Hello:

I was just wondering. According to Catholicism and the death of Christ on the cross, what is God's Love? If you choose to reply, please include scripture evidence.

-- joel delphine (joel_delphine@yahoo.com), March 11, 2004

Answers

Love is a generous gift of ones self.

"No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." John 15:13 (excuse the translation)

God's love is the ultimate love for he gives himself totally to us. He emptied himself became one of us and gave himself up for us.

"Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross." Philipians 2:8

This generous love is also spousal.

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the word, that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. So (also) husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one hates his own flesh but rather nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. "For this reason a man shall leave (his) father and (his) mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the church." Ephesians 5:25 - 32

God's love is God giving himself to us so that we may share his life.

In Christ,

Dano

-- Dan Garon (boethius61@yahoo.com), March 11, 2004.

Ooops. The Philipians quote is 2:7-8 not 2:8.

Dano

-- Dan Garon (boethius61@yahoo.com), March 11, 2004.

Good quotes Dan. And great question too.

I believe it is more than God having perfect love. According to Catholic Magisterial Teaching and Catholic Tradition, God is Love itself.

Sorry about the lack of scripture here. I'm more a Magisterium and Tradition man, although I'm working on bringing my Holy Scripture references up to snuff.

-- Pat Delaney (pat@patdelaney.net), March 12, 2004.

1 John 4:8(NIV) Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Here's a verse for you with Pat's comments. God bless,

-- Emily (jesusfollower7@yahoo.com), March 12, 2004.

More verses about God's love in Jesus from the NIV. (Go read 1 John)

1 John 2 5But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

1 John 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

1 John 4:9-10 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

-- Emily (jesusfollower7@yahoo.com), March 12, 2004.

Here is a wonderful passage of scripture giving a description of love:

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,
5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,
6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

This love is God Himself : 1 John 4:8 - "The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. "

This love is awesome, powerful, and has been directed toward us. It is too wonderful for words.

And an encouraging verse to us : Romans 8:39 - nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

May we all grow in the love of Jesus Christ. For when we were regenerated, we received Christ Himself to be our very love with which we may love Him and love others.

-- Oliver Fischer (spicenut@excite.com), June 18, 2004.