On the exhaustion of love
"Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. Let
all
your things be done with love" (1 Cor. 16, 13-14).
In the Church of Corinth, founded by the apostolic labors of the holy
Apostle Paul during his second journey (circa 53 A.D.), discord and
division occurred. After Apostle Paul had departed from the city of
Corinth, various false teachers appeared there, who began to belittle
the
dignity of the apostles, in order to elevate themselves in the eyes of
the
newly-converted Corinthian Christians. In this they were so successful
that
local Christians became divided into parties, each choosing a different
teacher for itself.
When he learned of this, Apostle Paul became greatly saddened, knowing
that, according to the Gospel, no house or church divided would be able
to
stand. Consequently, the same fate could befall the Corinthian Church.
In
order to summon all the faithful to unity, Apostle Paul wrote them an
epistle explaining the principles of the Christian faith and a
Christian
outlook in general.
What once took place among the Christians of Corinth, is currently
taking
place among us. Due to extraordinary discoveries in the fields of
technology and science, and the development of the arts and commerce,
etc.,
the present age can easily be called an age of progress; however, in
terms
of spirituality, religiousness, church attendance and morality, ? it
leaves
much to be desired! This is confirmed in modern society by a universal
and
passionate pursuit of material gain.
In modern man belief in the Lord God has become faint, if not
completely
dissipated. This is the cause of all our dissensions. Such weakening of
faith permeates our consciousness. Our consciousness then becomes
desensitized to our spiritual needs which leads to spiritual paralysis.
This, in turn, leads to our lack of understanding ? and lack of a
desire to
understand ? the needs of others.
Christianity is founded upon these three: faith, hope and love. As long
as
time continues to exist for us, faith and hope must also exist, but
when
time ceases, i.e. after we pass from temporal life into eternal life,
especially after the Last Judgment, faith and hope will cease to exist,
and
only love will remain.
The Orthodox Church teaches us that love is eternal, while faith and
hope
are temporal. Thus the apostolic advice: let all your things be done
with
love ? remains forever appropriate.
Love unites everything, secures everything. Love is the sum total of
all
virtues. And it is love that is so sadly lacking in our times.
Love, like any other Christian virtue, does not vaunt itself, does not
openly flaunt itself in the street, as does vice. Love conceals itself
from
the gaze of others and is recognized only by the fruit it bears.
There are occasions, naturally, when love proclaims itself firmly and
courageously, whenever the need arises. Love is often revealed in
patience
towards others, in tolerance towards their frailties; love bears the
burden
of others. Sometimes misconceptions and prejudices serve to impede the
revelation of love between people Some people have a soft heart, but
their
mind is infected with all kinds of prejudices: the heart wants to do
good,
but the mind rejects it. For example: the heart wants to forgive an
offense, while the mind whispers: will I not seem to be a weakling?
Will it
not go against my honor if I do not take revenge against my offender?
Or
another example: the heart wants to help someone in need, while the
mind
warns that one should not lose one's dignity in the eyes of society.
And, finally, the cause of such rare occurrence of love between people
is
egoism. Excessive love of oneself suppresses love of others. There are
many
examples of egoism destroying a person, a family, even entire nations.
Look
at what is left of the proud Romans. Great cities have vanished from
the
face of the earth, and even archaeologists cannot find them.
Love cannot be deceived. It has to issue from within and cannot be
hypocritical. Love subsequently cemented the Corinthian Church, which
flourished in the history of Christianity. Love will help us too ? each
one
of us individually, and our parishes, and our Church.
Let us learn to act in all instances with love, and thus we will
fulfill
the law of Christ.
Protopriest Igor Hrebinka