The main Commandment of Jesus Christ was precisely the Commandment of love, which teaches us to love the Lord above all else and our neighbor as ourselves. Practicing Christians clearly understand this and have probably heard Christ’s phrase “Love one another” more than once, but still, many do not fully understand what exactly it means. Yes, love is a natural human need, but often it is not so easy to express it to family and friends, much less to enemies, which is what many Christians face. Yes, every person wants to love and be loved by someone, so Christ constantly said that we need to love each other, doing it sincerely.
Learn more about the meaning of the phrase “Love one another.”
Photo: Elitsy.ru
If you delve into the essence of Christ’s law, you can note the fact that its basis is precisely the rule of love. A person must love the Lord above all else, must love himself and his neighbor, must surround all loved ones with care, because this is what helps to fulfill the Lord’s Law, breathe freely and enjoy every new day.
Unfortunately, today's people strive only for material progress, forgetting that Christ taught them to love God, themselves and each other, which does not allow them to obtain the desired happiness and peace of mind. Having forgotten about love, a person cannot feel calm and take confident steps towards the salvation of the soul, which is very clearly expressed in the modern world.
When there is no true Christian love in a person’s heart, he begins to become a slave to modern passions, money, technical progress, completely forgetting that he has a soul. Having heard the phrase of Christ “Love one another,” every person should think that the basis of his life should be sincere love, a good attitude towards others, which will help him take the main steps towards saving his own soul.
This phrase of Christ clearly tells people that they must love each other, unite and forget about hatred, since only this will help save not only their own soul, but also the future generation of people from complete failure in terms of spiritual life.
If a person does not make sincere love the basis of his life, then the following problems await him:
- constant hostility and hatred even between those closest to you;
- complete selfishness and unwillingness to help others even in small ways;
- the desire to go over the heads of those closest to you, just to extract your own benefit from it.
Photo: Flickr.com
Where there is no love, things cannot be good, which is why people face many sufferings, troubles, and illnesses, because hatred and selfishness cannot bring anything good. Christ came to earth to tell people how important love is, how much power it has and why without it you cannot become happy, having achieved salvation for your immortal soul.
Orthodox Life
“Love is long-suffering, it is kind, love does not envy, love does not puff itself up, is not proud, does not act rudely, does not seek its own, is not easily provoked, does not think evil, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; covers all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails...” (1 Cor. 13:4-8). The topic of today's conversation: the highest Christian virtue is love.
Religion of loving enemies
- Let's start with love. The Lord said: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, let you also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).
The founder of cenobitic monasteries, Pachomius the Great, had pagan parents. The young man was taken into the army, where he suffered the usual hardships: it was cold and hungry. And then people somehow came to their tent, brought warm clothes, blankets, talked to them kindly, and gave them food. And he was shocked because he experienced such love that he did not feel for his own mother. He approached the officer and asked: “Who are they?” - “Yes, these are Christians, they love everyone so much.” And young Pachomius’s heart sank; he did not sleep that night, and the next morning they announced to him that the war was over and everyone was free. But he could no longer go home, his heart was wounded. He found a priest, who gave him the opportunity to read the Gospel, and after that Pachomius received Baptism. He labored a lot in various labors, as a hermit, lived in a hollow, and came to the unexpected conclusion that the best, fastest and most reliable way to get closer to God is to live in communion. The community itself may be imperfect, but there are many people in it who correct you, and you see your shortcomings as if in a mirror.
Athonite Elder Porfiry Kavsokalivit
Pachomius wrote the first charter of the cenobitic monastery. In his monastery, any person quite quickly, within a few months, rejected everything earthly and lived a holy life. How many monks do you think Pachomius had? Thousand. Then he created a second monastery, also for a thousand people. Then a third, a fourth, a total of nine men's and two women's. Love was the way of existence in these monasteries. And for only one reason Pachomius expelled the monks from the monastery - however, after a warning. Because of disobedience. Why do you think?
– Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnitsky has a saying that disobedience is the principle of Satan. Disobedience is a kind of kingdom within a kingdom; it is Satanism.
