Tag: love

Ecology of the Heart

Throughout Laudato Si, Pope Francis returns to the contrast between dominion and domination, of stewardship andownership. He tells us that our concern for the planet is an empty one if it does not take into account ourr responsibility and obligation to our poorest and least acknowledged neighbor. Our call is not to make things better for us, but for everyone. Since God is creator of all, God loves all. So must we.

Ponder
How can I become selfless enough to call everyone I meet a brother or sister?

Pray
God of creation, it is not always easy to see you in others. When people are downright nasty and hard to help, give me a heart to see through their anger and fear to your grace shining in them.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus

The month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Sacred Heart represents Christ’s love for all mankind.

O most holy heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing, I adore you, I love you, and with lively sorrow for my sins I offer you this poor heart of mine. Make me humble, patient, pure and wholly obedient to your will. Grant, Good Jesus, that I may live in you and for you. Protect me in the midst of danger. Comfort me in my afflictions. Give me health of body, assistance in my temporal needs, your blessings on all that I do, and the grace of a holy death. Amen.

Reflection Question
Think back on the times or a time when your heart was bursting of the power of God’s love, how did it make you feel?

Discussion Question
What can you do to help foster the “Sacred Heart” for others around you?

RS 35: What is Love?

“To love is to suffer. To avoid suffering one must not love. But then one suffers from not loving. Therefore to love is to suffer, not to love is to suffer. To suffer is to suffer. To be happy is to love. To be happy then is to suffer. But suffering makes one unhappy. Therefore, to be unhappy one must love, or love to suffer, or suffer from too much happiness. I hope you’re getting this down.”                            —– Woody Allen

If love does not know how to give and take without restrictions, it is not love, but a transaction.                                                                                       —– Emma Goldman

Real love is not a feeling; love is an act of the will.  Love takes over when feelings fail, when the beloved is not longer even likeable.  As with any act of freedom, love includes a commitment to the other, a sacrifice of freedom.                  —– William J. O’Malley

Which of the above quotes best describes what love is in your view?  Clearly explain the reasons for your choice.  If you strongly feel that none of the above quotes best describes what you think about love, then find a quote that you do and share it with us along with your explanations.

The Importance of Love

Soon after Jesus’ death, his followers started to teach about his life and deeds. One such man was Paul. Paul was a Jew who had a spiritual conversion on the road to Damascus and spent the rest of his life traveling and teaching about Jesus. Paul believed that all people sin and all people can receive the grace of God. According to I Corinthians, one of the books of the New Testament, Paul said that love is the greatest thing.

How might love be the “greatest thing”?

Society and Christian Teachings

  • What are four moral principals that are considered universal?
  • What are three examples of what could be considered violations of natural law?
  • What is a Christian approach to deciding whether to obey or disobey civil laws?
  • Detail an account of civil disobedience. Write about what prompted the civil disobedience, the rationale of the dissenters, and whether you agree or not with their action.
  • List the Beatitudes
    • What are four other moral guidelines for living the law of love from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount?
  • Rewrite the Ten Commandments so that they express only positive ideals. For example, “you shall not kill” could be expressed as “protect human life.”
  • Rewrite as a contemporary story the parable of the prodigal son or the parable of the good Samaritan.