St. John Paul II Revealed the Secret of Life in These 10 Quotes on What Love Means

During his life and papacy, St. John Paul II often spoke against the problems of secular culture. Many of these exist in our world today, which makes his wisdom on various topics so timeless.

The world offers us a false idea of what love means. Every Valentine’s Day, we’re reminded of some of these definitions.

The world tells us that love can be confined to a greeting card or box of chocolates, or worse, that love is a fickle feeling rather than a virtuous decision.

As Christians, we are called to love beyond a secular standard and to love like Christ.

But what does that look like?

Luckily, we have the timeless wisdom of the saints to help direct our path.

Below are 10 pieces of wisdom from Saint John Paul II to remind you of our call to love as Christians and the nature of the Father’s love for us.

1) “What really matters in life is that we are loved by Christ and that we love Him in return. In comparison to the love of Jesus, everything else is secondary. And, without the love of Jesus, everything is useless.”

2) “In whatever you do, remember that Christ is calling you, in one way or another, to the service of love: the love of God and of your neighbor.”

3) “A person’s rightful due is to be treated as an object of love, not as an object for use.”

4) “Love! Love one another! Abide in the love of Christ and open up your hearts to one another! This is the secret of life!”

5) “For love is never something ready made, something merely ‘given’ to man and woman, it is always at the same time a ‘task’ which they are set.”

6) “God Himself is worthy of a love above everything, an exclusive and nuptial love. This love consists in the giving of our whole human being, body and soul, to Him who gave Himself completely to us men by means of the Incarnation.”

7) “Whatever you make of your life, let it be something that reflects the love of Christ.”

8) “There is no place for selfishness and no place for fear! Do not be afraid, then, when love makes demands. Do not be afraid when love requires sacrifice”

9) “Love between man and woman cannot be built without sacrifices and self-denial.”

10) “A person is an entity of a sort to which the only proper and adequate way to relate is love.”