Love as a Gift of Self. Call to Holiness in Christian Marriage in the Light of Eastern Monasticism
Love as a Gift of Self. Call to Holiness in Christian Marriage in the Light of Eastern Monasticism

Summary/Abstract: Perhaps more than ever before, Christian spouses in the contemporary world encounter challenges and difficulties in living out their call to holiness. In the history of Christianity monasticism has always represented a model of a life according to the Gospel. Monastic life has been a living icon of holiness for all Christians in the world striving for perfection. This paper considers some characteristic aspects of the spiritual life of the monastic community and their possible application to the spiritual community life of Christian marriage. The two primary sources of this paper are the writings of St. Basil the Great and St. John Paul II. Beginning with a consideration of the call to holiness, the paper proceeds to explore some fundamental and characteristic values of the monastic koinonia and of the communio personarum of Christian marriage, which leads to a discussion of the inner discipline of love as a gift of self. The paper concludes by a short eschatological reflection.

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