Articles

Day 2 2018 (1st Tuesday of the Holy Great Fast )

How? Fulfill the will of God

“Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight.” (Exo 33:13)

. . .

“To love God with all [our] heart means to try to the greatest extent possible to learn the will of God, or that which is pleasing to God and that which offends Him, and then as readily, diligently, and joyfully as possible to do what is pleasing to the Lord God, and as attentively and thoughtfully as we can to avoid what offends Him. For it is an attribute of the love of our heart that we try to the greatest extent possible to know the will of whomever we sincerely love and to fulfil it with all diligence and pleasure, no matter how difficult that may be.

To love God with all [our] heart means to fulfil the

will of God readily and with joy, even when this is

sure to demand great self-sacrifice of us. For it is an

attribute of the love of the human heart that we try to

fulfil the will of whomever we sincerely love, regardless of any obstacles, difficulties or unpleasantness, to fulfil it regardless even of clear danger to our lives.

Love overcomes all obstacles; for it, everything

difficult is easy, everything unpleasant is pleasant, and

everything heavy is light.

To love God with all [our] heart means to glorify the Lord God with the greatest zeal and to try with all our power to put a stop to or prevent anything that [calls into question] His glory. For it is always an attribute of our love that we everywhere praise whomever we sincerely love and at any unpleasant mention of our beloved we try our utmost to defend the honour of our beloved and his or her good name. For we are always gratified when our beloved is held in respect by all and

displeased when he or she is not loved or respected. Such should be our love for the Lord God, and it

is entirely fitting that we should love Him with all the

fullness of our love.”

Metropolitan Gregory (Postikov) of St Petersburg