L

Labor: The activity by which one develops his human gifts and earns a livelihood. The worker contributes to the commonwealth and also expands his capacity for accepting challenge. Laborers are to be treated fairly. In turn, the worker owes his employer sound production and efficiency.

Life: The creation of God that enables one to grow and develop. Life has always been considered by the Church to be a great good.

 Life, Spiritual: The relationship with God, attained by baptism and strengthened through reception of sacraments, prayer, mortification and charitable works. As a Christian, one is called to spiritual perfection, which is conformity to Christ.

Love: A devotion to a person or object that has been categorized by Greek philosophy into four types: storge (one loves persons and things close to him); philia (the love of friends); eros (sexual love and that of a spiritual nature); agape (a self-giving to one in need). Christian charity is love, but not all love is true charity.

 Love of God: The greatest Christian virtue, enabling one to respond to God as He does to us: with charity. We are commanded to love God because of all He has done for us, especially for the charity of Christ shown in His death and resurrection. To love God makes loving our neighbors possible.

Love of Neighbor: Charity, desiring the true good of others. Because of our love for God, we can then love others. This mandate means to love enemies, as well as friends. One grows in fraternal charity especially through the reception of the sacraments.

Catholic Dictionary edited by Reverend Peter M.J. Stravinskas, Ph.D., S.T.L. Our Sunday Visitor's Catholic Dictionary. Copyright © 2004, Our Sunday Visitor, Inc. A great resource for your home! Order it here»