– Monks should become earthly angels, and heavenly Angels should obey God...
- Absolutely right. Monks take three vows - chastity, non-covetousness, obedience. But the main one is obedience. Because if you have violated chastity, you can repent and correct yourself. Passion can pass. The vow of non-covetousness - well, “the toad was strangling”, the person was attached to something, but this too is gradually passing away. But if he is disobedient, then he is not suitable for any work at all. He can't even be trained to do carpentry. How can you teach him if he says: “And I will plan in my own way, “against the grain.” What are you telling me here?” If a person does not want to listen to a teacher who knows how to do things, then, of course, he cannot be his student.
Natural need
– Raise your hands, which of you has ever loved in your life? Has anyone ever loved you? How do you define what love is?
– Sacrifice yourself for the sake of your loved one.
“One businessman I know, a very rich one, said to his wife: “I love you.” - “How did you understand this?” she asks. “I don’t mind the money for you,” he answers.
– Strong criterion. Another would have drawn up a cost estimate.
“Modern girls believe that they can love like Juliet, but she was a believer, and they were not.”
– What follows from this?
- So they can’t.
– By the way, is Juliet’s love good or bad?
“She loved Romeo more than God.” She violated her father's will.
– Did Juliet have any kind of love? Is it according to God? Although they prayed, shouted, called on God, it all looked more like passion.
How else can we define what love is: you don’t mind the money, you want to sacrifice something, you can forgive, right? If there is a choice, who benefits - me or him, and together we do not fit in the boat, then let it be for him. With pleasure, right? In general, spiritual love is possible only by grace, when the Lord gives grace.
Savior Icon of Andrei Rublev
...We have already said that the basis of any virtue is a natural need. Everyone wants to love and be loved. By the way, this can be the basis of any conversation with children, teenagers, and young people. Elder Paisiy says that he easily negotiated with punks, with “out-of-touch” young people. He asked them: do you want to be loved?
John Chrysostom says: “Love is the foundation of all virtue.” And the highest virtue. “Love is God, but who wants to define in words what God is? He, being blind in his mind, attempts to measure the sand in the abyss of the sea,” writes John Climacus. Indeed, it is very difficult to define love. How to determine what God is? There is apophatic (negative) and cataphatic (affirmative) theology; Through negations or analogies with something, we can get closer to what love is. Today we will do this with you.
First: love for God is manifested in fulfilling the commandments.
“…whoever loves Me will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our abode with him” (John 14:23).
But here is what St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) says: “It is characteristic of love to often remember and think about the beloved; It is characteristic of love to often direct and strive with heart and soul towards the beloved. To constantly remember and think about your beloved, to constantly feel yourself attracted to your beloved is characteristic of perfect love. God wants us to love Him with such perfect love.” Perfect love is God the Trinity.
Medicine for heart attack
Love is higher than any gifts and benefits. The Apostle Paul writes: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, then I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries, and have all knowledge and all faith, so that I could move mountains, but do not have love, then I am nothing. And if I give away all my goods and give my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing” (1 Cor. 13:1-3).
The Apostle Paul gives a very beautiful, poetic definition, which I recommend that students learn for life and remember. When they feel sad, they remember this, it’s as if they have the Gospel in their chest, in their heart: “Love is patient, merciful, love does not envy, love is not arrogant, is not proud, does not act outrageously, does not seek its own, is not irritated, does not think evil. , does not rejoice in untruth, but rejoices in the truth; covers all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails, although prophecy will cease, and tongues will be silent, and knowledge will be abolished. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; But when that which is perfect comes, then that which is in part will cease. When I was a baby, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, reasoned like a child; and when he became a husband, he left behind his children. Now we see as if through a dark glass, fortune-telling, but then face to face; Now I know in part, but then I will know, even as I am known. And now these three remain: faith, hope, love; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:4–13).
