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Fr. José Comblin of Brazil, on the liberating power of love:

“To recognize the other is to accept his or her existence, to accept his or her right to live, act, take initiatives, occupy space, and move ahead. Recognizing the other means being willing to be inconvenienced by him or her, precisely because of the difference. To love is not simply to acknowledge but also to help, or as Paul says, “to serve.” Serving does not mean abasing oneself, being made dependent, falling into servility, becoming a slave, but actually being of help in the other’s liberation. Loving is always sharing, and hence giving, letting go of privileges, or of exclusivism—not merely acknowledging the other’s right to be different, but helping him or her to be different, that is, to grow in his or her own personality.

Finally, to love is to receive from the other’s difference, to open oneself to difference and to receive from it. There is no love without dialogue, because there is no acceptance of the other if one is unwilling to receive anything from him or her. Love leads to the reciprocal gift in which each gives of what is one’s own and receives from the other. The two terms are not merged together but complete one another. If such is love, it is understandable that it fits perfectly well with freedom. Far from limiting freedom, serving in this manner promotes it.”