PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Feb. 14, 2015 – Shedding light on what has become a commercial concept, especially on Valentine’s Day, a priest said love is a vocation in itself – applicable to all, not just lovers.
Fr. Marbendear Morallas of the Archdiocese of Davao celebrated the Holy Mass during the Singles for Christ (SFC) International Conference (ICON) at the Puerto Princesa Coliseum, Feb. 13, 2015. (Photo: Chassy Tesoro)
“Love is a vocational challenge, not only in marriage but in whatever state of life. The call to love is a call to be faithful to the call,” said Fr. Marbendear Morallas of the Archdiocese of Davao during the Mass on the second day of the ongoing CFC – Singles for Christ (SFC) International Conference 2015 (ICON) at the Puerto Princesa Coliseum, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.
According to the priest, linking human love to God, its true origin, is inevitable.
Oriented towards marriage
“You’re so busy about many things [in your relationship], but have you prayed for it? Because this relationship is oriented towards marriage and marriage is a vocation. It is not only your plan but also God’s plan,” Morallas explained.
When we listen only to ourselves, said the priest, and fail to listen to God’s purpose “our relationships will collapse”, turning something originally good into burdens, not blessings.
Morallas, who peppered his homily with jokes and light humor, did not mince words when he exhorted the young people to guard the purity of their special relationships.
Faithfulness
“If your boyfriend [or] girlfriend leads you to the temptation, get away from that…That’s not a boyfriend, girlfriend, that’s the devil made flesh,” he said.
According to Morallas, this faithfulness as singles is carried over even into married life.
“During the exchange of vows, you do not face only each other you face the altar.
You don’t say, ‘Honey pie…sweetie pie…’ Your faithfulness to your husband is your faithfulness to God; your unfaithfulness to your husband is your unfaithfulness to God,” he explained.
The First reading, which was taken from the Genesis account of the fall of Adam and Eve, said the priest, shows how destructive relationships can be when it is led apart from God.
“Adam and Eve failed to be faithful to God. They just listened to their unholy desires and this destroyed them,” stressed Morallas.
“We are asked to love more. For me, to love more is to be faithful to the purpose of God,” he told some 4,500 SFC ICON delegates coming from all over the Philippines, as well as countries like the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Spain and Thailand, among others.
The SFC ICON, which carries the theme “Love More” runs from Feb. 13 to 15, held this year in Palawan. (Nirva’ana Ella Delacruz/CBCPNews)
