The Vocation of Love
"Love is the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being" (Familiaris Consortio, n. 11; also cited in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1604). The vocation to a particular way of life is a determination of this common vocation to love. "The word 'vocation' indicates that there exists for every person a proper direction of his development through commitment of his entire life in the service of certain values… And therefore a vocation always means some principal direction of love that a particular person has" (Karol Wojtyla, Love and Responsibility).
Young people, entering into themselves and at the same time entering into conversation with Christ in prayer, desire as it were to read the eternal thought which God the Creator and Father has in their regard. They then become convinced that the task assigned to them by God is left completely to their own freedom, and at the same time is determined by various circumstances of an interior and exterior nature. Examining these circumstances, the young person, boy or girl, constructs his or her plan of life and at the same time recognizes this plan as the vocation to which God is calling him or her. (Dilecti Amici, n. 9)
According to the consistent teaching and practice of the Church, virginity realized as a deliberately chosen life-vocation, based on a vow of chastity, and in combination with the two other vows of poverty and obedience, creates particularly favorable conditions for attaining evangelical perfection. The combination of conditions that results from applying the evangelical counsels in the lives of particular men, and especially in communal life, is called the state of perfection. The "state of perfection," however, is not the same as perfection itself, which is realized by every man through striving in the manner proper to his vocation to fulfill the commandment to love God and one’s neighbor. It may happen that a man who is outside the "state of perfection," is, by observing this greatest commandment, effectively more perfect than someone who chose that state. In the light of the Gospel, every man solves the problem of his vocation in practice above all by adopting a conscious personal attitude towards the supreme demand contained in the commandment of love. This attitude is above all a function of a person, the state (marriage, celibacy, even virginity understood only as the "state" or an element of the state) plays in it a secondary role. (Love and Responsibility).
Pope John Paul II
#vocation #love
"Love is the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being" (Familiaris Consortio, n. 11; also cited in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1604). The vocation to a particular way of life is a determination of this common vocation to love. "The word 'vocation' indicates that there exists for every person a proper direction of his development through commitment of his entire life in the service of certain values… And therefore a vocation always means some principal direction of love that a particular person has" (Karol Wojtyla, Love and Responsibility).
Young people, entering into themselves and at the same time entering into conversation with Christ in prayer, desire as it were to read the eternal thought which God the Creator and Father has in their regard. They then become convinced that the task assigned to them by God is left completely to their own freedom, and at the same time is determined by various circumstances of an interior and exterior nature. Examining these circumstances, the young person, boy or girl, constructs his or her plan of life and at the same time recognizes this plan as the vocation to which God is calling him or her. (Dilecti Amici, n. 9)
According to the consistent teaching and practice of the Church, virginity realized as a deliberately chosen life-vocation, based on a vow of chastity, and in combination with the two other vows of poverty and obedience, creates particularly favorable conditions for attaining evangelical perfection. The combination of conditions that results from applying the evangelical counsels in the lives of particular men, and especially in communal life, is called the state of perfection. The "state of perfection," however, is not the same as perfection itself, which is realized by every man through striving in the manner proper to his vocation to fulfill the commandment to love God and one’s neighbor. It may happen that a man who is outside the "state of perfection," is, by observing this greatest commandment, effectively more perfect than someone who chose that state. In the light of the Gospel, every man solves the problem of his vocation in practice above all by adopting a conscious personal attitude towards the supreme demand contained in the commandment of love. This attitude is above all a function of a person, the state (marriage, celibacy, even virginity understood only as the "state" or an element of the state) plays in it a secondary role. (Love and Responsibility).
Pope John Paul II
#vocation #love
St. Francis de Sales on love
"Consider all the past as nothing and say, like David, now I begin to love my God."
"You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working, and just so, you learn to love by loving. All those who think to learn in any other way deceive themselves."
#francisdesales #love
"Consider all the past as nothing and say, like David, now I begin to love my God."
"You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working, and just so, you learn to love by loving. All those who think to learn in any other way deceive themselves."
#francisdesales #love
Aquinas on Degrees of Love for God
Three levels of love of God
St. Thomas Aquinas, in his work On the Perfection of the Spiritual Life distinguishes three essential levels of love of God: (1) God's love for himself; (2) The love of the blessed saints and angels for God; (3) The love of those in grace and charity on earth.
(1) God is infinitely good and infinitely lovable, but no creature can love infinitely, and therefore only God himself can love himself as he deserves: the Father's infinite love, which he shows to and bestows upon the Son and Spirit, is supreme love.
