92. The spiritual stature of a person’s life is measured by love, which in the end remains “the criterion for the definitive decision about a human life’s worth or lack thereof”.[Deus Caritas Est 15]
Pope Benedict said it well. Christians would certainly reject the notion of leaving a material legacy, a donation or inheritance, or even a successful edifice of accomplishment. But within our fold, we still miss the mark with our occasional drive to sweep away others in a show of strength:
Yet some believers think that it consists in the imposition of their own ideologies upon everyone else, or in a violent defense of the truth, or in impressive demonstrations of strength. All of us, as believers, need to recognize that love takes first place: love must never be put at risk, and the greatest danger lies in failing to love (cf. 1 Cor 13:1-13).
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