R
Rete
Guest
Can somebody tell me if this is correct with respect to Catholic theology:
Proposition: All love comes from God. When we love, we share in the love of God for a person. We then refashion that purer love towards our human condition, needs, and contexts. So, in the sense of loving one’s wife, you share in God’s sustaining love for her and your human nature refashions that experience towards the human institution of marriage. When you love your friends, you do something similar. Love of your children would represent the greatest fidelity with God’s pure love.
Thus, as a person grows towards God, they pass through several stages of love. They first love their mother and father as a child. They learn to receive sustaining love from another. They then learn to love their brothers and sisters. Later they learn to love in the context of friendship. Next they learn to love their future spouse. Then to give sustaining love to their children. At each step, they progress from learning to receive love towards complete self-giving and sustaining love.
Ideally, they would progress towards love of their community. Then to love even their enemies, which leads to love of all humanity. Lastly, having these experiences, they are able to truly love God. And the only reason we can love God is because of the Trinity, which embodies love. The love between Father and Son, embodied by the Holy Spirit.
The ultimate destination is to somehow participate in the love within the Trinity.
Proposition: All love comes from God. When we love, we share in the love of God for a person. We then refashion that purer love towards our human condition, needs, and contexts. So, in the sense of loving one’s wife, you share in God’s sustaining love for her and your human nature refashions that experience towards the human institution of marriage. When you love your friends, you do something similar. Love of your children would represent the greatest fidelity with God’s pure love.
Thus, as a person grows towards God, they pass through several stages of love. They first love their mother and father as a child. They learn to receive sustaining love from another. They then learn to love their brothers and sisters. Later they learn to love in the context of friendship. Next they learn to love their future spouse. Then to give sustaining love to their children. At each step, they progress from learning to receive love towards complete self-giving and sustaining love.
Ideally, they would progress towards love of their community. Then to love even their enemies, which leads to love of all humanity. Lastly, having these experiences, they are able to truly love God. And the only reason we can love God is because of the Trinity, which embodies love. The love between Father and Son, embodied by the Holy Spirit.
The ultimate destination is to somehow participate in the love within the Trinity.