This blog post represents an open, online Petition to the Members of the US Congress to institute a new National Holiday to celebrate the Laws of Love proclaimed by Jesus.
Christians remained the largest religious group in the world in 2015, making up nearly a third (31%) of Earth’s 7.3 billion people, according to a new Pew Research Center demographic analysis. I am asking the global Christian Community to evaluate the need for instituting a new Holiday Tradition to celebrate the Love Commandments proclaimed by Jesus Christ.
The word ‘LOVE’ does not appear in the TORAH(LAW) given to the Jews at Mount Sinai. I conducted a study of the Holiday Traditions of the US and I am totally surprised to note that there is no traditional celebration of the Proclamation of the two Great “LOVE” Commandments of Jesus Christ. Jewish Holiday Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Torah(The Law or Instruction) to the Jews. The climax of the Torah is the Decalogue, the Code of the Ten Words received by Moses on Mount Sinai. Indeed, Mount Sinai was the scene of an epochal event in the entire human history. While Jesus Christ has retained the essence of The Code of the Ten Words, He has changed the Operating Principle of the Torah, or The Law. Jesus has instructed His believers that the Law would be operated not by the use of force or authority but by simply embracing the equally powerful influence called LOVE.
I am posting this article to make an open appeal to all the members of the US Congress to pass a decree or law to commence a new tradition in the national life that celebrates the central role of Love in developing wholesome human relationships. I am using the term ‘Whole Body’ to describe the perfect unity of body, mind, heart, soul, and God that establishes man as a Whole Being. Love is central to man’s relationship to God and man’s relations with other persons. The term love includes the feelings or the emotion of love expressed by a person( “The Subject”) and it involves a personal experience evoked when another person(“The Object”) reflects the feelings of love. Love has to be known as “The Medium” that generates the attachment or devotion to another person; and this attachment implies connection by ties of affection, sexual attraction, devotion, friendship, goodwill, compassion, respect, trust, and commitment. This kind of care and concern for a person or persons in a relationship could be called ‘Whole Love’ if whatever is done for Love occurs beyond good and evil.
The concept of Holiday begins with the story of creation as revealed in the Book of Genesis and it involves the observance of a ‘Holy Day’. “And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it He rested from all the work of creating that He had done(Genesis, Chapter 2, verse#3).”
Holiday is a day of freedom from labor sanctioned by God, and it is set aside for leisure and recreation to renew man’s relationship with his Creator. In Civil Society, certain days are set aside by Law or Custom and Traditions for the suspension of official business activities and very often in commemoration of some important events in national life. I am using the term ‘Whole Holiday’ to recognize a specific day that is set aside by Human Law in recognition of the Divine Law that is conducive to the development of harmonious, or wholesome interpersonal relationships that are essential to promote the health, and well-being of all people. In the US, there are several holidays that are legal and none of them directly address the central issue of developing Love relationships.
Saint Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14 and it has become a popular tradition to choose or to greet a sweetheart. But this concept of romantic interest in a person is more related to sexual attraction and other attributes of ‘Whole Love’ such as trust, respect, and commitment may not be always present. Secondly, the tradition of Valentine’s Day is not related to the concept of God is Love and God Loves man.
Christmas Day Holiday celebration should reflect the very essence of Christianity.
John, Chapter 3, verse 16 declares: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The Christmas tradition is about the Joy that is associated with the birth of baby Jesus and the exchange of gifts to express the sense of happiness. Christmas holiday is not in remembrance of God’s Law. Jesus Christ established Love as God’s Greatest Commandment.
Matthew (Chapter 22, verses 37-40), and Mark (Chapter 12, verses 28-31) describe the Commandments of Love: “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. This is the first great commandment. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two Commandments.”
John, Chapter 13, verse 34 describes the need for neighborly relations among people based upon Love: “A new command I give you: Love one another, as I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
Whole Love – Whole Tradition – Whole Law – Whole Holiday:
In the United States, we have no Law, or a cultural tradition to commemorate the event in which Jesus Christ has issued the two great commandments asking people to observe the Law of ‘Whole Love’ which demands 1. The Love of God with Whole Body, Heart, Mind, and Soul, and 2. The Love of Neighbor as a requirement of God’s Law for man. After my Whole Discovery, the discovery of the experience of Whole Love at Whole Foods Market, Ann Arbor, Michigan on Wednesday, July 30, 2014, I decided to promote the establishment of a Whole Tradition to follow the Spirit of the Whole Law to truly observe the Commandment of Whole Love. To commemorate my Whole Discovery, I am making this appeal to ask all the members of the US Congress to approve a new Law to observe the last Wednesday of July as the ‘Whole Love Holiday’. The choice of Wednesday is very appropriate as most other legal holidays are observed on Mondays as a matter of convenience and not for the purposes of obedience to a Divine Law which should be the source and inspiration for the Human Law. The concept of Whole Love represents the Whole Law that is explicitly pronounced by Jesus Christ as the only Commandment that man must follow and observe in his lifetime.
To acknowledge the Whole Law, to celebrate its pronouncement, we need a new Whole Tradition which is reflected by instituting and celebrating a new Whole Holiday.
Whole Love – Whole Holiday – Christmas in July:
I would describe the Whole Love Holiday in July is better than Valentine’s Day for celebrating the traditions of Love.
The Rudi-Grant Connection 