Main news for 10 June 2004

It follows plainly from these words that one cannot love any person more than God. Does this mean that God must be loved more than people?

In my view, it does not. In my view, the point is that we should stop perceiving love at all as something that can be discussed in terms of "more" and "less." Indeed, whom do I love more: my mother, my wife, or my daughter? A foolish question; I love them differently. And here is another question: whom does the heavenly Father love more, His Only-begotten Son or me? The Son? But how then does He send Him to suffer and die for my salvation?

As long as we use the logic of "more" and "less," we understand love as an emotion, as a feeling that really can be stronger or weaker. But love is not an emotion; it is an interpersonal relation, and therefore all these relations are different and not comparable with one another. Like "soft" and "green." When we abandon this logic of comparison, we approach the way God loves; we place His way of loving at the foundation of our love for anyone whatever. Then love for God and love for neighbor turn out to be two sides of the same coin.