Apostle Paul
“Love is not irritated.” Today I saw a cardiologist for an examination. And he told me an interesting thing: the heart, in his words, hurts because a person does not live peacefully. Because he is angry. Because from many passions he continually finds himself in a stressful situation. This professor has the most powerful equipment. “I,” he says, “can testify: a person who lives peacefully and quietly has a good heart according to all medical indicators.” Who “does not get irritated, does not envy, does not seek his own.”
– A poster should be hung in the clinic: “Love is the best cure for a heart attack.”
- Yes Yes. They there, of course, preach measured walking and physical exercise, but I was amazed that, indeed, the professor, from his personal experience, came to the conclusion that there is a direct connection between the peace in our heart and its health. Once peace leaves the heart, we become candidates for developing heart disease.
Without love
– There are such sayings that have already become famous:
• Justice without love makes a person cruel. • Truth without love makes a person a critic. • Parenting without love makes a person two-faced. • Mind without love makes a person cunning. • Friendliness without love makes a person hypocritical. • Competence without love makes a person unyielding. • Power without love makes a person a rapist. • Honor without love makes a person arrogant. • Wealth without love makes a person greedy. • Faith without love makes a person a fanatic. • Duty without love makes a person irritable. • Responsibility without love makes a person unceremonious.
Love for God's creatures
- Father, why does education without love make a person two-faced?
- Very simple. Here a child goes to Sunday school, they tell him something there, they educate him, and after that he comes to a secular educational institution and there he is taught completely differently. Without love. If there is no love in the family, this is generally the root of all problems. A child lives and is brought up in a certain environment, should we be surprised if he “suddenly” becomes a criminal or commits immoral acts.
Among the children of Sunday school, he was a normal child, but when he left there he found himself in a different environment that he could not resist. If he had a core of love, he would have resisted sinful desires. And without love he is one way here and another there. And at home he appears to his grandmother as one, to his mother as another, and to his father as a third. One will ask for a new toy, another will get permission to sit for an extra hour at the computer. He pits them against each other, knowing the weaknesses of each. Brought up from childhood in guile, he will in the same way begin to adapt to his bosses at work, make a career, or simply exist idly. This is a cripple, a spiritual invalid for life. And why? Because he didn't have a loving upbringing.
... Let's continue the list of what happens without love.
– Severity without love makes a person cruel.
– Love without love makes a person depraved.
– Honesty without love makes a person stubborn.
– Absolutely right: virtue itself without love turns into sin. An abstinent person without love may become proud and may even die from malnutrition. He fasts and walks around angry. The Holy Fathers say: it is better to eat a camel than a man. Why is that? Because a person actually eats these people with his anger.
– Prayer without love makes a person a Pharisee.
- Absolutely right. You can bruise your forehead, they say: an ascetic reads a thousand Jesus prayers. But God may not like this. The Holy Fathers say: prayer does not depend on the amount of reading. Where is the heart in this? Does it do it with love?
Chastity without love makes a person...
- We are also a Pharisee.
– There are people to whom the Lord gave chastity from childhood. You look at some chaste girls and think: thank God. But if you dig deeper, it becomes clear that this chastity in itself is not saving. The person is proud and looks down on everyone: “Who are you, you are all libertines, but I am a chaste, pure person.” Non-covetousness without love makes a person...
- Wasteful.
- Meekness without love makes a person...
- Cowardly. Or godless, cowardly.
– Joy without love makes a person...
- Laughing, carefree.
- Carefree, yes. He can only strive to capture joy; he is always looking for new impressions and pleasures. His whole life consists only of achieving joy. But it’s empty, after this joy I want to cry. And this joy lasts for three seconds.
Courage without love makes a person...
- Reckless.
– Reckless, maybe, yes. Fanatical.
Humility without love makes a person...
– Is humility possible without love?
– Humility, perhaps, is a kind of love. Probably, humility without love is false humility. For show. A person pretends to be so humble, humble, and then suddenly - one day he reveals...
