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Dear Catholic Exchange:
Is it true there are three types of love having three distinct Greek words that refer to them? In the gospel of John (21:15-19), when Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves Him, does not Jesus ask the question the first two times using the highest kind of love?
How are we to interpret this dialogue between Peter and Jesus? Was there something about Peter’s response that Jesus was not fully satisfied with? Did Peter respond with the wrong form of love man should show to God? What else can we gather from understanding the dialogue in Greek? I appreciate any insight you’re able to give me. Thank you for your ministry.
Your brother in Christ Jesus,
Luigi
Dear Luigi:
There are actually four words for love in Greek: agape, divine love; eros, erotic love; phileo, friendship; and storge, affection.
C.S. Lewis wrote a wonderful book called The Four Loves on this theme.
You are right; Jesus uses a variant of “agape” in the first two questions to Peter and then changes to a variant of “phileo”. I don't know what the theological suggestion there might be, but I would suspect you are right to think there is one. John is an incredibly careful writer and the difference between Jesus’ “agape” question and Peter's “phileo” answer is probably pregnant with significance. Perhaps he means to communicate Peter's ongoing struggle with human weakness that continues to need Christ's merciful grace. I, however, am not sure.
Thanks for sleuthing this out. It'll make you a terrific student of Scripture. Don't forget to check out our study of John when it launches in January 2003.
Blessings!
Mark Shea
Senior Content Editor
Catholic Exchange
NFP: A Conversion of Heart
Catholic Exchange
Dear Friends at Catholic Exchange:
Many thanks for printing the letter from that dear Archbishop on natural family planning/humanae vite. It will help me so much in my own teaching of the Billings Ovulation Method. Only yesterday, in a group of moms who were far from Catholic, I found myself at the end of the presentation explaining the basics of humanae vitae, as usual. They were fascinated with all the psychology involved when the marital act is seen as being open to the transmission of life, even in the infertile days. It is my strong belief that the teaching of the Billings Method will be bringing more people into the Catholic faith.
Kind regards,
Sue Fryer
Maple Bay Billings Centre
BC. Vancouver Island
For additional information on natural family planning, please visit The Couple to Couple League.
Lack of Good Catholic Education
Dear Catholic Exchange:
I hear that for the last 30-40 years we as Catholics have not been given a very solid Catholic Education, in other words, we have not been taught our faith to the fullest. Is this fault of he Church, or whose fault is it? If it is the Church's fault, who in the Church are we to blame?
God Bless for all your good works,
Gary Goedde
Dear Gary,
Your question is a bit like asking, “Summarize history,” or “Why do you prefer civilization to savagery?” It's a huge question with a lot of factors in the answer. We've seen a general retreat from orthodox Catholic faith since the Reformation in many places (including the U.S., which was never a Catholic country and which has many loony ideas about the Catholic faith abroad).
Just as Catholics became “mainstream” in the U.S. with the election of JFK, we saw American and European culture fall to pieces in the 60s and 70s. In addition, there was—and is—tremendous confusion in the wake of the Second Vatican Council, as well as what George Weigel refers to as the “Truce of 1968.” By the “Truce of 1968” Weigel is referring to the time when American and European bishops adopted a “don't ask/don't tell” policy about dissent from Catholic teaching after Humanae Vitae, the encyclical that reaffirmed Catholic teaching on human sexuality. Once that truce was reached, it was a matter of time before Catholics took a pick and choose attitude toward Catholic teaching as bishops continued the pattern of spinelessness and unwillingness to teach the Catholic faith for fear of offending.
The tide has been turning for some time now, beginning with laity who have insisted on their right to know the faith. Let us pray God sends us teachers, like John Paul II, who will teach and live the Faith.
Mark Shea
Senior Content Editor
Catholic Exchange
