In today’s world, it seems as though the only gesture of love between two people is through a sexual act. Aside from the beauty and virtue of love between a man and woman, we tend to forget Chastity as a path to true love, as a way of preparing ourselves for marriage, as well as a calling to truly live out a life of vocation as a young man or woman.
The point here is not to regard sex as taboo, nor to reduce its beauty or importance in any healthy relationships. That said, there is no doubt that today’s culture often considers synonyms the healthiness of a relationship and the frequency and healthiness of their sex life. This, I believe, is a drastic reduction of what it means to be in a relationship. A chaste relationship knows not only to appreciate sex, but also to put it in its correct place (to begin with, in the context of marriage), next to a wide array of beautiful gestures and activities that enrich one’s love for the other.
Below you will find a slideshow of images illustrating gestures of love among couples. These images represent various expressions of true love. They are a glimpse to a Love that opens us to a divine frame of mind if we learn to seek and view through the lens of another, the one of God. Outside of sex, all these behaviors show how it is possible to express and talk about love, and moreover, strengthen this way of being through our words and actions.
Oh how we fear that true Love! Love that compromises, that moves us to be better and more virtuous beings, shows us the respect our significant other, and to understand that the best “protection” is to live a chaste life; that love that is “patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.” Yes! That wonderful Love that “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (Corinthians 13:4-7). So much fear is seen today! We need much courage and spirit to live through that chaste life. But once you make the promise (and sacrifice), the fruits are unbelievable and it fills your heart for eternity!
That real Love is what God teaches us and call us to live. “He first loved us” (1 John 4:19) and gave himself to the Cross to teach us this idea of authentic Love. Similar to how God shows us in many ways how much He loves us (which we need to learn to recognize with reverence), it is a matter of fact that we too share these gestures of love with our significant other. In this regard, we become (we are!) a reflection of God’s love for the world, shining through His purity and happiness in our human relationships.
Below are 25 gestures of the Love He calls us to live: (You can vote on the left side)
25 Things Couples Miss Out When All They Think About Is Sex
Translated by: Jennifer Gamez
This selection of photos by: Sandra Ere
The original article can be found here.
