Principal’s Ponderings – Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day always brings a lot of joy and excitement and today at GCCS it is no different. In
Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus is asked, “which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” He
replies, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind” and “Love your neighbour as yourself.” Throughout the gospels, Jesus repeatedly tells us
that we are to love our enemies, pray for those who persecute us, and be willing to turn the
other cheek. As a result, his command to love our neighbour is not conditional on that person
also being a good neighbour, or someone with whom we agree, who treats us fairly, or who
loves us in return. Author, C.S. Lewis wrote in his book, Mere Christianity, “Do not waste time
bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbour; act as if you did. As soon as we do this, we find
one the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come
to love him.” Pastor and author, Tim Keller, once wrote, “If your definition of ‘love’ stresses
affectionate feelings more than unselfish actions, you will cripple your ability to maintain and
grow strong love relationships. On the other hand, if you stress the action of love over the
feeling, you enhance and establish the feeling.” Both Lewis and Keller clearly communicate that
love is a verb – it is a “doing” word and that it is precisely when we put it into action that we
and others will experience it deepen and grow. With today’s Valentine’s Day and next
Monday’s Family Day we have occasions to show love to our loved ones. What if we take the
week between to think creatively about how we can better show love to all of our neighbours –
especially those who do not show love to us?