MSI Press Blog

  At the heart of every faith that calls Abraham its ancestor—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—there beats the same pulse: love . Not sentimentality, not romance, but the fierce, ethical, world‑shaping love that binds creation to its Creator and people to one another. 🌿 Judaism: Love as Covenant In the Hebrew Scriptures, love is not abstract. It is covenantal—an agreement lived out in justice and mercy. “ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart… ” (Deuteronomy 6:5) is paired with “ You shall love your neighbor as yourself ” (Leviticus 19:18). To love God is to love what God loves: people, life, and the world’s repair ( tikkun olam ). ✝️ Christianity: Love as Incarnation In Christianity, love becomes flesh. “ God is love ” (1 John 4:8) is not metaphor but identity. The Incarnation is divine love entering history, showing that compassion is not optional—it is the measure of faith. Jesus’ commandment—“ Love one another as I have loved you ”—turns theology into relationsh...

  NO JUDGMENT “Mercy triumphs over judgment.” --I James 2: 13   “Love is a many-splendored thing,” the popular song celebrates. Romantic love arises from the heart and expresses its beauty. St. Paul echoed these sentiments when he described God-like love (agape): “Love is patient; love is kind. Love is not jealous, it does not put on airs, it is not snobbish. Love is never rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not prone to anger; neither does it brood over injuries. Love does not rejoice in what is wrong but rejoices with the truth. There is no limit to love’s forbearance, to its trust, its hope, its power to endure. Love never fails….There are in the end three things that last: faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love.” (I Corinthians 13: 4-13) Love is such a profound, unspeakable mystery, that its definitions often include what it is not. Love is like a beautiful tapestry with many colorful threads. These threads, carefully woven together, are the man...

Marriage often begins with intense feelings of romance, novelty, and discovery. Two people spend hours talking, sharing dreams, learning each other's preferences, and enjoying the excitement of a new relationship. Yet many couples discover that, over time, intimacy seems to fade. This can be discouraging, especially when partners mistakenly assume that declining intimacy means declining love. In reality, the causes are often more complex and more manageable than they appear. One reason intimacy diminishes is familiarity. Human beings are naturally drawn to novelty. In the early stages of a relationship, every conversation reveals something new. Over the years, however, partners may come to believe they already know everything there is to know about one another. Curiosity declines. Conversations become focused on daily logistics rather than personal growth, dreams, fears, or aspirations. The relationship can gradually shift from discovery to routine. The pressures of adult life also...

  \ LIFE’S JOY “What can separate us from the love of Christ?” --Paul of Tarsus   “I’ve never been happy. I don’t believe I’ll ever escape my misery,” my elderly patient lamented. She had suffered from anxiety her whole life. She was its prisoner. “I’m always worrying about something. If it’s not one thing, it’s another. Anything can cause me to panic,” she explained.  I asked her, “Who would you be if you didn’t worry?” She responded honestly, “I don’t know. I wouldn’t know myself. That would be even scarier!” My patient had constructed an identity around her illness. She could not imagine living without it and the misery it caused her.  Another patient of mine was terrified of leaving the house. She insisted she wanted to feel free to go out and socialize, but still stayed home to feel safe. I asked her, “You say you want to go out, but still stay home. Which is true, what you say you want or what you do?” Both, in fact, may have been true. She felt hopelessly con...