"Our Brother is Our Life" (Some Lenten Thoughts)

Throughout Lent, I have been rereading Fr. Thomas Hopko's work, The Lenten Spring. Here are just some thoughts taken from this book which are especially meaningful to me.

From St. Silouan:

If we wish to love God we must observe all that the Lord commanded in the Gospels. Our hearts must brim with compassion and not only feel love for the fellowmen but pity for every creature–for every thing created by God.

The Lord wants us to love our fellow-man; and if you reflect that the Lord loves him, that is a sign of the Lord's love in you. And if you consider how greatly the Lord loves His creature, and you yourself have compassion on all creation, and love your enemies counting yourself the vilest of men, this a sign of abundant grace of the Holy Spirit in you.

The man who has the Holy Spirit within him, in however slight degree, sorrows day and night for all mankind. His heart is filled with pity for all of God's creatures, and more especially for those who do not know God or who resist Him... For them, more than for himself, he prays night and day, that all may repent and know the Lord.

I beseech you, put this to the test. When a man affronts you or brings dishonor on your head, or takes what is yours, or persecutes the Church, pray to the Lord and say: 'O Lord, we are all Thy creatures. Have pity on Thy servants and turn their hearts to repentance,' and you will be aware of grace in your soul. To begin with, constrain your heart to love her enemies, and the Lord seeing your good will, will help you in all things, and experience itself will show you the way. But the person who thinks with malice on his enemies has not God's love within him and does not know God.

From Christ's parable found in St. Matthew's Gospel:

When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and He will place the sheep at His right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the King will say to those at His right hand, 'Come, O blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see Thee hungry and feed Thee, or thristy and give Thee drink? And when did we see Thee a stranger and welcome Thee, or naked and clothe Thee? And when did we see Thee sick or in prison and visit Thee? And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

From St. Simeon the New Theologian:

A person is not saved by having once shown mercy to someone, although if he scorns someone but once he deserves eternal fire. For 'I was hungry,' and 'I was thirsty' was said not just of one occasion, not of one day, but of the whole of life. In the same way, 'you gave me food,' 'you gave me drink,' 'you clothed me' and so on does not indicate one incident, but a constant attitude to everyone.

Our Lord was pleased to assume the likeness of every poor man and compared Himself to every poor man in order that no man who believes in Him should exalt himself over his brother, but, seeing the Lord in his brother, should consider himself less and worse than his brother, just as he is less than his Creator. And he should take the poor man in and honor him, and be ready to exhaust all his means in helping him, just as our Lord Jesus Christ exhausted His blood for our salvation.

From St. John Chrysostom:

Do you see that the failure to give alms is enough to cast a person into hell-fire? For where will he avail who does not give alms? Do you fast every day? So also did those foolish virgins, but it availed them nothing. Do you pray? So did they. What of it? Prayer without almsgiving is unfruitful... 'He who does not love his brother,' it is said, 'does not know God' (I John 4:8). And how do you love him, when you do not even give him these things which are worthless and passing... Here we can resemble God, in showing mercy and generosity. When we have not these qualities, we are devoid of all good.

For what is required is that we give, not much or little, but not less than is in our power. Think about the widow... who gave her whole living, but you in the midst of your plenty are more stingy than she. Let us not be careless for our own salvation, but apply ourselves to almsgiving. For nothing is better that this, as the the time to come will tell...

What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has not works, is dead. (James 2:14-17)

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.