Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Amoris Laetitia - Par. 101


Love is generous

101.  We have repeatedly said that to love another we must first love ourselves.  Paul's hymn to love, however, states that love "does not seek its own interest", nor "seek what is its own".  This same idea is expressed in another text: "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others" (Phil 2:4).  The Bible makes it clear that generously serving others is far more noble that loving ourselves.  Loving ourselves is only important as a psychological prerequisite for being able to love others:  "If a man is mean to himself, to whom will be be generous?  No one is meaner than the man who is grudging to himself" (Sir 14:5-6).


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