(2) Creatures love God perfectly in heaven, inasmuch as all of their power and activity is turned to God: their attention is upon him, they see him as he is, their hearts embrace him, and they do all things for his sake.
(3) We here on earth can love God perfectly in the sense that we give ourselves to God, and thereby, since all our actions belong to us, we implicitly give all of them to God and do them for him, even if we don't and can't think of God at every single moment. Again, we love God perfectly inasmuch as we submit our minds entirely to him, believing his Word which he speaks to us, and give our hearts to him, loving things for the sake of God, and acting out of that love.
A basic form of this third level of love is required of all of us; it is wrong to disbelieve even a single word of God, to refuse to follow even a single one of God's precepts, to love anything other than God as though it were our ultimate happiness.
Yet within this third level there are various degrees. We may approach more or less closely to the second level of love, inasmuch as we strive to have our hearts and minds always turned actually towards God. St. Thomas explains that this is the purpose of the evangelical counsels: to take away everything that could distract us from giving this actual attention to God.
In summary:
1. God's love for himself is absolutely perfect and infinite.
2. The most perfect love possible to creatures is the love of created persons for God in heaven; the whole strength of their nature is directed towards God.
3a. Perfect love possible on earth (generically): we refer everything to God, but not necessarily consciously at every moment.
3b. Most perfect love possible on earth: to strive to imitate the perfection of love in heaven; to seek to act at every moment out of love.
#love #charity
Three levels of love of God
St. Thomas Aquinas, in his work On the Perfection of the Spiritual Life distinguishes three essential levels of love of God: (1) God's love for himself; (2) The love of the blessed saints and angels for God; (3) The love of those in grace and charity on earth.
(1) God is infinitely good and infinitely lovable, but no creature can love infinitely, and therefore only God himself can love himself as he deserves: the Father's infinite love, which he shows to and bestows upon the Son and Spirit, is supreme love.
(2) Creatures love God perfectly in heaven, inasmuch as all of their power and activity is turned to God: their attention is upon him, they see him as he is, their hearts embrace him, and they do all things for his sake.
(3) We here on earth can love God perfectly in the sense that we give ourselves to God, and thereby, since all our actions belong to us, we implicitly give all of them to God and do them for him, even if we don't and can't think of God at every single moment. Again, we love God perfectly inasmuch as we submit our minds entirely to him, believing his Word which he speaks to us, and give our hearts to him, loving things for the sake of God, and acting out of that love.
A basic form of this third level of love is required of all of us; it is wrong to disbelieve even a single word of God, to refuse to follow even a single one of God's precepts, to love anything other than God as though it were our ultimate happiness.
Yet within this third level there are various degrees. We may approach more or less closely to the second level of love, inasmuch as we strive to have our hearts and minds always turned actually towards God. St. Thomas explains that this is the purpose of the evangelical counsels: to take away everything that could distract us from giving this actual attention to God.
In summary:
1. God's love for himself is absolutely perfect and infinite.
2. The most perfect love possible to creatures is the love of created persons for God in heaven; the whole strength of their nature is directed towards God.
3a. Perfect love possible on earth (generically): we refer everything to God, but not necessarily consciously at every moment.
3b. Most perfect love possible on earth: to strive to imitate the perfection of love in heaven; to seek to act at every moment out of love.
#love #charity
Aquinas on Degrees of Love of Neighbor
A summary of Aquinas's division of love of neighbor in his work On the Perfection of the Spiritual Life. His aim here is explaining the perfection of the religious state and the episcopal state.
Necessary love of neighbor
The basic commandments is "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." From these follows three points regarding the love of our neighbor we must have:
First, it must be true love, that is, we must love him or her not in the sense that we may love chocolate or wine. When we love these we refer them to ourselves, whom we properly love. We must love our neighbors so as to will them good for their own sake, and not only inasmuch as they are pleasant or helpful to use.
Secondly, we must love our neighbor with an ordered love. Everyone loves his spiritual nature more than his bodily nature. This is evident from the fact that no one would prefer being an idiot to being blind. So also we must love the spiritual good of our neighbor more than his bodily good, and again, we must love his bodily good more than his external goods.
Thirdly, we must love our neighbors with a holy love, inasmuch as we must love both ourselves and them as made in the likeness of God, as ordered to God, and as called to communion with him. Since what is ordered to God is called holy, loving our neighbor for God's sake is a holy love.
Fourthly, we must love our neighbor with an efficacious love, that is, a love that proves itself by deeds, as St. John says, "let us not love in word or in speech, but in deed and in truth."
