Loving Yourself: Understanding Jesus' Example

Loving Yourself: Understanding Jesus' Example

Ask yourself: Did Jesus love Himself? You might think maybe not because self-love is often associated with narcissism and selfishness. However, Jesus, though no one ever asked Him, said He did, in answering another question.

A pious lawyer once asked Him: What is the greatest commandment of the Law? We all know His answer: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." This is loving greatly and magnanimously, not narcissistically and selfishly. But Jesus added something that sheds light on His perspective: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Loving yourself? Well, if you put God first, you’re loving yourself because we are created to love God, and loving Him leads to eternal life. That’s truly loving yourself—and looking forward to eternal life is neither narcissistic nor selfish. It’s fulfilling the purpose for which you were created.

Moreover, you are fulfilling your innate nature. You are created to love. That’s your essence: a lover. So here’s the drill: you are commanded to love your neighbor, which makes you a lover, and who can resist loving a lover? Therefore, you love yourself, not narcissistically and selfishly, but by loving your neighbor greatly and magnanimously.

Now, did Jesus love Himself? Yes, of course: God first always, and then He never said NO to a request for help, to drive out a demon, or to give Himself over to save us, sinners.

So here’s the point: "I have given you a model so that as I have done, you are also to do." Just love your neighbor generously and magnanimously, trying never to say NO and always willing to say YES. You can do that. We can all do that. It’s what we’re created for.

Fr. Joe Tetlow, S.J.