Hegumen Cyprian (Yashchenko)
Pedagogy of the heart
– How does love manifest itself? “The change during prayer from the fear of God into the love of God. Fidelity to the Lord, proven by the constant rejection of every sinful thought and feeling. The indescribable, sweet attraction of the whole person with love for the Lord Jesus Christ and for the worshiped Holy Trinity.” This is how Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) describes his ascetic experiences. During prayer, the fear of God is modified into love. The sinful thought is unstuck. The man is so attracted that he runs to the temple.
The virtue of love leads to seeing the image of God in others. We love other people not because they are our relatives (although all are relatives, through Adam and Eve). And because the image of God exists in every person. But does every person have virtues - the likeness of God? Well, there are some, right?
To love what is from God in a person is what spiritual love is based on. We don't just make it up that he's our blood. Today it is close, but tomorrow it is far away. It goes away quickly. We see in him, first of all, the divine. The ideal is equal love for everyone. Is it possible to love everyone equally?
- Through grace. Because otherwise it’s very difficult.
- Equal to love, but in different ways. Indeed, Christ also loved equally, but in different ways. He gave us such an example of love. “Admiration in prayer and love of the mind, heart and whole body, indescribable pleasure of the body with spiritual joy, spiritual rapture,” wrote Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov). This is where love manifests itself. And further: “Relaxation of bodily members with spiritual consolation. Inactivity of the bodily senses during prayer. Resolution from the muteness of the heart's tongue. Stopping prayer from spiritual sweetness. Silence of the mind." According to the testimony of Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), who himself synthesized the experience of many holy fathers, bodily feelings become silent in love. Even all bodily members relax.
Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov)
How can a person relax now? Drink, have a snack, go to the bathhouse, in a physiological way to get away from stress, from the contradictions that are multiplying in this world. But in love, this is possible in a completely different way. This applies to the body, soul, and spirit. Look, what a beautiful expression: relief from the muteness of the heart’s tongue. What kind of language is this?
– Communication with God.
– When they speak from heart to heart. It’s one thing we transmit information - from one head to another, or we communicate mentally, convey feelings. And there is communication from heart to heart, when our spiritual layer is truly affected. In general, our hearts are silent, it turns out. And indeed, the dumbness of the heart is only resolved with love. The peace of Christ comes to a person, he calms down, his heart stops hurting and stabbing. All our earthly concerns are absorbed into the mind of Christ.
Live a holy life
“We recently had an unction ceremony, and a professor came to it. Four years ago he was diagnosed with cancer, a fast-moving sarcoma. He is a rich man, he rushed and rushed about, but no one here could help him, everyone refused to treat him. And so he found a professor in Switzerland who undertook to operate on him, but warned: there was no guarantee. “You have a fast-moving illness,” he says, “I give you a week to complete all your affairs here on earth, to say goodbye.”
And he came to Moscow for a week. We started talking to him and found out that it turns out that he was not baptized. Well, we talked, he read the Gospel. He came the next day, we baptized him, and at the same time his wife.
And so he prepared a confession for his entire life. This was a rare confession, he confessed for more than two hours with great tears, with great revelation, with many details. He really described what his fault was, he told in detail, not just - he’s a sinner, I don’t have love, but he really showed where he didn’t show this love. He took confession seriously and, in the face of a mortal threat, decided to sincerely repent. The next day I took communion and flew to Switzerland. Two days later he called and said: “Father, I was examined before the operation and no tumor was found.”
They gathered a council of doctors and thought the device was broken. This can’t be, he brought a bunch of X-rays from Russia, and such diseases don’t go away in a week. They examined him using another machine - there was no trace of the tumor left. They started asking him: “Tell me how you were treated? Sincerely." When he told them that he repented, was baptized, took communion, the doctors said: “Apparently, God Himself took part in your life, you had no chance of recovery.” And he became even more frightened by this. He came to Moscow for unction and said to me: “Father, if I shouldn’t have lived, but God gave me life, it’s not by chance. So, He gave it to me for some reason? Give me a spiritual task of what I must do in the remaining time.”
