Page 26 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 21
P. 26
can be reduced to fear and fawning, and the good genera�on, or even regenera�on, for
human heart, mo�va�on and morality are re- loving ac�ons or responses.
duced to a level most appropriate to the mam-
malian … In Andrey’s reference to Eric Fromm, it is also
and/or deligh�ul to recognise those types of love ac�-
‘ “love” of self’ can become a preoccupa�on vi�es which are so important: knowledge,
with ‘all things me’, so that the self-idolatry and a�en�on, care, respect, responsibility. Again, it
ins�ncts cause a reduced level of heart and mo- is not only in the love ac�vi�es of the I-it, the I-
rality to something more and more akin to that myself, or the I-thou, but, most importantly, in
appropriate for (dare we say) the rep�lian! the I-Thou rela�onship, that we find ourselves
as both recipients and actors of love in the best
But when people are In loving and grateful sub- of ways (to use some expressions of Mar�n Bu-
mission to God as God, having some understan- ber and C.S. Evans.)
ding of the great love demonstrated in Christ,
and by the presence of the Holy Spirit, both the Many people wan�ng help from counselling do
love of self and love of neighbour are enabled, have their own deep sense of God, and are ho-
in each human person, to find their dignity, as ping for encouragement as they try to work
imago Dei; spiritually alive and more fully hu- through their issues in their life with faith, or in
man, free to truly love and be loved. the light of their faith.
As far as the self-a�tude is concerned, in close Due to the huge range of people’s experiences,
rela�onship with God through Christ, we can situa�ons, states and disposi�ons, sensi�vity
become be�er at loving and being loved, truth- from the prac��oner to the whole range of wil-
fully, graciously, and trus�ngly enough to be lingness (or lack of willingness) to encourage
trainable in the discipline of self and in our rela- founda�onal spirituality for life is important, as
�onships with others. We are all brothers and is sensi�vity on the part of the prac��oner to a
sisters of the same Father. whole range of most appropriate responses,
God’s love is genera�ve, and also regenera�ve. with which to lovingly respond.
Love is always rela�onal, and brings about the
26
