Sarah Mitchell
Developing a heart of love as a Catholic involves loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind, as instructed by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. This means prioritizing an intimate relationship with God and desiring Him above all else. St. Thomas Aquinas and St. John Chrysostom interpret this as loving God with a bodily, physical love, where the love is instinctive and felt in one's flesh. Opening one's heart to God's love can bring healing and freedom, and it allows Catholics to better love and serve their families and neighbors.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Loving God with all your heart | Putting God above all else and making your relationship with Him the highest priority |
| Loving God with your whole heart | Loving God with a bodily, physical love |
| Loving God with your heart | Loving God instinctively and directly |
| Loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind | Using your mind to love, making judgments about right and wrong, and discerning between true and false |
| Opening your heart to God's love | Being overwhelmed with gratitude for all that Jesus offers |
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What You'll Learn
Love God with your whole heart
The Gospel of Matthew tells us to love God with "all our heart," along with all our soul and all our mind. But what does that mean? Does it refer to a physical heart, or is it symbolic of our spiritual soul?
Some scholars interpret this as meaning the same thing: that loving God with our heart, soul, and mind is the same as loving Him with our entire being. St. Thomas Aquinas and St. John Chrysostom support this view, believing that we should love God with a bodily, physical love. Aquinas interprets this as a twofold principle of love: love can arise from passion or the judgment of reason. Loving God with our whole heart means loving Him with our flesh, with passion and emotion, like the love of a man for his spouse or a friend. This type of love is instinctive and direct, and St. Thomas believes it is possible to love God in this way while also loving Him with our soul through the judgment of reason.
However, physical and instinctive desires can often lead us astray into sinful behavior and make us forgetful of God. So, how can we reconcile this with loving God with our whole heart? St. John Chrysostom explains that loving God carnally or bodily means drawing apart from the love of worldly things. Therefore, to love God with our whole heart, we must detach ourselves from worldly desires and focus our love and passion on Him.
Opening our heart to God involves a fervent prayer, a sincere and heartfelt devotion to Him. It is about recognizing His unconditional love for us and striving to develop a deeper relationship with Him. This may involve spending more time in prayer, reading the Bible, and sharing our faith with others. By doing so, we can learn to love God with our whole heart, soul, and mind.
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Love God with your whole soul
According to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus instructs his followers to love God with their "whole heart", along with their whole soul and whole mind. But what does it mean to love God with one's whole soul?
St. Thomas Aquinas and St. John Chrysostom interpret this as a call to love God with a bodily, physical love. Aquinas, a Doctor of the Church, explains that there are two types of love: love that arises from passion or emotion, and love that arises from reason. Loving God with one's whole soul, then, means loving God with one's whole being, including one's physical body and emotions. This is a love that is instinctive and direct, similar to the love one has for their own life, their spouse, or a close friend. It is a love that permeates every aspect of one's existence.
However, this interpretation presents a challenge: how can physical and instinctive desires, which often lead us into sin and away from God, be reconciled with loving God? St. John Chrysostom addresses this question in his homilies on the Gospel of Matthew. He distinguishes between the love of the heart and the love of the soul. The love of the heart is carnal and felt in the heart, while the love of the soul is not felt but understood through the judgment of the soul. To love God with one's soul, one must detach from worldly desires and instead seek a relationship with God that is rooted in reason and judgment.
Loving God with one's whole soul, therefore, involves both a passionate, instinctive love and a reasoned, thoughtful love. It means allowing God to ignite the light of faith within and pursuing a relationship with Him. It means opening one's soul to God through fervent prayer, as well as recognising His presence in oneself and others. It is a love that permeates every aspect of one's being, uniting heart, soul, and mind in devotion to God.
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Love God with your whole mind
The Catholic Church teaches that loving God with one's whole mind is an essential aspect of the faith. This concept is derived from the Gospel of Matthew, where Jesus states, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (22:37).
Loving God with the whole mind involves integrating one's faith into every aspect of life, including science, technology, medicine, law, business, education, domestic duties, and sports. It means allowing one's faith to inform and guide decisions and actions in all areas of human endeavour.
