Discovering the Unity of Life and Love – A Reflection on the Foundations for a Theology of Human Love

Thursday, September 21 2017

(CCCB – Ottawa)… The Episcopal Commission for Doctrine of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) has released a new document entitled “Discovering the Unity of Life and Love – A Reflection on the Foundations for a Theology of Human Love”. At the same time as reflecting on the images and conflicting messages about the meaning of life and of love in contemporary Canadian society, the Bishops recall “the beauty and profundity of how God created us and our primary relations to others, to the world and to God.”

Among other things, the document considers the human person in relation to others; how we become aware of our human freedom; how identity is revealed through our body and some of the implications of sexual difference on contemporary gender theories; it also considers the proper role of sexual desire in the light of Christ’s presence mediated through grace and the desire for human fulfilment.

The Doctrinal Commission hopes “that this reflection… can shed light on the reasonableness of the vision of human love”. In our culture that glorifies fragmentation, in which we are alienated from ourselves and each other, the Bishops of the Commission, as “co-workers for your joy,” aim through this text to repropose a unified vision of life and love.

“As pastors of the Church in Canada, it is our desire to recall the deep, human reasons for the Church’s vision of human love and life. We wish to rediscover the family as a place where the essential truths about human life and love can be discovered and embraced; the family as a place where our humanity can flourish and serve the common good; the family as a community where human wounds and vulnerability can be embraced with mercy.”

The 17-page document, which is available only online, can be accessed on the CCCB website at
http://www.cccb.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/discovering_unity_of_life_and_love_cccb_2017.pdf