One of the most beautiful aspects I have found in meditating on the Prayer of St Ephraim is how each verse is connected to what follows. Last week, we intentionally meditated on Patience. This week, our meditation is on LOVE. Patience and Love are intertwined. We need to intentionally practice Patience to Love, and we need to Love enough to be Patient.
What is Love? Reflecting on the Cross, it was Love that brought Christ to this point in His public ministry. Love is sacrificial and selfless. It was Love that allowed Him to be Crucified, pierced, given vinegar to drink and after it all to utter the words, "forgive them for they know not what they do,"
Love is sacrificial. Throughout the wedding service, husbands and wives are encouraged to love selflessly and sacrificially. During the Divine Liturgy, we hear the importance of Love between people who may not even agree on everything but are united in our faith in Jesus Christ, "Let us love one another that with one mind we may confess”. Finally, as I have shared many times from the pulpit, let us Love, especially those who are hard to Love. So, let's intentionally seek out people this week to love; people who are near and dear to us for sure, but, especially those who are hard to love.
