Sunday, June 17, 2012
Love & Responsibility
by Karol Wojtyla
One thing about the current controversy over same-sex marriage, it's certainly made me think more about the institution. I've been married for a number of years now, of course, but I've never thought too deeply about it. Being a spouse is just something I've gone ahead and done. So anyway, whilst listening to the variety of voices out there discussing the current issues, I heard tell of this book, written by Pope John Paul II. (Though this was written before he started poping, so technically it wasn't written by John Paul II, if you know what I mean.) I was impressed by the depth of the book. I think if a book titled Love & Responsibility had been written by a modern day Protestant, it would be a slim little affair with short paragraphs telling you to be faithful to your spouse and such. Father Wojtyla, in contrast, digs deep into the philosophical underpinnings of human relationships. Right up front he spends 12 pages discussing the interpretations of the verb "to use". In all honesty, I didn't give the book all the attention it deserved as I read through it. But his words rang true as he stressed the importance of our existence as persons rather than thinking animals. He builds a sound and challenging foundation for a good marriage. While I didn't quite agree with everything he wrote, it did make me think long and hard about my marriage and the relationships around me.
I'm glad I checked it out.
LibraryThing link
One thing about the current controversy over same-sex marriage, it's certainly made me think more about the institution. I've been married for a number of years now, of course, but I've never thought too deeply about it. Being a spouse is just something I've gone ahead and done. So anyway, whilst listening to the variety of voices out there discussing the current issues, I heard tell of this book, written by Pope John Paul II. (Though this was written before he started poping, so technically it wasn't written by John Paul II, if you know what I mean.) I was impressed by the depth of the book. I think if a book titled Love & Responsibility had been written by a modern day Protestant, it would be a slim little affair with short paragraphs telling you to be faithful to your spouse and such. Father Wojtyla, in contrast, digs deep into the philosophical underpinnings of human relationships. Right up front he spends 12 pages discussing the interpretations of the verb "to use". In all honesty, I didn't give the book all the attention it deserved as I read through it. But his words rang true as he stressed the importance of our existence as persons rather than thinking animals. He builds a sound and challenging foundation for a good marriage. While I didn't quite agree with everything he wrote, it did make me think long and hard about my marriage and the relationships around me.
I'm glad I checked it out.
LibraryThing link
Labels: CheckItOut
// posted by John @ 8:26 PM 
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
