86. Love of Ourselves

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 will. Care for the body includes taking proper treatment and medicine when we are ill (2). Anything against health violates the duty to love ourselves.

Why must we love ourselves?

— We must love ourselves because:

1. God wishes and requires it. Our Lord said: "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (Matt. 22:39).

Thus He made the love of self the measure of love for others. St. Augustine says: "Learn first to love God, then to love thyself, then thy neighbour as thyself." Each man is his own closest neighbour.

2. 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 neighbour, even our worst enemy. 3. We are redeemed by the blood of Christ. We are bought with a great price. We must be very precious in God's sight.

St. 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 Pet. 1:18).

4. By the merits of Jesus Christ we are made children of God and temples of the Holy Ghost. 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 you?" (1 Cor. 6:19).

5. 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.

In what consists true love of self?

— True love of self consists in avoiding sin and practising 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" (Matt. 7:13-14).

1. 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" (Matt. 6:33).

2. 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).

3. It is against true love of self to strive only after earthly possessions and honours 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" (Matt. 6:1) "For what does it profit a man if he gain the whole world but suffer the loss of his own soul" (Matt. 16:26).

Earthly riches and honours are no good in themselves, but are good only as a means for attaining eternal happiness. They are not to be used to gratify our senses, our pride, arrogance, conceit, or vanity, but only to help us go closer to God.

Does love of self include love of the body?

— Love of self includes love of the body, for our body is a gift of God, that we should treat as such.

1. Our body is united with our soul, and is the soul's instrument for good, for the attainment of our end, eternal happiness.

God did not create us as disembodied souls; it is His will that we work out our salvation in this world, our souls inhabiting our body. As the instrument of the soul, the body must not be misused: "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body. ... And do not yield your members to sin as weapons of iniquity, but present your members as weapons of justice for God" (Rom. 6:12 - 13).

2. We should have the greatest respect and reverence for our body. We should never defile it by sin, for it is destined to live forever in heaven.

We should guard our eyes, ears, tongue, and hands carefully, because sin enters the soul by the five senses. Our body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. It is like a monstrance holding God. St. Peter spoke of his body as a "tabernacle." Some people are very particular about keeping their body clean. They frequently soap and wash their hands, and disinfect them after touching dirty things. But they are not so careful about avoiding sins that make their body so dirty that no disinfectant can purify it.

3. We do not love our body when we indulge it in vanity, or too much comfort, or by gratifying its every passion. By such indulgence we rather hate our body, because we bring upon it eternal punishment.

The saints mortified their bodies. That is how they understood the words of Our Lord: "For he who would save his life will lose it; but he who loses his life for my sake and for the Gospel's sake will save it" (Mark 8:35).

Does true love of self also include care for one's reputation and temporal goods?

— True love of self also ordinarily includes care for one's reputation and temporal goods.

1. A good reputation is a precious possession, useful for both time and eternity. By a good reputation one can do much good; being well-thought of, he can be of influence over others, as well as more encouraged by himself to lead an upright life.

Our Lord Himself said: "So let your light shine before men, in order that they may see your good works, and give glory to your Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:16). And the Apostle reiterates the same advice when he said, "Let your moderation be known to all men" (Phil. 4:5).

2. Temporal goods are useful as a means for obtaining spiritual riches. By them we can help the needy, promote religion, gain ascendancy for the common good,

As with our body and our reputation, we should use riches only for the glory of God and the welfare of ourselves and our fellow men. When put to the right use, all these make us truly rich in the eyes of God. Then we shall have no fear at death, when God says to us, "Make an accounting of your stewardship (of all these gifts)" (Luke 16:2).