Krystal Faith B.

Macoto
Sir Mark Joseph T. Calano
Th131
27 July, 2014

Responding to Gods call through Love and Morals

Catholics believe that each and every one of us is called by God. Gods call to
mankind is universal and non-discriminatory. The thing that sets each of us apart; however, is
how we choose to respond to His call. When we choose to respond, it is to be done in a
manner that is consistent and that requires our active participation.
Intentio unionis and intentio benevolentiae are specific and valid ways of responding
to Gods call because it is self-determined. When I say self-determined, I mean that there is
an awareness in our action we actively choose to love and choose to be moral to help not only
ourselves but the people around us, even those who are difficult to find lovable. When we
love, we take the risk of caring for others and hope that their sentiments reflect our own
because we recognize the fact that they are not by any way a means to our own happiness,
rather because we recognize the goodness in them and that we wish that they realize their
own intrinsic value which in turn makes us better people. Love and morals are closely linked
because it does not only involve feelings but also discernment on the right actions to take
with regards to the people around us.
In Dietrich von Hildebrands Phenomenology of Love: Contributions Toward a
Hermeneutics of Love, he describes intentio unionis as the striving of union with the
beloved and intentio benevolentiae as the striving to benefit the beloved person although
the aforementioned descriptions mention the beloved, it does not necessarily have to be so for
we must also exert the same effort unto those we find difficult to love. Those descriptions
give us a better idea of how the two are specific and valid ways of responding to Gods call
because it emphasizes the fact that we are actually adhering to the commandment given to us
as stated in Jn4:7-21 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever
loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God,
because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his
only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have
loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if
God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. By actively choosing to love and to be
moral, we are actually fulfilling our intrinsic desire to help others and responding to Gods
call through love as He has loved us and as He continues to love us.
When we choose to respond to Gods call, it is never done out of a selfish desire to
help ourselves; however, it is done out of the desire to help better others which in turn help
better us as human beings who recognize the fact that indeed, we are but limited yet
abundantly blessed creatures. We are creatures that have been tasked to become co-creators
of Gods creations. Co-creators who are meant to care for all of the creation that has been
made by Him out of his tremendous love for His own creations. Love and morals is our way
of fulfilling our duties as stewards of creation by recognizing otherness found in all of
creation and by caring for the otherness.