Perfect love of neighbor that is counseled
Love of neighbor can be perfect in three ways which are not obligatory
1. Love can be perfect with respect to its extensiveness, when we show love to all men, even when we are not strictly required to do so. Aquinas distinguishes three degrees of love with respect to extension: (1) the lowest degree is when we love only those who are close to us; (2) the second degree is when we love not only those who are relatives or are close to us in some other way, but men and women everywhere; (3) the third degree is when we show love even to our enemies, to those who hurt us–even when we wouldn't be obliged to show a particular love for them. E.g., when we could with justice wait for them to make amends, to go out of our way to seek reconciliation.
2. Love of neighbor can be perfect with respect to its intensity. This perfection is shown by what a person is ready to give up for the sake of his neighbor. Thomas distinguishes three levels here, corresponding to the three evangelical counsels: (1) some give up possessions for the sake of their fellow men and women; (2) some expose their body labor and fatigue, or to persecution for the sake of others; (3) some lay down their life for others; the closest thing to this dying for others is giving up one's own will for the sake of others. For since to be alive means to act on one's own, to give up one's will is like a kind of death.
3. Love of neighbor can be perfect with respect to its works. (1) Some procure the bodily good of others, by feeding them, clothing them, or healing them; (2) some procure the spiritual good of others, as by teaching, but such spiritual good as is on man's own level; (3) some procure the spiritual good of others that is on a divine level–giving them the divine teaching, bestowing the sacraments, etc. This belongs above all to bishops.
#aquinas #love #charity
A summary of Aquinas's division of love of neighbor in his work On the Perfection of the Spiritual Life. His aim here is explaining the perfection of the religious state and the episcopal state.
Necessary love of neighbor
The basic commandments is "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." From these follows three points regarding the love of our neighbor we must have:
First, it must be true love, that is, we must love him or her not in the sense that we may love chocolate or wine. When we love these we refer them to ourselves, whom we properly love. We must love our neighbors so as to will them good for their own sake, and not only inasmuch as they are pleasant or helpful to use.
Secondly, we must love our neighbor with an ordered love. Everyone loves his spiritual nature more than his bodily nature. This is evident from the fact that no one would prefer being an idiot to being blind. So also we must love the spiritual good of our neighbor more than his bodily good, and again, we must love his bodily good more than his external goods.
Thirdly, we must love our neighbors with a holy love, inasmuch as we must love both ourselves and them as made in the likeness of God, as ordered to God, and as called to communion with him. Since what is ordered to God is called holy, loving our neighbor for God's sake is a holy love.
Fourthly, we must love our neighbor with an efficacious love, that is, a love that proves itself by deeds, as St. John says, "let us not love in word or in speech, but in deed and in truth."
Perfect love of neighbor that is counseled
Love of neighbor can be perfect in three ways which are not obligatory
1. Love can be perfect with respect to its extensiveness, when we show love to all men, even when we are not strictly required to do so. Aquinas distinguishes three degrees of love with respect to extension: (1) the lowest degree is when we love only those who are close to us; (2) the second degree is when we love not only those who are relatives or are close to us in some other way, but men and women everywhere; (3) the third degree is when we show love even to our enemies, to those who hurt us–even when we wouldn't be obliged to show a particular love for them. E.g., when we could with justice wait for them to make amends, to go out of our way to seek reconciliation.
2. Love of neighbor can be perfect with respect to its intensity. This perfection is shown by what a person is ready to give up for the sake of his neighbor. Thomas distinguishes three levels here, corresponding to the three evangelical counsels: (1) some give up possessions for the sake of their fellow men and women; (2) some expose their body labor and fatigue, or to persecution for the sake of others; (3) some lay down their life for others; the closest thing to this dying for others is giving up one's own will for the sake of others. For since to be alive means to act on one's own, to give up one's will is like a kind of death.
3. Love of neighbor can be perfect with respect to its works. (1) Some procure the bodily good of others, by feeding them, clothing them, or healing them; (2) some procure the spiritual good of others, as by teaching, but such spiritual good as is on man's own level; (3) some procure the spiritual good of others that is on a divine level–giving them the divine teaching, bestowing the sacraments, etc. This belongs above all to bishops.
#aquinas #love #charity
Ecce Verbum
The Vocation of Love "Love is the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being" (Familiaris Consortio, n. 11; also cited in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1604). The vocation to a particular way of life is a determination of this common…
Love and Responsibility (1).pdf
45.1 MB
Love and Responsibility
Karol Wojtyła
Karol Wojtyla has produced a remarkably eloquent and resourceful defense of Catholic tradition in the sphere of family life and sexual morality. He writes in the conviction that science--biology, psychology, sociology--can provide valuable information on particular aspects of relations between the sexes, but that a full understanding can be obtained only by study of the human person as a whole.
