Aloha Binds 'Ohana

The concept of 'ohana (family) refers to an extended group of friends, work colleagues, children, siblings, mothers, fathers, and grandparents from many biological families. Aloha (love) is the bond in the family and not blood, where a family member is expected to focus on 'ohana in all aspects of daily life and work. [Paul Pearsall, Toxic Success: How to Stop Striving and Start Thriving, (Makawao, Maui, HI: Inner Ocean Publishing, 2002), 62-63] That was a Hawaiian experience!

This experience, I believe, has its roots in the biblical teaching about love for each other in the family of faith. Jesus Christ commands us to “love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.” (Luke 6:35) While the Apostle Paul in Romans 12: 9-13 admonishes us to honor one another in brotherly love. Love must have been the bond that binds for Christians all over the world and is not blood relationship; Jesus Christ’s love encompasses all biological families.

The ideal community of people envisioned in the teachings of the Bible is confronted by present-day realities where greed for power and of material resources is the order of the day. Those of us who profess to be Christians lack the qualities of love that Jesus is encouraging us to live, simply because we cannot just restraint the excessive desire for something from biological family and political lines.

Despite our loudest claim, it seems that there is a strong lack of people who can inspire, awaken and motivate others to live their true hallmarks of God's love. Not only that, but there is an ever-decreasing number of people who have been able to forge their Godly love values and instead the majority just follow the social norms.

Look, what happens to CON-ASS? As Filipinos, are we honoring one another in God’s love in this latest political maneuver? With this political move, are we immersed in the divine aloha for ‘ohana?