I was very happy about this; people rarely make such a request. I also prayed and gave him a spiritual task: “God has blessed you to live a holy life. When you achieve holiness, then we will describe this incident. It’s pointless to describe it now, because this is only half - God gave it, and how you manage this time is again in your hands.” He asks: “Maybe the bar should be lower? Are there any precedents? - “As much as you like. Prince Vladimir was devoted to sensual pleasures: he loved to fight, he loved to walk, amuse himself, eat and drink. And then he thought about it and accepted Baptism. And after that I became a different person.”
The soulful does not understand the spiritual
“Love is the knowledge of incorporeal beings,” write the holy fathers. What does it mean? Communication with the angelic world, with the Guardian Angel. This is possible primarily through love. I remember one girl whom I met at the apartment of the holy righteous John of Kronstadt. She constantly visited her and prayed to Father John. So sincerely, in a simple, childlike way that John of Kronstadt began to appear to her. And several times a day and in the presence of my mother. Such love arose between John of Kronstadt and the girl.
"The weakness of sinful thoughts." How is that? That is, a thought arises, but can no longer do anything with us. There is no strength in him, he is sluggish, he does not have such energy to lead us to sin.
“Sweetness and abundant consolation in times of sorrow.” Someone offended us or we got sick and at the same time we experience sweetness. Why?
– An understanding comes that the soul is cleansed, hope in God appears.
- Thank God I got sick, right? Comfort that he suffered for his sins in this tribulation.
"Vision of human structures." That is, you see a person and understand how he works. This is a physical person, you can only communicate with him in a physical way, as if to condescend to his weakness. And this one is spiritual, it would be good to talk to him spiritually, but he does not understand the spiritual. And this one is spiritual, talk to him about spiritual things. Discussing spiritual problems, being together with him spiritually, this is important.
I know one bishop, he has an amazing ability to build kind, good relationships with all people, even with little contact. He can, say, talk for half an hour about the weather, he can talk about climate change, about technology, cars, about some details, about the harvest, nitrates. Why is he doing this? I took a closer look, and the people he's talking to can't contain more. And his missionary work does not consist in preaching Christ, but in the fact that he communicates with them kindly, in their language, talking about what is interesting and pleasant to them. And when they have a friendly relationship, these people already ask spiritual questions, and then spiritual answers come.
Another very important secret of spiritual life: do not hold anything on yourself. The Lord gave grace, and you return it.
The Lord gave love, and you give it back. Some kind of passion, trouble, anger came to you from people, and you give it to God.
God doesn't get angry. You judge, give it to God, He does not judge. You are gluttonous, give it to Him, God is not gluttonous. You are impatient, but God is patient, he endures everything, give it up - in prayer, in conversation, in a simple appeal to God. Grace was given to us so that we could translate it into prayer, and through this prayer we would give it to God. And through this prayer the Lord will again send us grace. And so there will be a cycle of grace between God and us.
Living embodiment of love
– Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov) is the living embodiment of love. Only after being with him, near him, without even asking a single question, and sometimes even without hearing a single word from him, do you come to a peaceful state. Many people cannot understand why everyone loves him so much. And he simply fulfills the Gospel with his life, his mind floats in the Gospel, his heart is in the Gospel. The gospel love that flows from him is more convincing than many words, smart, beautiful examples.
I remember once after a festive service, a meal, we were going to the cell with Archimandrite Kirill, and one of the brothers was going up the stairs, and the elder turned to him: “Simone, do you love me?” - “Of course, Father Kirill.” He told him again: “Simone, do you love me?” - “Well, Father Kirill, you know how much I love you.” Father again: “Simone, do you love me?” He even came down, hugged and kissed the priest. Apparently, as I imagined, he had some kind of resentment, some kind of displeasure. And the priest in this way, with love, removed this insult.
This, by the way, is a very good way. A person is offended by you, and you ask him: “Aren’t you offended by me?” What will he tell you that he is offended? He will say: “Come on...” It’s already easier. “Well, forgive me.”
