13. Признаки любви к Господу, и как преуспеть в ней?

Have you, brothers, listened to what was read at the end of the current Apostle? St. Paul says there to the Corinthians: “If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be cursed, Maran-atha!” (1 Cor. 16:22). Dwell on this terrible sentence in thought, I first wanted to invite you - to thank the Lord with joy that this sentence should pass - not concern - us, as Christians. For we are Christians because we belong to Christ; and if we are Christ’s, then, of course, we abide in His love, just as He does in ours. And the Apostle does not assume a lack of love for the Lord in Christians, and this terrible judgment affects only those who remain outside of communion with Christ. “Let them therefore fear this sentence,” I thought, “pagans and unbelievers—those who are alien to Christ and depriving themselves of all the blessings bestowed upon us in the Lord—and not we, who are called to be partakers of the Divine nature in Christ.” “But then came the thoughts of concern, both for myself and for others. - Well, just like we don’t have love! - She must be; but it may not be, and by its absence subject us to the condemnation pronounced by the Apostle. Let us go inside ourselves to determine whether there is love in us; and if it turns out that she is not there, or she is weak, we will take care to warm her up, so as not to be condemned along with those who do not love the Lord. Whether we have love for the Lord, the heart will say. Just as if we love one of the people, a warm feeling for that person lets us know about this love: so the warm appeal and aspiration of thoughts and hearts to Him lets us know about love for the Lord. He who loves someone constantly keeps him in his thoughts. He who loves someone tries to please him in everything, the desire to recognize him and anticipate him with fulfillment. He who loves someone relies on him in everything and is sure that he will not be abandoned by him. He who loves someone appropriates himself to him and to himself. He who loves whom is worth it - and will not allow anyone not only to do, but also to say anything against him. He who loves someone cares about his affairs and tries to avoid any damage from them. He who loves someone glorifies him and rejoices when his name is glorified everywhere. By these actions of ordinary love between us, judge your love for the Lord. If you constantly keep the Lord in your thoughts, then you love Him; and if you do not support or support little, you do not love or love little. – If you are zealous to please the Lord in everything by the exact fulfillment of His will, expressed in His holy commandments, then you love Him, and if you are not zealous about this or are little zealous, then you do not love or love Him little. - If you have a warm feeling for the Lord, so that His name alone fills your heart with spiritual sweetness, then you love Him, and if you do not have it or have little, then you do not love or love little. – If you carry in your heart the deep confidence that the Lord is your Lord, and you are His, and that He will never leave you, neither in this life nor in the future, – confidence that is the fruit and trace of love, then you love Him; and if you don’t have this or have little of it, then you don’t love Him or love Him little. – If you are ready to stand for the Lord to the point of your stomach and cannot tolerate anyone not only doing and speaking, but also thinking what is against Him; if you care about the affairs of the Lord - about the Holy Church and about everything that is laid in it for the sake of our salvation, and you try to avoid any damage from them; if you rejoice at the increase in the glory of the name of Christ across the face of the earth, through the spread and confirmation of true faith in Him, you mourn about everything opposite to this, grieve and are torn in soul; then you love Him, and if this is not in you or there is little of it, then you do not love Him or love Him little.– Here are the signs! Judge by them whether there is love in you or not. And if there is, rejoice and be jealous of making it even stronger; but if you don’t have it or have little, grieve and be afraid, and hasten to warm it up. For how can one not love our Lord and Savior? – He Himself came to us on earth, and in the form of a slave He accomplished our salvation. – He established the holy Church and filled it with the Spirit of grace. – He called each of us into the communion of His saving blessings; He forgave and forgives everyone’s sins; He gives to everyone the gift of the Holy Spirit; He feeds everyone with His pure flesh and blood; looks after each one like a mother and child; cares for everyone and oversees and arranges all traces of his life; He approaches everyone and carries everyone as if in His arms. – How can one not love such a Lord?! “He is not only a common Savior, but mine and yours, and each one personally.” He accepts everyone’s soul, puts good thoughts into everyone’s soul, gives everyone’s soul strength and strength to do good deeds and steadily move along the direct path to Him, no matter how thorny it may be. – How can one not love such a Lord?! We love people who are benefactors; how can we not love God, the all-benefactor? – We love human guardians, God the all-guardian, how can we not love? - We love guardian people, how can we not love God the all-preserver?.. - He loved us first in order to teach us love and make our dislike for Him unrequited. Feel the evidence of God’s love for you, and you will see how guilty your dislike for Him is, and how justly severe condemnation is for it. Hearing this, some may remain indifferent, while others will give in to despair. – Both indifference is criminal, and failure to expect condemnation is worthy. It is not for nothing that this formidable word was spoken through the Apostle by the Holy Spirit! - And it, of course, will not pass. Wake up, lulled one, and embrace the fear. But not to give in to hopelessness, but to begin to work for your salvation with fear and trembling. - The Lord still allows us to live - why? So that we can fix what's wrong. How to fix it? This He gives us to hear in His word. Did you hear the word? - Learn and act according to His instructions. - Now this word teaches; and by death it will judge. - So, while there is life, hurry to get out from under the terrible word. – And again, one should not indulge in excessive insurance. – You need to have fear, but so much so that it excites you to Godly activity, and does not suppress your strength. “Whoever is too fearful, from his very fearfulness, let him take the assurance that he already has in him the rudiments of a saving mood—the rudiments of love.” “Love has its own degrees, and at each of them it is love,” and it does not deserve the judgment of unlove expressed, but, on the contrary, rejects it. Love for the Lord combines all our relationships with Him. To the Lord this is what we must have! - To believe that He is our Lord, and we are His, to be sure that He will not leave us either in this life or in the future, and to have our heart attached to Him. – Here is the seed and root of a holy and God-pleasing life – This is where love is expressed; - and to the extent that these dispositions exist, to that extent there is love. By warming and elevating them, you will warm and elevate love. - Stand in them and feed them. – I'll say one more thought. – The one who is born naturally loves the one who gives birth. – We are all born in the Lord Jesus to new life. – We are not considered mentally born, but actually reborn in Him. “It has become,” we cannot help but love Him. – If we ourselves do not see, and others do not see this love in us, it is only because we do not exercise our Christian strength. - Let's begin to exercise them, - let's awaken love; excited love, on its part, will begin to more effectively arouse the Christian forces to activity, and through their activity it will itself grow and strengthen. – Christian powers are: knowledge of God and knowledge of Divine things, zeal for the fulfillment of the commandments and prayer with reverent participation in all rites and sacred rites of the Church. – Set these forces in motion, and each of them will directly lead you to the area of ​​love for the Lord. - How it is, the matter will show; - just start. I will only say that this active path to love, established on a grace-filled birth, is the most reliable, fastest and self-easing path. – May the merciful Lord send down His Spirit to us, so that with His power He fills us with love for Him alone! - For our part, let us promise that we will not lull and drown out what is given and inspired by Him, but warm up, exercise, act on it - and, surely, soon we will become vessels of love - blissful and all-pleasing. - Amen. On the 13th week after Pentecost. You might be interested in: