English
EspañolThe tender silence of a loving gaze expresses much more than words.
Text
Jesus refers us to yet another page of Genesis, which, in its second chapter, paints a splendid and detailed portrait of the couple. First, we see the man, who anxiously seeks “a helper fit for him” (vv. 18, 20), capable of alleviating the solitude which he feels amid the animals and the world around him. The original Hebrew suggests a direct encounter, face to face, eye to eye, in a kind of silent dialogue, for where love is concerned, silence is always more eloquent than words”. (The Joy of Love, n.12)
Commentary
Gazes speak different languages. We manifest what we carry in our hearts and put it within eyesight through our gaze. For this reason, depending on what we have within our hearts, we can speak different languages. Let’s talk about the gaze of love that moment when we look at our loved ones, shed all our masks, and appear as we indeed are in our intimacy, that moment when we view our beloved as he truly is. These are gazes through which we communicate deep love for the other person; they understand us, and in the same way, show us their love. This warm, tender, and silent dialogue that takes place through our gazes is the key to love. This is the infallible and sensitive sign of ineffable contemplation among intimacies; this is the sign of security and serenity of deep love
Let’s also consider that these gazes manifest love even when the other person is unaware they are being contemplated. How many times have our parents and grandparents looked at us in such a manner, silently radiating their intense love while we, as children, played around after school, oblivious to what was occurring! More likely than not, when the time comes for us to be parents and grandparents, we will remember such gazes that we received in our infancy and youth because they will be the same with which we look at our children and grandchildren. What does it mean to be and have a family? Without a doubt, among other things, it’s the experience of embracing one another by lovingly, tenderly, and silently looking at each other from one generation to the next.