Central to his argument is the contrast between the personalistic and the utilitarian views of marriage and of sexual relations. The former views marriage as an interpersonal relationship, in which the well-being and self-realization of each partner are of overriding importance to the other. It is only within this framework that the full purpose of marriage can be realized. The alternative, utilitarian view, according to which a sexual partner is an object for use, holds no possibility of fulfillment and happiness.
#love #marriage
Karol Wojtyła
Karol Wojtyla has produced a remarkably eloquent and resourceful defense of Catholic tradition in the sphere of family life and sexual morality. He writes in the conviction that science--biology, psychology, sociology--can provide valuable information on particular aspects of relations between the sexes, but that a full understanding can be obtained only by study of the human person as a whole.
Central to his argument is the contrast between the personalistic and the utilitarian views of marriage and of sexual relations. The former views marriage as an interpersonal relationship, in which the well-being and self-realization of each partner are of overriding importance to the other. It is only within this framework that the full purpose of marriage can be realized. The alternative, utilitarian view, according to which a sexual partner is an object for use, holds no possibility of fulfillment and happiness.
#love #marriage
Ecce Verbum
Love and Responsibility (1).pdf
The Phenomenon of Shame and its interpretation
Chapter III- The Person and Chastity, pages 174-181
Taken from
Love and Responsibility by Karol Wojtyła
#love #chastity #shame
Chapter III- The Person and Chastity, pages 174-181
Taken from
Love and Responsibility by Karol Wojtyła
#love #chastity #shame
Ecce Verbum
Love and Responsibility (1).pdf
A person's rightful due is to be treated as an object of love, not as an object for use
John Paul II, Love and Responsibility
"Treating a person as a means to an end, and an end moreover which in this case is pleasure, the maximization of pleasure, will always stand in the way of love."
"...if desire is predominant it can deform love between man and woman and rob them both of it."
"'Love' in this utilitarian conception is a union of egoism, which can hold together only on condition that they confront each other with nothing unpleasant, nothing to conflict with their mutual pleasure. Therefore love so understood is self-evidently merely a pretense which has to be careful cultivated to keep the underlying reality hidden: the reality of egoism and the greediest kind of egoism at that, exploiting another person to obtain for itself its own 'maximum pleasure'. In such circumstances the other person is and remains only a means to an end..."
"Anyone who treats a person as a means to an end does violence to the very essence of the other, to what constitutes its natural right."
" Sin is a violation of the true good. For the true good in the love of man and woman is first of all the person, and not emotions for its own sake, still less pleasure as such. These are secondary goods, and love -- which is a durable union of persons -- cannot be built of them alone."
"The person—especially a woman—may be disillusioned by the fact that over time a man’s affection turns out to be only, so to speak, a cover for desire or even for an explicit will to use. Both a woman and a man may be disillusioned by the fact that the values attributed to the beloved person turn out to be fiction. Because of the dissonance between the ideal and the reality, affective love is sometimes not only extinguished but even transformed into affective hatred."
"It is impossible to put your trust in another human being knowing or feeling that his or her sole aim is utility or pleasure. It is equally impossible to put your trust in a person if you yourself, have the same thing as your main object."
"Persons on the path to love feel "sympathy" for one another - they experience the feelings of the other. They also need to become friends, who want what is good for the other. And finally all this lead to a free decision to enter into betrothed love - "the giving of one's own person (to another)." Because the gift is reciprocal, because it is based on a unification of the persons on the basis of attraction, desire, goodwill, sympathy, and friendship, and because they give themselves freely to each other, the two are able to become one without either becoming a object of possession or use by the other.
Once they have become one in all these aspects and one by a decision of their wills, only then do they have a right to become one flesh, only then are they ready to accept together joint permanent responsibility for a potential new life, the fruit of their union, and to commit to care for each other not just when it is pleasurable but in sickness and in health, for richer, for poor, till death"
"Friendship, as has been said, consists in a full commitment of the will to another person with a view to that person’s good."
Read more:
Love and Sexual Revolution
The phenomenon of shame and its interpretation
Thomas Aquinas on marriage
The greatest of friendships
#love #marriage
John Paul II, Love and Responsibility
"Treating a person as a means to an end, and an end moreover which in this case is pleasure, the maximization of pleasure, will always stand in the way of love."
"...if desire is predominant it can deform love between man and woman and rob them both of it."
