ST.

FRANCIS PAROCHIAL SCHOOL

Talisay, Camarines Norte

MODULE IN GR. 12
AUGUSTINIAN SPIRITUALITY

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Topic : Lesson 6 – LOVE OF NEIGHBOR = LOVE OF GOD

I. Introduction:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind
and with all your strength. The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. ... 1 John
4:21; "And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love
his brother."

II. Competency/ies:

Love our neighbor means to serve our communities so that we are giving back what
we received, some of the ways we can truly love our neighbor. Be generous; Be ethical; Be
fair; Be kind; and Be peaceful.

III. Specific Objectives:

 To clarify Augustine understands of love of God and neighbor.

 To grow in the practice of the love of God and neighbors as a way of life.
 To pray for a grace to receive and to fulfill the call to love your neighbor as yourself.

IV. Pre assessment:

Read Matthew’s gospel 25:31-46 and answer the following questions.

1. What is the gospel trying to teach us in the story?

2. Think about the current events and issues, and who do you think are the
hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the ill, and a stranger or imprisoned in our world
today?

3. How can you relate to this lesson, what is your role as a student of a catholic
school?

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V. Lesson Inputs: Week 6

LOVE IS GOD In 393, when St. Augustine quoted 1 John 4, 8 and 16”God is Love” for the
first time, he point out that John had not written “Love is God”, but “God is Love”. In a sermon
from that year, he argued the divinity of the Holy Spirit. After having quoted John 4, 24 “God is
Spirit,” he continued: “There is another testimony of the apostle John “God is Love.” Here, too, he
does not say “Love is God,” but “God is Love” so that the divinity itself is understood as love.”
Fourteen years later, in 407, however, he makes a radical shift and has no difficulty in inverting the
statement, “God is Love” into “Love is God.” This inversion is only possible in Latin, not in Greek.
“God is Love’ John said … John could not have recommended love more highly than to have
called it God. Love is more than a gift of God. You might possibly think little of a gift of God, but
you cannot think little of God himself.” The difference between this text and that of 393 is that love
envisaged now in the commentary on the First Letter of John is undoubtedly loved of neighbor
fraternal love. This means that Love is an attribute of God. Love is one of the ways that God interacts
with His creatures.

“Love is the gift of God to such an extent that it is called God himself, as is shown
by the words of John ‘God is Love’ and anyone who dwells in love is dwelling in God,
and God in him.”

(Other explanation)
*God is Love does not mean that Love is God. In contrast, God is Truth and Truth is God is
both correct since God and Truth are exactly the same being.
*Love is a key attribute of God in Christianity. 1 John 4:8 and 16 state that "God is love; and
he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him." John 3:16 states: "God so loved the
world..." In the New Testament, God's love for humanity or the world is expressed in Greek as agape
(ἀγάπη).

One hardly needs to say that St. Augustine’s inversion has far – reaching consequences.
A first implication is that love is so entirely of one piece that it cannot be split up. It does
not matter where our love begins, weather it starts from God, Christ, or our neighbor, the outcome
will always be the same. When our love is genuine, we must be without fear that anything essential
will be lacking, for God himself is the heart of authentic love.
“Do you think that when you love your sister and brother you are loving her or him alone
and not Christ as well? That is impossible, because you are loving members of Christ. When you
love Christ’s members, you love Christ himself. And when you love Christ, you love the Son of God.
When you love the Son of God, you love the Father. Love cannot be split up. Begin loving
somewhere, and the rest will follow… No one has to excuse himself for passing over from the one
love to the other. This love is so entirely one piece. Just as love itself has been woven into unity, so
it unifies all who come under it is influence.”

A second implication is that love for neighbor is the absolute condition of love for God.
There is an essential link between the two. For this reason, no one is permitted to be ignorant in
the matter of love.

“Let no one say: ‘I do not know what to love”, Let him love his sister and brother, and let
him love, love itself… Therefore, the more we are healed from pride, the more we are full of love.
And of what but God is he full who is full of love?”

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 We have called St. Augustine’s inversion “daring.” Not without reason, for we are aware of
the fact that not every theologian will subscribe to such a strong identification of love for neighbor
and love for God. And this more so as Augustine does not limit to love merely Christian love,
but extends the notion of love to all human beings. He understands by the word “neighbor” not
only those persons who believes in Christ, but every fellow human, Christian or non – Christian.
“Whether someone is a pagan or a Jew, he is our neighbor because he is human being.” This
means that we meet with Christ not only in his members, but also in every fellow human being, no
matter who he or she is.

Matthew 25: 31 – 46, a text that very dear to St. Augustine.

VI. Learning activities:

A. Who are my neighbors?

The neighbor character in the parable is the one who

displays mercy, that is, the Samaritan, to the wounded
fellow man.

B. How do I Love My Neighbors?

How can you love your neighbor if you hate him/her and
he/she also hates you?

Forgive them, apologize to them, love them as God loves you.

Just like the 2 Great commandments: Jesus said unto him, thou shalt love the
Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This
is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt
love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and
the prophet. ; )

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VII. Assessment:

Make a Reflection in this Lesson

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 Work Sheet
(lesson 6)

Name: Nick Lawrence B. Libria__________________ Score ____________

Grade& Section: _______12 - OMGC_____________ Date: ____________

Read Luke 10:25-37

Guide Questions:
Read carefully and answer according to how you really felt from the heart after you read
the story.

A. Look at the characters in the story: the priest, the Levite, the Samaritan, the
Man, who was beaten.

 Who might these people be today?

Us because sometimes we are afraid or ignoring other people that needs
helps coz we thinks our self first.
 What if the injured person were someone from a different ethnic
group than yours? Would you stop to help?\

I will help the person because I believe in the saying that “when you help
other people, you help yourself. It’s impossible to not feel great when you do
good for other people”

 Why do you think the two Jews walked away from him?

Because the Two is highly respected men that why they passed by him but decided
to walk away

 Describe the Samaritan.

He is a kind person

 What did the lawyer learn from this parable?

 loving God and loving a neighbor as oneself.

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  What lesson did you learn from this parable?

Always help and love other people and God

 How can we all express more compassion and care for one another?

START By YOURSELF. Being compassionate for yourself is the perfect way to

understand how to be compassionate for others.

 Does loving your neighbor as yourself help explain how Jesus loved?

Yes because

 Why is it important for us to be willing to help others?

 How God does sees each of us?
- How can we work to see each other the way God sees us?

B. What are the two great commandments?

- Why does it seem so difficult to obey this clear simple command?

We live in a world brimming with rude manners, selfishness and poor intentions. At some point,
we've all been let down, manipulated, bullied or criticized. And when we are backstabbed, heart-

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broken or betrayed, it’s empowering to hate the people who have hurt us. Often, our first reaction
is to strike back or feel bitter. Maybe you’ve even wished someone was dead.

C. Who is the person God has placed in your life right now that you’re called to be a
neighbor to? 

my neighbor is my friends because every time that I don't have place to go they're always
there for me

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