Leaning On Virtue Everyday (LOVE)

The Pilipino language has three words for love. One is gusto. Gusto is a sort of aesthetic love. It has come to mean a romantic love and it stands with all of its beauty. However, when we speak of loving those who oppose us, we’re not talking about gusto. The Pilipino language also has mahal and this is a sort of reciprocal love between personal friends. This is a vital, valuable love. However, when we talk of loving those who oppose you and those who seek to defeat you we are not talking about gusto or mahal. The Pilipino language has another word for love and it is ibig. Ibig is an understanding, creative, redemptive good will for all. Biblical theologians would say it is the love of God working in the minds of humanity. It is an overflowing love which seeks nothing in return. When you come to love on this level you begin to love people not because they are likable, not because they do things that attract you, but because God loves them. To ibig is to love the person who does the evil deed while hating the deed that the person does. It is the type of love that stands at the center of the movement that we carry on—ibig.