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Article: The essence of Christianity is love.
- Article from:
- Catholic Insight
- Article date:
- March 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Catholic Insight. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE TRUTH WILL MAKE YOU FREE (JOHN 8:23)
On January 25, 2006, Pope Benedict published his first encyclical entitled Deus caritas est--in English, God is love. Did the Pope think up this phrase on his own? Certainly not. He is quoting the Evangelist John who states, "God is love;" and who then continues, "He who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him" (1 Joan 4:16).
Is John's saying to be taken literally? A first reaction may well be negative in today's climate of agnostic secularism which seeks to marginalize the Church, to silence her, to restrict her activities, because she is seen as a threat. But then we remember that Jesus, too, was ...