According to Strong’s Dictionary, ahavah means to have affection, sexually or otherwise, love, like, to befriend, to be intimate.Īhavah comes from the root word ahav, which means to give or to love. Love first appears in the Old Testament in Genesis 22:2 “ take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” The Hebrew word used for love is ahavah. It may involve emotions, but acts always follow.įor further understanding of Biblical love, let’s look at the original Hebrew and Greek words. Biblical love is an action based on choice. However, love in the Bible is more than just feelings or emotions. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines love as “ strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties.” And the Oxford Dictionary defines love as “ an intense feeling of deep affection.”. For example, loving your friends, your car, or your new haircut. Many songs, poems, stories have been written about love, and it is at the core of human existence.īut what is love? People flippantly use it to express their attachment to things or people. Love is one of the most commonly used words in the world it’s something everybody understands. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three but the greatest of these is love.
#Faith hope and love series#
The symbols of the three Theological Virtues are represented as well by the Cross of Carmague, also known as croix gardien or Cross of the Guardians.įaith is associated with the cross, symbol of Christianity to Hope with the anchor, to whom man clings to in his everyday life Charity is represented by the heart, symbol of love that elapses among Father, Son and Holy Spirit that permits men to realize the Kingdom of God in this world.įaithful that most recognize themselves with the Theological Virtues and the Christian doctrine, not only take as model the life of the Messiah, but are even used to wear the representative symbols of Faith, Hope and Love, with a pendant or a bracelet that depict them.This is the final post in a three-part series entitled:” Three Things Remain.” The purpose of this series is to learn the meaning of the three greatest Christian virtues: faith, hope, and love. Symbology of Faith, Hope and Charity: the Carmague Cross Love is superior to all the virtues and it is the first of the Theological Virtues. Without Love, human existence does not make any sense. Just as God loves any creature, in the Catholic doctrine Christians are invited to love their neighbors unconditionally, especially children, poor people and enemies.Īccording to Saint Paul Apostle, Love is patient and kind, it does not envy or boast, it is not proud, it does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs, it does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth, it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres and it will never end because Love never fails. Love, used as a synonym of Charity, is the Theological Virtue that permits man to love God above all else and his neighbor as himself, for God’s sake. Hope, powered by Faith, permits men to commit themselves in building the Kingdom of God and find a sense to work, find strength to face the difficulties and patience while waiting. Hope is the confident waiting of a specific event that, in the case of Christian Theology, refers to the fulfillment of Jesus Christ’s promises: the Kingdom of Heaven and the Eternal Life.
Hope, from latin spes, is the Theological Virtue which responds to the attainment of Eternal Happiness of human beings. If it is not accompanied by Hope and Love, it does not fully unite the faithful to Jesus Christ. This fundamental Christian virtue presupposes spiritual opening, in order to recognize the Manifestation of God in daily life. It permits the men to completely rely on God and carry out His will. Faith is the Theological Virtue for which men believe in God and in His word that, according to the Christian Catholic doctrine, represents the Absolute Truth. The word Faith, from latin fides, refers to who trusts, who confides and relies on something. They give life to all the moral virtues and are transmitted by God in the souls of the faithful, in order to let them act as His sons and deserve Eternal Life.įaith produces Hope and moves to Love Hope stirs up Love and it is enhanced by Charity in the desire of a union not yet realized in order to be authentic, it has to join charitable works.īut what is the meaning of Faith, Hope and Love? Faith The Holy Trinity Mosaic, Savelli Religious The Three Theological Virtuesįrom the Christian theology’s point of view, the Theological Virtues are inspired by the Holy Spirit, that permits the faithful to behave as Sons of God.Īll the human virtues are rooted in the Theological Virtues, which have as origin, reason and object the One and Triune God.
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