A Call To Love

“…if you ever felt you were trapped in a soulless world, or that the world around you seemed to be headed in the wrong the direction, that the values you see in society around you are not those you hold in your inmost heart, this book , this call to active hope, is for you.”

A Civilization of Love

Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, has written a powerful exhortation to American Catholics. He has answered the call of both John Paul II and Benedict XVI in their plea for Catholics to fight the culture of death. He has given Catholics a powerful weapon.

It is the weapon of Love, the basis of Natural Law.

In his book, A Civilization of Love, he defines Christian personalism as the dignity that is inherent in every human person from the moment of their creation. It is the worth of the person as established by God. When we recognize this God-given dignity, it enables us to love one another as God has intended.

And what is the channel through which this love should be distributed throughout humanity?

Our very own families.

“Through the family passes the primary current of the civilization of love.”

John Paul II Letter to Families

Mr. Anderson does not leave us with this simple, yet profound idea to muddle things out as best as we can on our own. At the end of every chapter, he gives us concrete ways to begin to bring about this civilization of love. From examining the attitudes of our children, to taking a stroll around our own neighborhood, to reflecting on our behavior in the work-place, he challenges us to alter our ingrained selfishness and forge another way, a higher path.

He reminds us:

“Love is not alien to any culture, nor to any person; on the contrary, the response that he seeks in the heart of culture is what gives them their ultimate identity, uniting humanity and at the same time respecting the wealth of diversity, opening people everywhere to growth in genuine humanity, in authentic progress.”

Benedict XVI

Love is the universal language… spoken and longed for, by all.


This review was written as part of The Catholic Company product reviewer program. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on A Civilization of Love.