The most important reason for Christ’s coming was that people might know how much God loves them and, once knowing the depth of God’s love, they might begin to burn with love for this God who loved them first. Following Christ’s commandments to love and his example, they might then come to love their neighbor. Indeed, Jesus Christ, by loving even those who were wandering far from him, has become a neighbor to all of us.

—Augustine, On Catechizing the Uninstructed, 4.8