Comments

12 responses to “The Journey Towards Love”

1. 

   Byron

   March 3, 2025

   Well worth printing and putting on the wall. Such a good reminder!

2. 

   Dee of St Herman

   March 3, 2025

   Dear Father thank you for this message. Very timely

3. 

   George

   March 3, 2025

   Father, bless!

   I’m a reader from Romania, I really enjoy your writing and it has offered a lot of insight into Orthodox thought, and a means for me to come back closer to the faith. I find it funny, coming from someone in a majority Orthodox country, that the writings of a priest from an ocean across have somehow rekindled my spirits, although my country is filled with churches. I think you’ve written somewhere in an exchange in the comments that there is some Romanian influence in your thought, I find it particularly interesting to read about the faith in English, as many times in the past I find that I did not particularly resonate with some of the local, Romanian ways of expressing the faith, or maybe I wasn’t spiritually prepared for them. I believe this is a testament to the universality of orthodox thought and of the faith, and it is fascinating to see how the same thoughts, concepts, and sometimes texts from the services or prayers gather new nuances when read in a different language than one’s own. The experience of reading your essays is always enriching in this regard, and I wanted to express my thanks to you for sharing these here, may God bless us!

   Besides the thanks, what prompted me to write this comment was a curiosity about this passage: ”We should look upon all *the faithful* as one person and consider that Christ is in each one of them”. Should we not consider that Christ is in all men, but only in the faithful? Please forgive me if I am mistaken, but I’ve always understood this idea as remembering and seeing that all people are made in the image and likeness of God, and that Christ lives in the hearts of all men, it is only that we, in our blindness, fail to see Him and meet Him there, in the hidden chamber of our hearts. Please, forgive me father if I have said anything unruly, I would really appreciate your thoughts on this.

   God bless from Romania!

4. 

   Fr. Stephen

   March 3, 2025

   George,
   I noticed that phrase as well and wondered about it. It is a quote from St. Porphyrios, so, I let it stand. But, I recall that St. Silouan of Mt. Athos wrote and spoke about the “whole Adam,” by which he included all humanity. The Church is the forefront, the place at which God is drawing all humanity together. No doubt, there is a special relationship within the Body of Christ, but the purpose of that relationship is not to exclude the rest of humanity, but to be building the Ark by which God is saving all.

   So, I agree with your intuition.

5. 

   Drewster2000

   March 4, 2025

   Fr. Stephen,

   I would suggest that in the passage mentioned above, St. Symeon could be referencing the fact that God is present in all people, whether they turn toward Him or not. The more they turn away, the more life dwindles in them and the more they grow closer to nothingness.

   But He Himself is life, and while there is life in them, they yet contain God within.

   Just a thought.

6. 

   Dee of St Herman

   March 4, 2025

   I believe the faithful are those who listen to and respond to the voice of Christ, whether or not they know it. They are able to discern this voice and feel the compassion for neighbors— the Good Samaritan. There are also the Orthodox who believe they are very good but in pride fail to respond to His voice—the Pharisee.

7. 

   Drewster2000

   March 4, 2025

   Good answer, Dee.

8. 

   Scott Marckx

   March 5, 2025

   I agree that we should look at all people and see Christ in each one. I found it interesting though that by saying all the faithful it brought up in my heart the ways that I judge fellow Orthodox in a harsher way than non-believers… I shouldn’t be judging anyone, but it seems I am less forgiving with my own family.

   All the best, Scott

9. 

   Fr. Stephen

   March 5, 2025

   Scott,
   I understand your experience. I think that we are hardest on those of whom we have the highest expectations, or, whose behavior is felt to somehow be a reflection on ourselves (in which case it triggers our shame).

10. 

    Drewster2000

    March 5, 2025

    Scott,

    I totally agree. It’s always very evident that people would rather talk to a homeless man than pick up trash as a part of a joint effort where they will rub shoulders with Christians from other denominations.

    I suspect there’s a pride issue. I can feel safe with the homeless because I’m easily better than them, but my “brother in Christ” might be competition and cause status loss – or see my failings all too easily.

11. 

    Andrew

    March 6, 2025

    A needful reminder!

    ” If you see a brother afflicted with a passion, do not hate him. Hate the passion that makes war upon him. And if you see him being terrorized by the habits and desires of previous sins, have compassion on him.”

    This brings to mind something along the same vein from St. Porphyrios that has remained with me since reading it several years ago:

    “One day, ‘he started to tell me, ‘you are walking quietly on your way and see your brother walking in front of you, also quietly. Then at some point a bad man jumps out in front of your brother from a side road and attacks him. He beats him, pulls his hair, wounds him and throws him down bleeding. Faced with a scene like that would you be angry with your brother or would you feel sorry for him?’
    I was puzzled by the Elder’s questions and I asked him in turn: ‘How could I possibly be angry with my wounded brother, who fell victim to the criminal?’ The thought didn’t even cross my mind. ‘Of course I would feel sorry for him and I would try to help him as much as I could.’
    ‘Well, then,’ continued the Elder, ‘everyone who insults you, who hurts you, who slanders you, who wrongs you in any way whatsoever is a brother of yours who has fallen into the hands of some criminal demon. When you notice that your brother wrongs you, what should you do?
    You must feel very sorry for him, commiserate with him and entreat God warmly and silently both, to support you in that difficult time of trial and to have mercy on your brother, who has fallen victim to the robber demon. Because if you don’t do that, but get angry with him instead reacting to his attack with a counter attack, then the devil who is already on the nape of your brother’s neck will jump on to yours and dance with the both of you.”

12. 

    Fr. Stephen

    March 6, 2025

    Andrew,
    Wonderful quote!