God commands us to love ourselves. We must thus care for both our body and our soul. Since the soul is far more precious than the body, we should give it more careful attention. Every day we must pray for grace to live according to God's most holy will. Care for the body includes taking proper treatment and medicine when we are ill. Anything against health violates the duty to love ourselves.

    We must love ourselves because: God wishes and requires it. Our Lord said: "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" (Matthew 22:39). Thus He made the love of self the measure of love for others. Saint Augustine says: "Learn first to love God, then to love thyself, then thy neighbor as thyself." Each man is his own closest neighbor.

    We are made after God's image. We must therefore reverence God's image in ourselves, just as we are bound to respect it in our neighbor, even our worst enemy.

    We are redeemed by the blood of Christ. We are bought with a great price. We must be very precious in God's sight. Saint Peter says: "You were redeemed from the vain manner of life handed down from your fathers, not with perishable things, with silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:18).

    By the merits of Jesus Christ we are made children of God and temples of the Holy Spirit. Should we not love ourselves as such, if only to show reverence for God? "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God" (1 John 3:1). "Know you not that your members are the temple of the Holy Ghost, Who is in your?" (1 Corinthians 6:19).

    We are destined to live eternally with God and the angels in Heaven. This dignity should impel us to love ourselves aright. The end of man is the glory of God and the salvation of his own soul. We must have care, love of ourselves, in order to save ourselves for God. For this reason, we should even love ourselves more than others; we have a greater duty to ourselves than to others. This should not be interpreted, however, as meaning that we should not sacrifice ourselves for the sake of others; for, as we shall see, self-sacrifice is not only possible, but most desirable.

    True love of self consists in avoiding sin and practicing virtue. "Enter by the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there are who enter that way. How narrow the gate and close the way that leads to life! And few there are who find it" (Matthew 7: 13-14).

    We must first assure our eternal salvation, before we attend to earthly things which are but means to our last end. "Seek first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all these things shall be given you besides" (Matthew 6:33).

    We should care more for our soul than for the ease of our body. If we lose our soul, we lose everything. We should provide for our bodily needs, such as food, clothing, etc., but without excessive solicitude. They are only means by which we may ascend to God. "Martha, Martha, thou art anxious and troubled about many things; and yet only one thing is needful" (Luke 10: 41-42).

    It is against true love of self to strive only after earthly possessions and honors and neglect eternal salvation. "Take heed not to practice your good before men, in order to be seen by them; otherwise you shall have no reward with your Father in Heaven"(Matthew 6:1). "For what does it profit a man if he gain the whole world, but suffer the loss of his own soul?" (Matthew 17:26).

Next Issue: Love of self part two

July 12-13, 2000
volume 11, no. 120
APPRECIATION OF THE PRECIOUS GIFT OF OUR FAITH series

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