"'Love' in this utilitarian conception is a union of egoism, which can hold together only on condition that they confront each other with nothing unpleasant, nothing to conflict with their mutual pleasure. Therefore love so understood is self-evidently merely a pretense which has to be careful cultivated to keep the underlying reality hidden: the reality of egoism and the greediest kind of egoism at that, exploiting another person to obtain for itself its own 'maximum pleasure'. In such circumstances the other person is and remains only a means to an end..."
"Anyone who treats a person as a means to an end does violence to the very essence of the other, to what constitutes its natural right."
" Sin is a violation of the true good. For the true good in the love of man and woman is first of all the person, and not emotions for its own sake, still less pleasure as such. These are secondary goods, and love -- which is a durable union of persons -- cannot be built of them alone."
"The person—especially a woman—may be disillusioned by the fact that over time a man’s affection turns out to be only, so to speak, a cover for desire or even for an explicit will to use. Both a woman and a man may be disillusioned by the fact that the values attributed to the beloved person turn out to be fiction. Because of the dissonance between the ideal and the reality, affective love is sometimes not only extinguished but even transformed into affective hatred."
"It is impossible to put your trust in another human being knowing or feeling that his or her sole aim is utility or pleasure. It is equally impossible to put your trust in a person if you yourself, have the same thing as your main object."
"Persons on the path to love feel "sympathy" for one another - they experience the feelings of the other. They also need to become friends, who want what is good for the other. And finally all this lead to a free decision to enter into betrothed love - "the giving of one's own person (to another)." Because the gift is reciprocal, because it is based on a unification of the persons on the basis of attraction, desire, goodwill, sympathy, and friendship, and because they give themselves freely to each other, the two are able to become one without either becoming a object of possession or use by the other.
Once they have become one in all these aspects and one by a decision of their wills, only then do they have a right to become one flesh, only then are they ready to accept together joint permanent responsibility for a potential new life, the fruit of their union, and to commit to care for each other not just when it is pleasurable but in sickness and in health, for richer, for poor, till death"
"Friendship, as has been said, consists in a full commitment of the will to another person with a view to that person’s good."
Read more:
Love and Sexual Revolution
The phenomenon of shame and its interpretation
Thomas Aquinas on marriage
The greatest of friendships
#love #marriage
Telegram
Ecce Verbum
Love and Responsibility
Karol Wojtyła
Karol Wojtyla has produced a remarkably eloquent and resourceful defense of Catholic tradition in the sphere of family life and sexual morality. He writes in the conviction that science--biology, psychology, sociology…
Karol Wojtyła
Karol Wojtyla has produced a remarkably eloquent and resourceful defense of Catholic tradition in the sphere of family life and sexual morality. He writes in the conviction that science--biology, psychology, sociology…
Thou Shalt Love
Blessed Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński
Excerpts
'It is characteristic of love that, when given to man and well-received, it produces fruit a hundredfold and, through creation, it further multiplies, giving birth to new love. Just as a small seed bears a hundred grains, so a small fruit—a tree, and on this tree—thousands of fruits grow, and from these thousands of fruits, hundreds of thousands of seeds and, in turn, from them hundreds of thousands of trees, and again millions of fruits, so it is with love… Love grows!'
'Love must be tested like gold in fire. Only, small love crumbles in the heat of trials. Great love purifies itself and lights up. Now, God wants great love from us.'
'True love does not speak much. It looks, smiles, acts discreetly so that no one will see or notice it… It brings inner relief and mutual freedom. Most importantly, love gives freedom because it is freedom.'
'Love is extremely subtle and discreet. It does not like any declarations and statements. It simply exists and lasts. It is present, as we are aware of the presence of a loving God. The greatest joy comes from the fact that He exists and that He is Love. God never reminds us or tells us about it. It is enough that He there is…'
'People are always changed by love. They become beautiful without even knowing it. They give a lot, but without doing it intentionally. They work involuntarily, although they do not plan their acts. The Love of God, poured out by the Holy Spirit living in us, is at work through them.'
'Since people constantly need more love, they have the opportunity of calculating how much others need it. For me, a little love may suffice, others need more of it. Quarrelsome, mean, angry, and nagging people are the kind who need a lot of love. Apparently, no one has shown it to them, at least to the extent of their need. They have a great need for love; just any dose is not enough for them. So, I have to go beyond myself, go out of my way, to reach the measure that others need.'
'The world exists because of love, and the human person exists because of love. And if something exists, it is a sign that someone loves, that he sustains it with his love.'
'Almost all the works in which love is involved are difficult, because love, although wonderful, is not easy. Loving well is not easy! Showing love is hard! Living in love – oh! That is a task that requires great personal culture. Arranging social life in love requires, above all, the sacrifices and dedication of those who want to arrange it that way'.
