According to Christian revelation, God is love. Love is identical with God’s nature. It is said that in God alone, is his nature identical with his existence. Since God’s nature is love itself, his existence is love and love is his existence. There is no distinction between his nature, his existence, and love. But if God alone is the very nature of love, then every created thing can not be love; no other creature can have a nature that is identical with love itself; they can love, but they can not be love.
But angels and men, and any other creatures out there that are rational, are made to love and for love. It is the nature of rational creatures to love, but love is not the nature of rational creatures. Love is not the very essence of their being, as with God. Since love is not the nature of creatures, they must perform acts of love in ways that are not identical with their being.
For human beings there is a further implication. If we are to show love, if we are to give love, not only will those action not be identical with our being, but they must be actions that are communicated through our bodies. We have no other way to communicate our being than through our bodies and through material things in general.
This means that for human beings, there is no action that simply is love. There are only actions that have some other more immediate goals and purposes. From these actions which are other-than-love, we must turn them into acts of love. If we are to love at all, we have no choice but to assume these acts into love, and turn them into symbols of love.
If we are going to show love, we have to use the raw material at our disposal. That material is supplied by our bodies, the biological necessities of our animal existence, etc. And so in most cases, it will involve giving food to those that are hungry, and drink to those that are thirsty, and clothing to those who are naked. These are actions that Christ told us are done to him when they are done to "the least of the brethren".
The primary purpose of food is to nourish. But in some cases, the giving of food takes on a further importance, it becomes the medium for someone to show love and concern to another person. It becomes an expression of love.
Does not every act of human love have this characteristic? We can’t love except in and through the limitations of being living, physical beings with bodies.
