The Holy Scripture of the New Testament

Sermon on love (Matt. 22, 35-46)

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit:

Dear brothers and sisters:

Current christians often make mistakes regarding God’s commandments. If one asks people which commandment is the most important? Then most people, and especially children, answer: «Love thy neighbour». No, the most important commandment is «Love thy God». It is God who gave us the commandment to love Him with all our heart. «We know that for the one who loves God, everything in life goes well» says apostle John the Theologian. The love that we have for our neighbour is a result of the first commandment. And everything else in our life is the result of the fullfilment of these two commandments.

God gave us the first commandment in order to show us the correct direction of our love, which firstly must be directed towards Him. When we love someone or something, we do not wish to part from the object of our love. St. Makary the Great said «prayer to God is born from the love of God». To love God means «wishing to be fully united to God. If we love someone, then we strive to carry out every word and wish. By carrying out all the all the commandments a person approaches God and becomes close to Him. Fr. Nektary from Optina said: «Mary of Egypt found herself in the desert because of love», meaning that her love for Christ made her a Great Saint. Love forgives much, and through love everything can be forgiven. Prideful justification opposes love. Simon the pharisee made fun of Christ because He allowed a woman, a declared sinner, to wash His feet with her tears of repentance and dry them with her hair (therefore admitting that she had as many sins as the amount of hairs on her head). Christ reproached the pharisee saying to him: «Many sins are forgiven to her on account of her loving much». Whom did she love? The One, who was going to Golgotha, in order to wash her sins and the sins of the whole world; not to wash with tears but with His own blood!

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God

The second and first commandments are mutually linked. If we carry out the first commandment then with it we observe the second. If we love someone, then everything else is not needed and irrelevant. However, the commandment of spiritual life is different; the more we love God, the more we begin to love people. St. Justin (Popovitch) said: «loving a person without loving God is self-love. And loving God without loving people is lying to oneself». What is the meaning of loving thy neighbour as thyself? Correct love of oneself consists of following God’s commandments, said John the Theologian. Nobody wishes evil to oneself, only good. This means that loving thy neighbour is to care about another person as one cares for oneself. St. Nicholas the Serbian said: «If you love our Lord Jesus Christ, then you have fullfilled both commandments concerning love. Because He is our God and our Neighbour, and the One closest to us. Both commandments concerning love are linked to Him personally. In the past people could not love an unseen God. Jesus Christ is God incarnate and truly Man. He is God-Man who came on earth as God of love, and like man suffered for the sake of love towards us. In essence it is easy to love such a God and Neighbour. Through Him it is easy to love all that is made by Him and belonging to Him».

Sometimes love can be bling and wrong. It is easy to turn a loved one into an ‘idol’. This can be children, some ideology, teaching, work, social standing, learning, wisdom, wealth, youthfullness etc. A person completely gives oneself to someone or something he loves because it is precisely that kind of giving which is a sign of love. If a person passionately loves someone, then sooner or later problems arise in the relationship. The reason being is that the person has not yet had the time to clense oneself from sins; as love is being born, already earthly interests begin. If reason (or intellect) does not begin to control the body, then the person loads oneself with an abyss of passions. Then, much effort will be required, in order to defeat sin and again become free, without passion in relation to the object of ones love.

Love is a great but also dangerous power. It can raise a person to God’s table, but can also destroy, if handled without care. This is why Holy Fathers say: «Love is a great doer of good, but is surpassed by reason and wisdom because they gide love towards its needed side». A lack of reason can lead to great problems, which at first do not seem to be dangerous, since they are accompanied by good intentions, but later complicate life.

The most important skill a person can have, is to learn to live in peace and love with God and all people. When reason and love go together, they create miracles; but when love is without reason, then it is dangerous. Therefore people must be careful so that no one harms them. We must be reasonable so that love in our family, towards children, does not become an obstacle to loving God. Reason helps us, so that our love of God may ‘edify’ other people and make stronger that love, which we posess. Amen!

The Holy Ascension Russo-Greek Catholic Orthodox Church of Skaro.

September 17th, 2017

Translated by Deacon Andrei Boldireff