On Christian doctrine, God loves all human beings and desires union with them. But there cannot be a union of love between two persons, even if one of them is divine, unless there are two persons and two wills to unite. Universalism[1] is not only not a consequence of God’s
A Child and His Mother The redemption of suffering and the mystery of love are inseparable. The response to suffering is not to stop caring—that, in fact, is hell—but to experience a caring that sustains us in our humanity as it was meant to be. This is the redemption that
Recently, a friend shared with me that during a Sunday church meeting, their instructor suggested God’s love was not unconditional. That did not land well for many of those in attendance and led to some rather animated discussion about God’s love. It reminded me that we are accustomed to speaking
Are you in love with God’s creation? Do you love creation with the same love with which God loves it? I teach theology courses on science and theology at the University of Notre Dame and also have the opportunity to teach an aquatic ecology course in the biology department. I
By Daniel Stegeman I’ve spent my entire 14-year ministry in a rural context. While it’s been a true blessing, it wasn’t my plan. As I was finishing seminary, my mind was set on planting an urban church. I attended a church-planting conference, read all the literature, and prepared myself as
It is hard not to be dismayed at the ongoing tenor and level of discourse and division occurring in the US Catholic Church these days. Like so many, I am deeply concerned at the temptation to identify and affiliate with our cliques within the church rather than with the corporate
Honeysuckle symbolizes the bonds of love. Jesus’ commandment to love one another carries with it the expectation that his disciples will show reciprocity toward each other when feeling and expressing love for each other. They will help each other by behaving in the same way or by giving each other
Honeysuckle symbolizes the bonds of love. In his last two verses of his description of the nature of agape, or Christ love, in his first letter to the Corinthians the apostle Paul lists several positive qualities or characteristics. The first of these qualities or characteristics is that love never gives