However, loving God with the whole mind is more than just intellectual assent or theological knowledge. It is about understanding and living out the teachings of the Incarnation, Salvation, Redemption, and the Word of God. This requires exertion and effort, as well as the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Additionally, loving God with the whole mind is connected to loving Him with the whole heart. According to St. Thomas Aquinas and St. John Chrysostom, loving God with the whole heart involves a bodily, physical love. This means that our love for God should be instinctive and direct, similar to the love we have for those closest to us.
By loving God with our whole minds and hearts, we can develop a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him and ensure that our faith permeates every aspect of our lives.
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Love your neighbour as yourself
The concept of loving one's neighbour as oneself is a cornerstone of Catholic teaching. This idea of true love, as described in the Gospel of Matthew, involves willing the genuine good of someone, which ultimately means gaining heaven. This kind of love is selfless and sacrificial, exemplified by God the Father sending his only son, Jesus, so that "whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
Loving your neighbour as yourself requires a deep sense of compassion and empathy, where you wish for others the same goodness, happiness, and fulfilment that you desire for yourself. It involves treating others with kindness, respect, and understanding, and being willing to make sacrifices for their well-being, just as you would for yourself or those closest to you.
In the Catholic tradition, this love is not limited to those who are easy to love or those who are like us. Following the example of Jesus, we are called to love even our enemies and persecutors, seeking their true good so that they may be reconciled with God (Matthew 5:43-48). This can be incredibly challenging, but it is a crucial aspect of living out the Catholic faith.
To develop this kind of love, one can start by recognising the inherent dignity and worth of each person, seeing them as beloved children of God. This can be cultivated through prayer, meditation on Scripture, and practising works of mercy. As St. Thomas Aquinas and St. John Chrysostom teach, loving with the whole heart involves both passion and the judgment of reason. We should strive to love others with the same passion and selflessness that we would use to love God, understanding that this love is not just spiritual but also physical and instinctive.
Loving your neighbour as yourself is an ongoing practice and a lifelong journey. It requires us to constantly examine our own biases, prejudices, and assumptions, and to actively work towards treating others with the same care and compassion that we would want for ourselves. By doing so, we can begin to embody the selfless love that is at the heart of the Catholic faith.
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Love God with your whole strength
To love God with your whole strength is to love Him with all the things that make you strong and stable in life. This includes your accomplishments, influence, talents, time, and other resources. It is about dedicating these strengths to God and using them for His glory.
However, loving God with your whole strength does not mean that you will always feel strong. There will be times when you feel tired, sick, depressed, or wounded, and your love for God may feel more like a struggle. At these times, you can offer your weaknesses to God and allow Him to work through you and refine you through the power of the Holy Spirit. For example, you can practice silence and allow God to direct you in His ways.
According to St. Thomas Aquinas and St. John Chrysostom, loving God with your whole heart involves a bodily, physical love, not just a spiritual one. It is a love that is instinctive and direct, similar to the love one has for their own life, spouse, or close friend. This means loving God with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, as mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew (22:37) and Luke 10.
To love God with your whole strength, you can start by recognizing His unconditional love for you and responding to it. Open your heart and soul to Him through fervent prayer, reading the Bible, and sharing your faith with others. Additionally, loving God with your whole strength involves drawing apart from worldly loves and desires, as these can lead you away from God and towards sin. Instead, focus on loving God with all that you are and all that you have, every day of the year.
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Frequently asked questions
Catholics can develop a love for God with their whole heart by making their relationship with Him the highest priority in their life. This means desiring Him above all else and centering every other aspect of their existence around this relationship. It involves loving God with one's flesh and soul, with passion and reason, and with all one's mind.
Catholics can open their heart to Christ by welcoming His presence and allowing Him to transform them from the inside out. This involves focusing on the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was the most wounded of all hearts, and asking Him to heal the wounds from one's past. Catholics can also grow in gratitude, noticing the little things and praising and thanking God for His gifts.
Catholics can love their neighbours as themselves by following the commandments and receiving Jesus in Holy Communion. This will enable them to be love in their homes, among their families, and in the larger world.
