love is made known through the Holy Spirit

Christ - Begotten of the Father before all ages

“Love is made known through the Holy Spirit.” – Elder Sophrony

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“Our love is a series of concentric circles like those caused by a stone dropped into the center of a pond.  The waves begin at the point of impact and they spread out until eventually they have covered the whole pond.

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Our love is like that.

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It begins in our own life, it spreads to our immediate circle, our family, and then includes an ever increasing number of friends and eventually all men, for our love should be a perfect imitation of God’s love which is all embracing, which excludes no one.”

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Father Vladimir Borichevsky

Fast Action : A Lenten Theme


the force of love

 

Romans 8:35-39

“the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12)

“No one on this earth can avoid affliction and although the afflictions that the Lord sends are not great – men imagine them beyond their strength and are crushed by them.  This is because they will not humble their souls and commit themselves to the Will of God. But the Lord Himself guides with Grace those who are given over to God’s will and they bear all things with fortitude for the sake of God whom they so loved. And through Him they are glorified forever.  It is impossible to escape tribulation in this world but the man who is given over to the Will of God bears tribulation easily by putting his trust in the Lord – so his tribulations pass.  Embracing suffering with Faith and Trust – that is the key to beating them without getting crushed by them.

+Elder Sophrony