The best birthday gift
– A loving person willingly endures troubles and dishonor for his loved one. We were once in Jerusalem with Metropolitan Sergius of Voronezh - on St. Sergius’s name day. And when the Metropolitan was leaving the Old City, a little boy, apparently incited by the Jews, ran in front of him and spat in his face. And he walked in metropolitan vestments, panagia. What do you think the Metropolitan did? He dried himself and said: “This is the best gift for my name day. They spat on Christ in this place. “And they spat at me too,” he says. This is not a game, he was so calm, he didn’t even think.
“True love willingly endures hardships, worries and labors, endures insults, humiliations, shortcomings, errors and malfunctions, if there is no harm from them to others; patiently and with meekness endures the baseness and malice of others, leaving judgment to the all-seeing God, the righteous Judge, and praying that God will enlighten those darkened by unreasonable passions,” writes the holy righteous John of Kronstadt.
And here is how Elder Porfiry Kavsokalivit speaks about the troubles that have befallen us: “I see you as the culprit, even if you tell me that this or that one is guilty. Ultimately, you yourself are guilty of something, and you will find it out when I tell you. Acquire this kind of reasoning in your life. This will open an invisible door for you. The secret is to learn not to see evil.”
God bless you - do a spiritual exercise tomorrow: never see evil for the whole day. From morning to evening - look and not see. But to see is not to cling. And when clinging, do not be irritated. And when irritated, immediately repent. And having repented, come into the world. And not see evil again.
Prayer for increased love
O long-suffering Mother of God, Higher than all the daughters of the earth, in Her purity and in the multitude of sufferings You endured to the earth! Accept our many painful sighs and keep us under the shelter of Your mercy. For you know no other refuge and warm intercession, but as you have the boldness to be born of You, help and save us with Your prayers, so that we may without stumbling reach the Kingdom of Heaven, where with all the saints we will sing praises in the Trinity of the One God, always, now and ever and ever. Amen.
ATHONS ELDER PORFIRY KAVSOKALIVIT:
“Those parents who have difficult and ill-mannered children should not be angry with them, but with the one who stands behind their children, with the devil. And we can defeat the devil only when we ourselves begin to become saints.”
“...First of all, a child needs a person of prayer. Fervent, strong prayer. Prayer works wonders. A mother loves to stroke and caress her baby. But she must also practice the “spiritual caress” of prayer.”
“...The holy feelings of the mother and her holy life sanctify the baby from the very moment of his conception.”
“The devil has bridled your daughter and does whatever he wants with her. Start praying with your wife for your daughter. Pray all the time. But don't say anything to the girl. Don't blame her for her behavior. When she returns home late in the evening, as usual, you tell her: “Daughter, your dinner is in the refrigerator, take it out and eat.”
“Your children should never hear you quarreling among yourself...even if you raise your voice at each other!” “...When parents don’t get along with each other, they have difficult children.”
“When you want to tell your children something, tell it to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and she herself will manage everything.”
What does sincere love give a person?
By His own example, when Christ sacrificed His life for humanity and for the sake of its salvation, He showed everyone how much power sincere love has. If there is love between people, then family relationships will become stronger and happier, children will grow up in a good environment and receive the proper example, the world will become much kinder and more welcoming. If a person is able to sincerely love others, even if he does not like everything about those around him, this speaks of his closeness to the Lord and confirms the fact that he does not live in the world in vain.
Photo: Flickr.com
Since it is love that is the basis of all virtue, Christ told his disciples that they must practice it and cultivate it within themselves. Love is precisely the feeling that allowed various miracles to happen; it is love that can unite completely different people with each other, which is why it is vital.
Yes, love for neighbors and God was also spoken of in the Old Testament, but Christ slightly updated this commandment, adding a new feature to it. If the Old Testament says that you need to love others as yourself, then Christ teaches that you should love your neighbors even more than yourself. Because that's exactly what he did, dying on the cross for the sins of all mankind. If the Old Testament said that enemies must be hated, then Christ taught that it is worth showing love even to ill-wishers, since this allows a person to do everything possible to save his soul. It is this commandment of Christ that makes it possible to distinguish a person who is His disciple, since Christian love is especially pure and selfless.
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