The Unwavering Gaze of Divine Love

25. God, who is by nature good and dispassionate, loves all men equally as His handiwork. But He glorifies the virtuous man because in his will he is united to God. At the same time, in His goodness He is merciful to the sinner and by chastising him in this life brings him back to the path of virtue. Similarly, a man of good and dispassionate judgment also loves all men equally. He loves the virtuous man because of his nature and the probity of his intention; and he loves the sinner, too, because of his nature and because in his compassion he pities him for foolishly stumbling in darkness.

 St. Maximus the Confessor Four Hundred Centuries on Love: #25

There's an enduring image of a master potter, fingers coated in clay, working at a wheel, shaping a lump of wet earth into a creation of purpose and beauty. Each turn of the wheel, each press of the hand, is a testament to the craftsman's connection with the material. The clay, in all its raw potential, is molded by the potter, who sees not just what it is, but what it can become.

This image mirrors the profound saying of Maximus the Confessor about God’s relationship with humanity. God, the ultimate craftsman, perceives every human being—whether virtuous or sinner—as His precious handiwork. Like the potter who understands the promise within each mound of clay, God recognizes the inherent value within every soul.

God's love, boundless and indiscriminate, envelopes all. It does not waver for the virtuous nor does it lessen for the sinner. His love is as consistent as the sunrise, breaking over the horizon day after day, illuminating both the majestic mountains and the hidden valleys. While the peaks bask in the glory of the golden rays, the valleys too receive warmth, pulling them from the shadows of the night.

For the virtuous, God's love feels like a gentle acknowledgment—a nudge or whisper that says, "I see your efforts, your alignment with the divine." The virtuous are like blossoms that turn their heads to bask in the sunlight, drawing closer to the source of their life and beauty.

But for the sinner, this same love may manifest as life's trials and tribulations. Just as a gardener prunes a rose bush, not to harm it, but to allow it to flourish more fully, God's chastisements can be viewed as acts of deep compassion. It's an invitation to the lost, an outstretched hand pulling them from the murky waters of their misjudgments, guiding them back onto the luminous path of virtue.

The saying also points us towards a lesson in empathy and unconditional love. Just as God loves the virtuous for their alignment and the sinner in his missteps, we too are encouraged to embrace a love that goes beyond conditions. To love the virtuous is natural, like being drawn to the melodious tune of a songbird. But to love the sinner requires a depth of understanding and compassion, akin to seeing a flickering light in the densest fog, recognizing the potential that lies veiled behind each errant step.

In life, we will encounter both virtue and sin, in ourselves and in others. Yet, in understanding God's unwavering love for every facet of humanity, we find a blueprint for our own hearts—a call to love more deeply, to see beyond the surface, and to recognize the divine handiwork in every soul we meet.