Theology101 – God’s Love and Kagandahang Loob
Synthesis Paper:
We, humans, act on the things that we love. We put effort into the
things that we do and stay committed to doing those things, focusing on our
main goal. Pure love has the power to change everything and is exactly what
fuels us to live life to the fullest. Love, in the form of inherent interest, is the
driving force in truly satisfying work. (Whitbourne, 2017). Without love, all
the things that we do are just nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). And so, God is
love. We are nothing without love, and we are nothing without God. There is
no love without service. That is why God gave us His Only Son and forgave
us for our sins. Nothing else can be compared to God’s immeasurable and
undying love for us for His love is the highest form of love, Agape. He still
loves us despite the things we have done.
Our religious tradition comes alive and forms a vital part of our lives.
There are times in our life where the essence of the things that we do
disappear. This is the time where we should assess ourselves because
maybe we forgot to integrate God into our daily lives. We appreciate beauty,
but we do not compromise things to be called beautiful because what
matters most is gracious goodness.
God’s kagandahang loob moves us with our self-becoming. A study
done on “ganda” by theologian Estela Padilla indicates that what is sensed as
orderly or something real without any trace of deceit is also considered as
“maganda”. We need to acknowledge that what is truly beautiful is found
inside of a person and cannot be seen through the naked eyes.
We use the word "maganda" in order to highlight what is good or what
is "mabuti”. God’s gracious goodness is authentic because God took initiative
in revealing Himself to us. Kagandahang loob is not the gain for the person
itself but is always directed for the good of others. God's gracious goodness
always inspires us to do good.
God does not ask anything in return. We Filipinos see the truth as
beautiful. What is true, factual, original, or authentic, is what we consider
beautiful. We see honesty as beautiful, and we value the virtue of being true.