A Biblical Understanding

Love is the unconditional regard for others coupled to the actions that bear that out.

God is love.

God has an unconditional regard for people and the world and proves it though concrete, observable action.

That being said there is also the realization that among people there are those of us who are unable and/or unwilling to love for a variety of reasons. People are handicapped in their ability to relate to one another; people are handicapped in their ability to relate to God.

Christian love, and in particular contemplative love, recognizes these repeatable, measurable, and observable conditions.

Within the Judeo-Christian tradition the biblical witness forms the foundation for a proper unveiling of this dynamic historically. It also testifies to the possibility of a human response in daily life that is still available to people today who do not see love as a notion, justifying it theory as some sort of essential moral good, but is an essential part of the real experience of actual life that connects us tangibly to the world and others and God as caring, compassionate, loving, and loveable creatures.