why 'called to love'?

“Love is the fundamental and innate vocation
of every human being.”

In his Apostolic Exhortation on the role of the Christian family in our modern world, a document called ‘Familiaris Consortio’ and given on 22nd November 1981, Pope John Paul II teaches us that love is the very essence of all human beings, created in the image and likeness of God, and that in learning to love others as God loves us we are able to reach fulfilment as ‘Children of God’.

Much more recently, and using the occasion of the first encyclical letter of his Papacy, Pope Benedict XVI declared that ‘God is Love’ (Deus Caritas Est). Speaking on the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, on 25th December 2005, Pope Benedict quoted the first letter of John, “God is love and whoever lives in love lives in God, and God lives in him” (1 Jn. 4:16), and in so doing, reminded us that love is not merely a command, but a response to the gift of love by which God draws us near to him.

If we are indeed to love others as God loves us, we are called to exercise care in how we live our lives in relation to those with whom we have contact, at whatever level. This in turn places a very great responsibility upon us, in our human condition and created in the image and likeness of God, to treat our families, our friends and the people whom we meet with care, with respect, and with love.

This theme of respect is also outlined in the foreword to the Scottish Executive document ‘Respect and Responsibility: a Strategy and Action Plan for Improving Sexual Health’ (January 2005) in which Andy Kerr, Minister for Health and Community Care, writes: “Respect for each other and strong, trusting relationships based on sound values, are at the heart of our national, community and personal well-being.”

Love, therefore, is central to our existence and gives a sense of purpose and direction to our lives. It is, as Pope John Paul II tells us, “the innate vocation of every human being” (Familiaris Consortio), and in following Christ’s example, by learning to love and be loved as God loves, we are each of us ‘Called to Love.’