United Hearts of Jesus and Mary Litany
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INTRODUCTION
Love is a conscious decision made by a person in which the person freely chooses good so as to become one with truth.
Love is always a deliberate decision chosen in freedom. Love is always united to good and truth.
Love between a person and another person can take different forms.
In each form, love is definable.
In each form, love can be identified by a dominant characteristic.
In each form, there is a frequently corrupted interpretation of love.
The different forms of love are like a chain. Each form is a link in the chain. Each form must be present to have a chain. When one form is not present, there is no chain, and thus no real love.
The different forms of love can be divided into lesser and greater forms. The lesser form of love is always encompassed by the greater form of love. The greatest form of love is always the motivator and end of all other forms of love.
DIFFERENT FORMS OF LOVE
The different forms of love can be categorized as follows (in order from least to greatest): utilitarian, humanistic, organizational, friendly, familial, romantic, and Eucharistic.
The different forms of love are elaborated upon below.
Utilitarian Love
Definition: a love that is based in worldly reality in which the other is used for the betterment of the person in an appropriate way.
Dominant characteristic: usefulness to self.
Frequently corrupted interpretation: corruption by benefiting the self at the exclusion of the other.
Humanistic Love
Definition: a love that is based on affection and appreciation for human talent possessed by the other.
Dominant characteristic: an affection and appreciation for human talent.
Frequently corrupted interpretation: corruption by only loving the other when a human talent is possessed.
Organizational Love
Definition: a love that achieves purpose and brings order through advancing a common bond that unites a person to another in a certain way in the world, such as love for country or love for justice.
Dominant characteristic: a common bond advanced that achieves purpose and brings order.
Frequently corrupted interpretation: corruption by uniting in evil and advancing evil.
Friendly Love
Definition: a love that is mutual and beneficial that leads to unity in good in a shared way of being in the world.
Dominant characteristic: the mutual benefiting of unity in good.
Frequently corrupted interpretation: corruption by not uniting in good but in evil.
Familial Love
Definition: a love reflective of a common bond that unites persons in a certain way of being in the world and is used to advance that certain way of being appropriately.
Dominant characteristic: unity by common bond and advancing that unity appropriately.
Frequently corrupted interpretation: corruption by advancing the common bond inappropriately.
Romantic Love
Definition: a love in which good is passionately sought for the other and there is genuine alignment to the other in truth (an alignment of soul and body to soul and body) and thus true compatibility.
Dominant characteristic: passion for truth for the other and thus true compatibility.
Frequently corrupted interpretation: corruption by uniting in evil based on what is possible as opposed to genuine truth—sexual compatibility.
Eucharistic Love
Definition: a love that is based in truth and specifically targeted to the best interest of the other to the exclusion of self.
Dominant characteristic: selflessness.
Frequently corrupted interpretation: corruption by not basing love in truth but in perception and thus not serving the best interest of the other and not really a selfless love.
CONCLUSION
The greatest form of love is the Eucharist.
The Eucharist is the beginning of love. It is this type of love that establishes a proper mindset to love.
The Eucharist is the way. It is this type of love that brings about change and conversion.
The Eucharist is the end of love. It is this type of love that allows for unity in truth through good.
Eucharistic love is the only way to be in communion with God and neighbor.
When a person is not being Eucharistic love, he or she is not capable of any other type of love—romantic, familial, friendly, organizational, humanistic, and utilitarian.
The different forms of love are gifts from God meant to make life better for the human person. When the human person loves, he or she is being like God and is rewarded. When the human person corrupts love, he or she is not being like God, and is punished.
Stephen Steiniger is a Catholic who is alive in the love of Christ. He desires all who read his writings to benefit in their relationship with Christ. He enjoys religion, politics, and comedy. Stephen possesses an undergraduate and graduate degree from Bowling Green State University. He lives on planet earth with the rest of the human race. Stephen believes this is a good About the Author profile.
