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To fulfill God's commandments, a strong will is required, and this means strong love. 33. So, the one who wants to fulfill God’s commandment and cannot, in reality already has a good will, but for now it is small and weak; however, he will be able to fulfill it when he has a great and strong one. For when the martyrs fulfilled the great commandments, they fulfilled them with the help of great will, that is, great love, about which the Lord himself says: Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends 176 . That is why the apostle says: For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For the commandments: “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” “Thou shalt not kill,” “Thou shalt not steal,” “Thou shalt not covet,” and all the other commandments are contained in this word: Love thy neighbor as thyself. Love does not harm one's neighbor, therefore love is the fulfillment of the law 177. The Apostle Peter did not yet have this love when, out of fear, he denied the Lord three times. For in love there is no fear, as the Evangelist John says in his Epistle, but perfect love casts out fear 178. And yet there was love in him, albeit small and imperfect, when he said to the Lord: I will lay down my soul for You, 179 because he believed that he could do what he felt within himself. And who began to give him this, even if small, love, if not the One who prepares the will and, by helping, perfects what he began by acting? For it is He who, by laying the beginning, does what we want, who, by perfecting it, helps those who want. Therefore the apostle says: I am confident that he who does a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ 180 . So, without us, what we desire is done, but when we already desire, and so desire what we do, it is done together with us; however, without God, either making us desire, or assisting when we already desire, we are completely incapable of works of piety. What He does to make us desire is said this way: For God also works in you to desire 181 . And about His cooperation, when we already desire and do what we want, the apostle says: We know that all things work together for good to those who love God 182 . What does everything mean, if not the most terrible and cruel suffering? After all, the burden of Christ, which is heavy for the weak, becomes light for the loving. For the Lord says that His burden is light 183 - [light] for such people as Peter became when he suffered for Christ, and not for such as he was when he denied Christ. 34. Talking about such love, that is, will, flaming with Divine love, the apostle says: Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Torment, or distress, or persecution, or hunger, or nakedness, or danger, or the sword? As it is written: For for your sake we are put to death all the day long, counted as sheep doomed to the slaughter. But we overcome all this thanks to the One who loved us. For I am confident that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor the present, nor the future, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord 184 . And in another place he says: I will show you an even more excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but do not have love, then I am a ringing brass or a sounding cymbal. And if I have prophecy, and if I know all mysteries, and have all faith, so that I can move mountains, but do not have love, then I am nothing. And if I give all my property to the poor, and give my body to be burned, but do not have love, it does me no good. Love is long-suffering, merciful, love does not envy, love is not arrogant, is not proud, is not rude, does not seek its own, is not irritated, does not think evil, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; endures everything, believes everything, hopes for everything, endures everything, love never ceases 185. And a little lower he says: Now these three remain: faith, hope, love, but love is the greatest of these; achieve love 186. Also in the Epistle to the Galatians he says: You, brethren, were called to freedom, provided that your freedom is not an excuse to please the flesh, but serve one another through love. For the whole law is contained in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 187 This is what he said in the Epistle to the Romans: He who loves another has fulfilled the law 188. Also in the Epistle to the Colossians he says: Above all this is love, which is the sum of perfection 189 . And [in the Epistle] to Timothy he says: The purpose of exhortation is love, and, adding what kind of love, he continues: from a pure heart and a good conscience and unfeigned faith 190. And when he says to the Corinthians: Let everything be done with you with love, 191 clearly shows that even reproaches, although they seem cruel and bitter to those reproached, must be done with love. Therefore, in another place, having said: Rebuke the disorderly, comfort the faint-hearted, support the weak, be patient with everyone, he immediately adds: See that no one repays evil for evil 192. Therefore, when restless people are reproached, they are not rewarded with evil for evil, but rather with good. And isn't it love that does all this? 35. And the Apostle Peter says: Most of all, have diligent and constant love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins 193 . Likewise, the Apostle James says: If you fulfill the royal law, according to Scripture: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” then you do well 194. Likewise, the Apostle John says: He who loves his brother abides in the light 195. And in another place: Anyone who does not do righteousness is not from God, neither does he who does not love his brother. For this is the proclamation which we have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another 196 . He says in another place: And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another 197 . And he also says: We have this commandment from Him, that he who loves God should also love his brother 198 . And a little lower he says: We learn that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is love for God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not grievous 199. And in the second Epistle it is written: I do not write this to you as a new commandment, but what we had from the beginning, that we love one another 200 . 36. Also, the Lord Jesus Himself says that the entire law and the prophets are contained in the two commandments about love of God and love of neighbor. About these two commandments in the Gospel of Mark it is written: One of the scribes, hearing their debate and seeing that Jesus answered them well, came up and asked Him: Which is the first of all the commandments? Jesus answered him: The first of all commandments is: “Hear Israel, the Lord your God is one Lord; and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,” is the first commandment. The second is similar to it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these 202. Also in the Gospel of John, the Lord says: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, so that you also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another 203 De gratia et libero arbitrio (CPL 352). Translation based on the publication: Patrologiae Cursus Completus. Series Latina. Accurante J.-P. Migne. Paris, 1845. T. 44, Col. 881–912. Mark 12:28–31; Deuteronomy 6:4–5; Lev 19:18.