'Every moment can and must be filled with love. The value of life and its greatness depend on how we fill every moment with love. If it is long, it is the special goodness of God who provides more moments to be filled with love.'
'It is characteristic of love that, although it is full of joy and does not need anything, it still wants to contribute. A loving person reveals his love; the beloved one reveals his joy, smiling at everyone; the man who loves and is loved wants this love to be shown outside. Now, this is even more so with the Most Holy Love, which is God!'
'There is one moral principle that binds everyone: “Love, and do what you want,” that is, try to interpret through love everything you do, all your business; try to animate with love every word, every look, every movement. For even if faith fails, even if hope fades, love does not cease.'
source
The Social Crusade of Love
a documentary 'Thou Shalt Love'
#love
Blessed Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński
Excerpts
'It is characteristic of love that, when given to man and well-received, it produces fruit a hundredfold and, through creation, it further multiplies, giving birth to new love. Just as a small seed bears a hundred grains, so a small fruit—a tree, and on this tree—thousands of fruits grow, and from these thousands of fruits, hundreds of thousands of seeds and, in turn, from them hundreds of thousands of trees, and again millions of fruits, so it is with love… Love grows!'
'Love must be tested like gold in fire. Only, small love crumbles in the heat of trials. Great love purifies itself and lights up. Now, God wants great love from us.'
'True love does not speak much. It looks, smiles, acts discreetly so that no one will see or notice it… It brings inner relief and mutual freedom. Most importantly, love gives freedom because it is freedom.'
'Love is extremely subtle and discreet. It does not like any declarations and statements. It simply exists and lasts. It is present, as we are aware of the presence of a loving God. The greatest joy comes from the fact that He exists and that He is Love. God never reminds us or tells us about it. It is enough that He there is…'
'People are always changed by love. They become beautiful without even knowing it. They give a lot, but without doing it intentionally. They work involuntarily, although they do not plan their acts. The Love of God, poured out by the Holy Spirit living in us, is at work through them.'
'Since people constantly need more love, they have the opportunity of calculating how much others need it. For me, a little love may suffice, others need more of it. Quarrelsome, mean, angry, and nagging people are the kind who need a lot of love. Apparently, no one has shown it to them, at least to the extent of their need. They have a great need for love; just any dose is not enough for them. So, I have to go beyond myself, go out of my way, to reach the measure that others need.'
'The world exists because of love, and the human person exists because of love. And if something exists, it is a sign that someone loves, that he sustains it with his love.'
'Almost all the works in which love is involved are difficult, because love, although wonderful, is not easy. Loving well is not easy! Showing love is hard! Living in love – oh! That is a task that requires great personal culture. Arranging social life in love requires, above all, the sacrifices and dedication of those who want to arrange it that way'.
'Every moment can and must be filled with love. The value of life and its greatness depend on how we fill every moment with love. If it is long, it is the special goodness of God who provides more moments to be filled with love.'
'It is characteristic of love that, although it is full of joy and does not need anything, it still wants to contribute. A loving person reveals his love; the beloved one reveals his joy, smiling at everyone; the man who loves and is loved wants this love to be shown outside. Now, this is even more so with the Most Holy Love, which is God!'
'There is one moral principle that binds everyone: “Love, and do what you want,” that is, try to interpret through love everything you do, all your business; try to animate with love every word, every look, every movement. For even if faith fails, even if hope fades, love does not cease.'
source
The Social Crusade of Love
a documentary 'Thou Shalt Love'
#love
polskifr.fr
Cardinal Wyszyński about LOVE
Pearls and Aphorisms of Blessed Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński about LOVE.
theology_of_the_body (1).pdf
2.5 MB
The Redemption of the Body
and Sacramentality of Marriage
John Paul II
A series of 129 lectures given between 1979 and 1984, which answer the questions of what it means that we were created in the image of God; why we were created male and female; the marital union of a man and woman in God's plan; the purpose of the married and celibate vocations; purity and chastity
"The human body includes right from the beginning... the capacity of expressing love, that love in which the person becomes a gift – and by means of this gift – fulfills the meaning of his being and existence.”
His reflections are based on Scripture and contain a vision of the human person truly worthy of man, they counteract societal trends which view the body as an object of pleasure or as a machine for manipulation.
Wojtyła’s way of thinking about love was inspired by the language of “gift of self ” found in St. John of the Cross, rooted in the relation of love between the Persons of the Holy Trinity.
