by Michael Maciel

Well, you know………..there’s another way to look at this. It’s not that love isn’t the most important thing. All the great ones throughout history have said that it is. But I think it’s important to remember that it’s not the only thing.

Granted, love is the one thing without which nothing can have real value. Saint Paul said it best:

“If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”

But notice that love doesn’t supplant these things. Instead, love gives life to knowledge. It doesn’t replace knowledge, it makes knowledge meaningful.

What other word might we use in place of love? What, for instance, gives action meaning? What makes action good? Intention, right? Doesn’t the intention we bring to action determine the long-term effects of our choices? You could almost equate intention with love in this formula, could you not?

You see, love is not a thing in itself. Love is a way in which we conduct our lives. Love isn’t even a feeling. The love that changes the world isn’t the kind of love we feel when we “fall in love.” That’s just a symphony of hormones orchestrated by two people hoping to fulfill each other’s highest dreams. And it’s great! But that kind of love usually doesn’t last. It’s not the kind of love that sustains the world. The kind of love that keeps the planet turning is more like intention. And let’s face it, the best relationships are those dedicated to a healthy intention, not the ones that are forever trying to recapture a special moment. Special moments fade, but true intentions only grow stronger with time.

To paraphrase one of Einstein’s famous sayings:

Knowledge without love is lame; love without knowledge is blind.

So when you sing the praises of love, know that love finds its greatest expression in the activities of our lives. Love is fulfilled in the way we live in the world. It in-forms what we do. Our love is only great when we let it fill great deeds. Without action, love cannot grow. It cannot move in the world. It is lame. Therefore, it’s every bit as important to tend to our thoughts as it is to mind our feelings. The two cannot be torn asunder. The Sacred Marriage isn’t all love; it is also intention. And intention requires careful thought.