Christian marriage: a great hopeWhat is love? Is it a feeling? Does it mean the good of the other? Is its goal unity? These perennial questions are sought to be answered through a new initiative of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The project consists of a web portal entitled "Love means more"(Love Means Something More), which seeks to deepen the Christian meaning of love. This website offers resources for "those who seek" answers to these issues and is aimed at Catholics as well as people of different Christian denominations and even those who do not commune with the Catholic faith.
In the month of February, with Valentine's Day celebrations, the social, cultural and economic environment offers confusing, polarizing and contradictory visions of love. These cultural narratives, "tell us that love is about feeling good. However, true love is deeper. "It invites us to follow the example of Christ's sacrificial love, so that we can live in union with Him eternally," said Bishop Robert Barron, Bishop of Winona-Rochester and chair of the USCCB's Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth. The goal is to offer the Christian vision of love and thereby bring clarity and compassion to these issues. This new initiative, the prelate notes, will be a valuable resource for engaging in conversations on that topic from the Christian perspective.
"Love means more" takes up the questions and concerns received from many Catholics and even from people who do not agree with the Church's teachings on issues related to love, marriage and family life. This new initiative renews the effort begun by another similar project called "Marriage, unique for a reason"whose objective is to promote and defend marriage and the family.
The contributions found in "Love means more" are the fruit of consultations with bishops, pastors, Catholic leaders and lay people involved in family life apostolates. So far, the website has only a few contributions; however, more will be added gradually over the course of the year.
