33. “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”

“Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”

YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 33

Ave Maria series

33.  What does it mean to say that God is love?

If God is love, then there is nothing created that is not carried and surrounded by his infinite benevolence.  God not only declares that he is love, he also proves it:  “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). [218, 221]

The left half of this photo is a “negative” image of a head  that appears on the Shroud of Turin burial cloth.  When the image is reversed, as seen in the right half photo, the appearance is that of a tortured man.  The image was digitally processed by Dianelos Georgoudis.  The image is widely believed to be that of Jesus.  …..33

Jesus said, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command you.” --John 15:13-14

No other religion says what Christianity says: “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16).  Faith holds fast to this promise, although the experience of suffering and evil in the world today may make people wonder whether God is really loving.  Already in the Old Testament God communicates to his people through the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life.  Fear not, for I am with you” (Isaiah 43:4-5a) and has him say, “Can a woman forget her suckling child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?  Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.  Behold, I have graven you on the palms of my hands” (Isaiah 49:15-16a).  This talk about divine love does not consist of empty words; Jesus proves this on the cross, where he gives up his life for his friends.

Question from a journalist to Blessed Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997): “What has to change in the Church?”  Her answer: “You and I.”

“True love hurts.  It always must hurt.  It has to be painful to leave him, you would like to die for him.  When people marry, they have to give up everything in order to love each other.  A mother who gives life to a child suffers much.  The word ‘love’ is misunderstood and misused so much.”  Blessed Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997)

218, 221

God is Love

218  In the course of its history, Israel was able to discover that God had only one reason to reveal himself to them, a single motive for choosing them from among all peoples as his special possession: his sheer gratuitous love.(Compare Deuteronomy 4:37; Deut 7:8; Deut 10:15.³⁸ And thanks to the prophets Israel understood that it was again out of love that God never stopped saving them and pardoning their unfaithfulness and sins.( Compare Isaiah 43:1-7; Hosea 2.)³⁹ –CCC

221  But St. John goes even further when he affirms that "God is love"

(1 John 4:8,16.)⁴⁴ God's very being is love. By sending his only Son and the Spirit of Love in the fullness of time, God has revealed his innermost secret(Compare 1 Corinthians 2:7-16; Ephesians 3:9-12.)⁴⁵ God himself is an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and he has destined us to share in that exchange. --CCC