Love's Shelter

55. If ‘love prevents us from harming our neighbor’ (Rom. 13:10), he who is jealous of his brother or irritated by his reputation, and damages his good name with cheap jibes or in any way spitefully plots against him, is surely alienating himself from love and is guilty in the face of eternal judgment.

St. Maximus the Confessor Four Hundred Centuries on Love: #55

Love emerges as the sentinel through the immense tapestry of human relationships—a defender of the sanctity of brotherhood from the incursion of envy and malice. A fortress upon a solid cliff, it avails the tired soul a sanctuary, sheltered from the tempests of jealousy, and arrows of spite.

Imagine the marketplace that daily life is—its hustle and bustle of activity, very often leading to moments of tension and conflict. In this place of interaction among human beings, where egos clash and tempers more often flare up, love forms the silent judge who regulates the passions softly and leads the heart to that place where reconciliation shall come at last.

We remember the words of the teaching of St. Paul, repeated by Maximus the Confessor, "In love, in the midst of pains and torments. For if love keeps us from doing injury to our neighbor, there is no doubt but that it is an abuse of love to be sullen and envious toward our brethren.

Now imagine a situation where two brothers are made to stand on both sides of a great divide, their hearts heavy with grudges and their tongues sharpened with words of disdain. It appears, at this time of strife, as if love is calling from afar: "Let ye lay down the arms of your hostility and take up the way of reconciliation.

But to envy or to be resentful, to hate my brother, builds barriers that isolate us from that divine love, that infinite grace God offers. It's to let go of oneself in an ocean of bitterness where the currents of resentment drag us further and further from the shores of salvation.

Therefore, let us be wise by paying heed to Maximus and let us work on being imbued with a spirit of love and goodwill for our brothers. Let us not listen to the whisperings of envy and malice, but rather let us travel the way of love and forgiveness.

For in the final round, love beats them all and turns even the darkest den of the human heart into clear fountains of compassion and grace. And it is love that draws us into the very heart of God where true consolation is found, to be embraced in His eternal love, to find the greatest hope in the boundless heights of His mercy.