Summarising notes
#marriage #love
and Sacramentality of Marriage
John Paul II
A series of 129 lectures given between 1979 and 1984, which answer the questions of what it means that we were created in the image of God; why we were created male and female; the marital union of a man and woman in God's plan; the purpose of the married and celibate vocations; purity and chastity
"The human body includes right from the beginning... the capacity of expressing love, that love in which the person becomes a gift – and by means of this gift – fulfills the meaning of his being and existence.”
His reflections are based on Scripture and contain a vision of the human person truly worthy of man, they counteract societal trends which view the body as an object of pleasure or as a machine for manipulation.
Wojtyła’s way of thinking about love was inspired by the language of “gift of self ” found in St. John of the Cross, rooted in the relation of love between the Persons of the Holy Trinity.
Summarising notes
#marriage #love
Ecce Verbum
theology_of_the_body (1).pdf
Adultery vs the ethos of the Gospel
notes based on The Redemption of the Body
and Sacramentality of Marriage, John Paul II
1)"For your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so" (Mt 19:8). 'Hardness of heart' indicates what, according to the ethos of the people of the Old Testament, had brought about the situation contrary to the original plan of God.
"Hardness of heart"-The Greek term sklerokardía was formed by the authors of the Septuagint to express what in the Hebrew meant: "non-circumcision of the heart" (cf. e.g., Dt 10:16; Jer 4:4; Sir 3:26f.) and which, in the literal translation of the New Testament, appears only once (cf. Acts 7:51). Non-circumcision meant "paganism," "immodesty," "distance from the covenant with God"; "non-circumcision of the heart" expressed unyielding obstinacy in opposing God. This is confirmed by the exclamation of the deacon Stephen: "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you" (Acts 7:51).
source
2) John 2:16-17: "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever." In these three forms of lust there fructifies the breaking of the first covenant with the Creator. The heart is affected by lust, but this inner being of man also decides exterior human behavior. No study of human ethos can ignore the interior dimension.
source
3) Over the centuries the authentic content of the Law was subjected to the weaknesses of the human will. Jesus speaks more precisely about a certain human interpretation of the law, which negates and does away with the correct meaning of right and wrong as specified by the will of the divine legislator. Christ desires such justice to be "superior to that of the scribes and Pharisees, which was a casuistic interpretation, superimposed on the original version of right and wrong connected with the law of the Decalogue. If Christ tends to transform the ethos, he does so mainly to recover the fundamental clarity of the interpretation: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish but to fulfill" (Mt 5:17).
It is confirmed by the books of the Bible in which we find the Old Testament legislation fully recorded as a whole. If we consider the letter of such legislation, we find that it takes a stand against adultery, using radical means, including the death penalty (cf. Lv 20:10; Dt 22:22). It does so, however, by effectively supporting polygamy, even fully legalizing it. Adultery is not understood as it appears from the point of view of monogamy as established by the Creator.
source
source
4) Christ talks about adultery committed in the heart, in contraposition to adultery committed in the body. Sirach 23:17-22 talked about the incessant fire that will consume a lustful man — his passions and then his heart, suffocating conscience. Giving in to the passion doesn’t extinguish it, but makes it stronger until it kills man’s spirit. Lust separates the body from its real meaning as the basis of communion. Lust in the heart obscures the significance of the body and the person. ”Man’s original desire “for” the other is distorted; he becomes a “taker” of the other, no longer a “giver to and for” the other.
source
5) Christ’s statement aims at constructing the new ethos of the Gospel and the rediscovery of those values lost by historical man. Christ wants the heart to be a place for the fulfillment of the law. The commandments must be kept in “purity of heart.” He wants to remove lust from the relationship between man and woman so that, in purity of heart, the nuptial meaning of the body and the person can shine in mutual self-giving and sacramental unity.
source
Adultery committed in the heart can and must be understood as “devaluation,” or as the impoverishment of an authentic value
#marriage #chastity #love
notes based on The Redemption of the Body
and Sacramentality of Marriage, John Paul II
1)"For your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so" (Mt 19:8). 'Hardness of heart' indicates what, according to the ethos of the people of the Old Testament, had brought about the situation contrary to the original plan of God.
