with those in need.  We had catechesis with the children, bible sharing with the adults, singing sessions, a movie at night, shared meals for dinner on Saturday and lunch on Sunday along with a successful dental mission where we served 78 patients and gave fluoride treatments to over 90 children!!  With the help of the Vice Mayor in Can-Avid, Vilma Germino, we all had such an amazing experience sharing God’s love with  the people of Camantang, and left there with that same feeling of fulfillment, brightness, joy and happiness.  Those are the gifts of love.   Here I thought I was the one giving the love, but when I left, I found I had received more than I gave.

St. Francis of Assisi, our patron saint in Oikos, says it is better to love than to be loved.  And actually, the only way to receive love from another, whether it be your spouse, friend, family member or someone in need, is to love them first.  When you are able to see beyond yourself to the needs of another and give what is needed to them, that is love.   It is a challenge for sure, but well worth the sacrifice because of God’s endless graces to those who love truly.