What is love? It does not require a philosophical pundit to see that the culture in the United States today clearly cannot answer this question. When one looks at the “love” acts that Americans participate in these days—premarital sex, gay relationships, pornography viewing, masturbation, adultery, rape, incest, molestation—it becomes clear that a large percentage of the American society has lost all sense of guidelines for loving relationships. Of course, a man of intelligence perceives the culture’s confusion on the matter of love, and, if he is prudent, attempts to set himself aloof from it. At first, he may wonder where, in this world of varying views, can an astute man of wisdom turn to find credible guidelines for loving relationships and marriage. Amidst the relational anarchy around him, the man sees a prominent source of sound marital guidance: the Catholic Church. Though not all may consider themselves to be “religious,” the wise man recognizes that there is value to observing the views of a religious group, if only to better understand his own. The wise man dives in with an open mind, hoping to acquire some knowledge from Catholic teaching that will assist him in his quest for clarity. He discovers that the Catholic marriage tradition includes a free aspect, a total aspect, a faithful aspect, and a fruitful aspect, and that these aspects reveal the deep theological symbols behind this union; the wise man takes notes.
The first thing he discovers about marriage is that Catholic Marriage is rooted in freedom. The Encyclopædia Britannica on Catholic Marriage says that is “administered by the spouses through the exchange of consent” (Safra). This idea is backed up by the Catechism of the Catholic Church (Ratzinger, CCC #...
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...h other, faithful to each other, and fruitful with each other?” Amidst the confusion in the world regarding marriage, the wise man has finally found a solid foundation on which to build his actions. His contentment in his future marriage, if he adheres to his revelations, is assured. He applies his knowledge diligently, and is not terribly shy about discipling others in the matter.
Works Cited Page
Evert, Jason. If You Really Loved Me. El Cajon, California: Catholic Answers Inc, 2003. Print.
Hartdegen, Stephen. Saint Joseph Edition of The New American Bible. New York: Catholic Book Publishing Corp, 1992. Print.
Ratzinger, Joseph. Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Vatican: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1994. Print.
Safra, Jacob. “Roman Catholicism.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 15th Edition. Print.
Strand, Luke. Email Interview. 16 February 2014.
Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible. Vol. 1. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1991.
The first chapter begins with an exploration of love and marriage in many ancient and current cultures. Surprisingly many cultures either avoid the discussion of love in marriage or spit on the idea completely. China and other societies believed that love was simply a product of marriage and shouldn’t get too out of hand, while a few Greek and Roman philosophers shunned excessive
...yne A. The HarperCollins Study Bible New Revised Standard Edition . New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1993. 1645-1722. Print.
The problem we find in this story, and in puritanism, is that it presents contrasting views of love. Attachment to earthly possessions, to other people in fact, is discouraged, because everything physical leads to temptation and damnation, and ultimately hell, while the road to salvation of the individual wanders through a spiritual discipline, rigour, austerity. A man should not love his wife more than he loves God; in fact, it is recommended that he not derive pleasure from his wife, but rather seek suffering, in order to redeem himself from his earthly condition, his impure state.
In the discourse of family relations, views of women, and sex, it is necessary to begin with the standing that Catholicism held on the issues. The nuclear family model was the ideal of the Catholic Church; for this model provided protection, stability, and business connections. Ozment describes the nuclear family as the “total subjection of the wife to home and husband, of the home to the production of children, and of the children to the will of their parents” (Ozment, pg. 2). This view provides that a woman’s only purpose in life was to marry and bear children; if this was not viable she could enter the convent as not to be a finical burden upon her family. The Catholic Church also had strict views on the topic of sex, which was no sex outside of marriage and only in marriage to procreate. This view was held for the Church believed that “an upright person took pleasure only in God and used the things of the world to God’s glory, fallen men and women were enslaved to their lust and passions, no longer masters of their wills, and eager to worship the world in place of its creator” (Ozment, pg....
The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha. Eds. Michael D. Coogan, et al. 3rd Ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.
Bromiley, Geoffrey William, Fredrich, Gerhard, Kittel, Gerhard. “Theological Dictionary of the New Testament.” Struttgart, Germany. W. Kohlhammer Verlag. 1995. Print.
The modern concept of love owes a great deal to the Humanist tradition of the Renaissance. The humanists focused on perfection and exaltation of this life as opposed to the afterlife. In Tristan and Iseult the seeds of Renaissance love are present in the Middle Ages. To the modern eye, it is a mystery how the period of the Middle Ages produced the seeds of the diametrically opposite Renaissance. Yet it is necessary to understand this transformation if one is to fully comprehend the forces that helped produce the modern consciousness. Courtly Love is a transitional concept that emerged in the Middle Ages. It is transitional because it emerged early and acknowledges God as the creator of love, yet it concentrates on the lovers themselves. The tale of Tristan and Iseult is one of the oldest tales that exhibits courtly love. The Love of Tristan and Iseult, as a metaphor for courtly love, is pivotal to the transition from the Middle Ages' focus on community and afterlife to the Renaissance focus on the individual and earthly happiness.
Carson, D, & Moo, D. (2005) An introduction to the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
The Holy Bible New International Version: Containing the Old Testament and the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Bible, 1988. Print.
New Revised Standard Version. New York: American Bible Society, 1989. Print. The. Russell, Eddie.
In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen shows examples of how most marriages were not always for love but more as a formal agreement arranged by the two families. Marriage was seen a holy matrimony for two people but living happil...
In this essay I would like to emphasize different ideas of how love is understood and discussed in literature. This topic has been immortal. One can notice that throughout the whole history writers have always been returning to this subject no matter what century people lived in or what their nationality was.
Holy Bible: Contemporary English Version. New York: American Bible Society, 1995. Print. (BS195 .C66 1995)
Roger Balducelli, from The Catholic University of America, argues “it is not the man who chooses his own celibacy; it is rather celibacy tha...