"Hardness of heart"-The Greek term sklerokardía was formed by the authors of the Septuagint to express what in the Hebrew meant: "non-circumcision of the heart" (cf. e.g., Dt 10:16; Jer 4:4; Sir 3:26f.) and which, in the literal translation of the New Testament, appears only once (cf. Acts 7:51). Non-circumcision meant "paganism," "immodesty," "distance from the covenant with God"; "non-circumcision of the heart" expressed unyielding obstinacy in opposing God. This is confirmed by the exclamation of the deacon Stephen: "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you" (Acts 7:51).
source
2) John 2:16-17: "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever." In these three forms of lust there fructifies the breaking of the first covenant with the Creator. The heart is affected by lust, but this inner being of man also decides exterior human behavior. No study of human ethos can ignore the interior dimension.
source
3) Over the centuries the authentic content of the Law was subjected to the weaknesses of the human will. Jesus speaks more precisely about a certain human interpretation of the law, which negates and does away with the correct meaning of right and wrong as specified by the will of the divine legislator. Christ desires such justice to be "superior to that of the scribes and Pharisees, which was a casuistic interpretation, superimposed on the original version of right and wrong connected with the law of the Decalogue. If Christ tends to transform the ethos, he does so mainly to recover the fundamental clarity of the interpretation: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish but to fulfill" (Mt 5:17).
It is confirmed by the books of the Bible in which we find the Old Testament legislation fully recorded as a whole. If we consider the letter of such legislation, we find that it takes a stand against adultery, using radical means, including the death penalty (cf. Lv 20:10; Dt 22:22). It does so, however, by effectively supporting polygamy, even fully legalizing it. Adultery is not understood as it appears from the point of view of monogamy as established by the Creator.
source
source
4) Christ talks about adultery committed in the heart, in contraposition to adultery committed in the body. Sirach 23:17-22 talked about the incessant fire that will consume a lustful man — his passions and then his heart, suffocating conscience. Giving in to the passion doesn’t extinguish it, but makes it stronger until it kills man’s spirit. Lust separates the body from its real meaning as the basis of communion. Lust in the heart obscures the significance of the body and the person. ”Man’s original desire “for” the other is distorted; he becomes a “taker” of the other, no longer a “giver to and for” the other.
source
5) Christ’s statement aims at constructing the new ethos of the Gospel and the rediscovery of those values lost by historical man. Christ wants the heart to be a place for the fulfillment of the law. The commandments must be kept in “purity of heart.” He wants to remove lust from the relationship between man and woman so that, in purity of heart, the nuptial meaning of the body and the person can shine in mutual self-giving and sacramental unity.
source
Adultery committed in the heart can and must be understood as “devaluation,” or as the impoverishment of an authentic value
#marriage #chastity #love
Ecce Verbum
Patriotism -Patriotism is one of the virtues related to justice. -Justice is a cardinal virtue that regulates the mutual relations between people,to "give to each what is rightfully his due". -The components of justice are all the acts of doing good and…
Love built on common values
Henryk Sienkiewicz, Polish writer
Excerpt from a letter to Maria Radziejewska, dated 18.07.1903.
"At that time I thought - I was probably not wrong - that the purpose of your life was to serve your country, and for me too it was not only an ideal, but the passion of life, so it seemed to me that we were also united, that on this basis understanding and spiritual brotherhood would grow between us both the more easily."
"Such a service, which is extremely hard for us, becomes incomparably lighter and even more important when you have someone who understands, strengthens and supports you, and when it is a gentle and noble female soul, it becomes a source of comfort, solace and strength for the man at the same time. These are all things that, taken together, prompted me some years ago to seek your friendship, my Lady. The future could either loosen or tighten this knot. The loosening, being gradual, would not do either of us any harm - the tightening could become a help and a blessing in life."
*When today's concept of love is so shallow, and even abashed, it is worth returning to those beautiful models, when love was formed on the basis of friendship, and this was rooted in love for God and Homeland. At that time, marriage and the family took on a deeper dimension, radiating national culture, with its models and values, which we so often lack today, precisely in the family.
#love
Henryk Sienkiewicz, Polish writer
Excerpt from a letter to Maria Radziejewska, dated 18.07.1903.
"At that time I thought - I was probably not wrong - that the purpose of your life was to serve your country, and for me too it was not only an ideal, but the passion of life, so it seemed to me that we were also united, that on this basis understanding and spiritual brotherhood would grow between us both the more easily."
"Such a service, which is extremely hard for us, becomes incomparably lighter and even more important when you have someone who understands, strengthens and supports you, and when it is a gentle and noble female soul, it becomes a source of comfort, solace and strength for the man at the same time. These are all things that, taken together, prompted me some years ago to seek your friendship, my Lady. The future could either loosen or tighten this knot. The loosening, being gradual, would not do either of us any harm - the tightening could become a help and a blessing in life."
*When today's concept of love is so shallow, and even abashed, it is worth returning to those beautiful models, when love was formed on the basis of friendship, and this was rooted in love for God and Homeland. At that time, marriage and the family took on a deeper dimension, radiating national culture, with its models and values, which we so often lack today, precisely in the family.
#love