Real Love vs. “Reel Luv”
By Fr. Francis OngkingcoCebu Daily News
Hey, Sal!” Chris called out to his engineering classmate.
“Wuzzup, dude?” Sal shouldered his knapsack and approached Chris.
“I was wondering if you want to buy tickets for this event?” he handed him a ticket.
“What’s this dude…,” Sal examined the ticket. “Real Love?”
“Yeh, why? Aren’t you interested?”
“Dude, I ain’t gonna go to some Christian or religious concert,” Sal handed him back the ticket.
“Sal, you haven’t even read everything and you’re turning down the opportunity of a lifetime?”
“Wrong there, you are!” Sal corrected Chris. “I’ve read it, and it says it’s going to be on September 1st at the World Trade Center, from 1pm to 5pm, 2012!”
“You’re super dude! So that means you’re interested and are going!”
“Wrong again! I’m not into such cheesy talks about love and other stuff.”
“Then what do you go for?” Chris had really only known Sal for a few months since classes started.
“Action, dude!”
“Action?” Chris was a bit lost.
“Yeh, action! And above all, action movies! ‘Sides, ticket’s for 200 bucks, I won’t waste it on some dull talk when I could enjoy some action-packed film like Dark Knight, Total Recall or Expendables!”
“But what comes after all that action?” Chris tried to get reason into Sal.
“Uh, I guess…uh, more action?”
“Hey, you don’t even sound so convinced yourself,” Chris pointed out.
“Right, but I’d rather watch a movie about love and romance than sit bored in a talk given by some finalist to America’s Next Top Model or some catchy youth speaker guitarist.”
“Hey, you even know who the speakers are? Does that mean you’ve been checking things out yourself?”
“Well, yeh,” Sal confessed. “Guess, no harm findin’ out, right?”
“Then why settle for reel love when you can get real love?”
“Reel love?” Sal didn’t catch Chris’ play of words.
“I meant love represented in movies and T.V. shows are packaged and artificial representations of love. They’re not meant to convey what true love is, but often try to win our emotions because they’re out to make money in the first place.”
“I disagree!” Sal interrupted him. “Movies and T.V. shows do give some lessons about life and love, dude!”
“Okay, they do but in most cases they don’t? The result is that more people are confused about what real love is and end up scripting their relationships from what they watch instead of living God’s loving script for them.”
“Well, the other day, my friend and I watched a romantic comedy,” Sal shared.
“You mean Judy?”
“Heeeey, how’d you…!!!?” Sal was surprised.
“Sal, dude, I didn’t mean to snoop, but her pict seems to be everywhere in your FB.”
“You snoop…,” Sal smiled mischievously.
“Sorry about that, I didn’t mean to, really. Anyways, how did the movie go?”
“Oh, it was LOL all the way, dude,” Sal said.
“How did that help your to improve your relationship?”
“Hey, chill out dude, we didn’t watch a movie for that!” Sal said.
“BINGO! That’s precisely why you should go to Real Love!”
“So what will make my reel love more real?”
“In summary it would be: Real love is something invisible, natural and human. Reel love is visible, public, scripted and artificial. Real love is constant and persevering. Reel love can be paused, played and forwarded. Real love is a gift and it’s really personal. Reel love is generic and commercialized. Real love fosters virtue and is discrete. Reel love is a possible source of vice and often disregards modesty and decency. Real love is an adventure of self-giving and enduringly fruitful in marriage. Reel love is predictable, linear and can end up boring and dry. Real love is sincere and integral. Reel love can be abbreviated (luv), and comes and goes depending on its seasons and episodes….”
“Hold it…!” Sal stopped Chris.
“Why, did I say something wrong?”
“NO! I’m wondering if have an extra ticket for Judy?”
“In fact, I do and the one for you is on me!” Chris smiled as he gave Sal the tickets.
“Wow, dude! I was waiting for that!”
“Yeah right, you free rider.”
* * *
A Note on Real Love Revolution 2012
Last year, CATALYST of UA&P gathered around 8,000 students at the SMX Convention Center for an afternoon with renowned PRO-LIFE and CHASTITY speaker, Jason Evert. The participants who came from all over Luzon were greatly moved by the encounter. This year, two powerful speakers from the same team of Jason Evert will give another extraordinary get-together that promises to be another memorable experience.
The first speaker is Leah Darrow, one of the finalists in the 3rd season of the popular reality show, “America’s Next Top Model.” In her powerful presentation, Leah focuses on forgiveness, true love and the ability to change one’s life. For Leah, the slow fade from her Catholic faith didn’t happen overnight; it developed with bad choices, denial of truth and choosing a comfortable life versus an extraordinary life. All this changed during one special photo shoot in which God allowed her to see her soul in its current state. This unique and supernatural grace gave her the courage to change every aspect of her life.
The second speaker is Chris Stefanick, currently the Director of Youth and Campus Ministry for the Archdiocese of Denver. A graduate of the Franciscan University of Steubenville and an accomplished guitarist and songwriter, Christopher combines his musical talent with drama, humor and gripping stories to effectively deliver the truth of the Gospel. His dynamic presentations and retreats have inspired thousands of teens all over the world to a deeper love for Christ and His Church.
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