I love by knowing

[joshrp]

I wrote this in an email to some friends. I wanted to know what other people on CAF think of this idea. I just feel that God wants not only to be loved but to be known as well. I think knowing someone and loving them are inseperable. It seems that this idea would be an extension of the message of Pope Benedict XVI in his encyclical “Charity in Truth”. As I reread this I thought of Jesus’ word of condemnation to certain people in His parables. “I do not know you.” What dread it would be to be unknown even to God Himself. And I want Jesus to say to everyone “I know you!”

Here is my email to my friends:

Hi,

I am reading a book about Mother Teresa called “Mother Teresa’s Secret Fire”. I have been trying to figure out how I can love people. I made a great discovery. That I love people by knowing them. People want to be known. They want others to know who they are, and what they care about. They want other people to know what their dreams, aspirations, loves, hopes, fears, concerns, influences, relationships, beliefs, understandings, ideas, principles, cares, and visions are. So I love people by knowing them. People don’t want to be forgotten. They want to know that they will always be remembered by someone. My way of loving people is by making sure that everyone will be remembered somehow, somewhere, by someone.

How do you want to be known? Who do you want to know you? What do you want people to know about you? Who do you want to know? Who do you want to be known?

What do you think of this? Is this a valid idea? How can I apply this to loving people?

Joshua

 

[fide]

I wrote this in an email to some friends. I wanted to know what other people on CAF think of this idea. I just feel that God wants not only to be loved but to be known as well. I think knowing someone and loving them are inseperable. It seems that this idea would be an extension of the message of Pope Benedict XVI in his encyclical “Charity in Truth”. As I reread this I thought of Jesus’ word of condemnation to certain people in His parables. “I do not know you.” What dread it would be to be unknown even to God Himself. And I want Jesus to say to everyone “I know you!”

Here is my email to my friends:

Hi,

I am reading a book about Mother Teresa called “Mother Teresa’s Secret Fire”. I have been trying to figure out how I can love people. I made a great discovery. That I love people by knowing them. People want to be known. They want others to know who they are, and what they care about. They want other people to know what their dreams, aspirations, loves, hopes, fears, concerns, influences, relationships, beliefs, understandings, ideas, principles, cares, and visions are. So I love people by knowing them. People don’t want to be forgotten. They want to know that they will always be remembered by someone. My way of loving people is by making sure that everyone will be remembered somehow, somewhere, by someone.

How do you want to be known? Who do you want to know you? What do you want people to know about you? Who do you want to know? Who do you want to be known?

What do you think of this? Is this a valid idea? How can I apply this to loving people?

Joshua

This may not be what you were looking for - but thanks for the question. It is a very interesting one, to me anyway. If you want to pursue this further, you might want to post this in the “Philosophy” forum, where you might attract members more knowledgable than I am in this area.

In spite of my limitations, I will proceed and speak!

To know a thing is to embrace the “formal cause” - the form - of the thing in one’s mind. The form of the thing makes it what it is, and thus distinguishes it in an essential way. When this essence is held in the mind, then one “knows” the thing. Now the will awaits clarity from the mind on a thing, whether to love the thing as a good, or not. Thus love and knowledge are intimately linked by the powers of the soul, the intellect and the will.

Now the form of a person is the soul. Thus, to know another person is to hold in the mind the essence, the soul, of the other person. That is already a sort of loving, in a way. But to recognize goodness in the other “awakens” (so to speak) in the will a “leaning toward” the other - a love for the other, an assent to union with the other.

Thus “Adam knew his wife Eve,” already points to this, even in all the sensory context that is implied.

 

[OneSheep]

Your post reminds me of an argument I had with a strict-philosophy type (arguing about love, when I was young and more foolish than I am now, if that is possible). He insisted that we could not love people who we do not know, I argued the counterpoint. It turned into a dominance exercise.

I think that our love expands internally and externally. That is, we can learn to see parts of ourselves as beautiful, we can learn to see others as beautiful and loveable. We can truly come to a point where we can see that we are all so similar, and that love (God) abides in each and every person, even without knowing them personally. The only exception to this seeing is when we are blinded by our judgment, anger, condemnation etc. But that is where forgiveness comes in. So, for example, when I get really angry about the acts of a politician, for example, I know that it is time to forgive, to return to a state of loving everyone. Doesn’t stop me from supporting the opposite point of view of the politician though…

Getting to know those around us, if grossly obvious, can be annoying. It’s like, “what are you trying to sell me?” I think, mostly, people have needs and want to be listened to with empathy. The immediate connection is key.

Does God ever disown us? The God that holds us in the palm of His hand? The God that forgives infinitely? The point of the scripture is that God is in the least of His people. But God forgives those that do not realize this.

 

[Blenderx]

Yes, many saints, like Teresa of Avila, have taught that we must practice knowledge of God alongside knowledge of self in order to be perfected in love.