October 07 Kandili Article
Divine Eros
“He who loves little gives little. He who loves more gives more. And he who loves beyond measure, what has he to give? He gives himself!” (Wounded by Love, Elder Porphyrios, pg. 96)
We are certainly aware of the Great Commandment of our Lord Jesus Christ “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with your entire mind” (Mt 22:37-40). We understand that this love is the central theme of Christianity. We know that this love is “agape” called a “Divine Gift Love”. The above quotation however, by Elder Porphyrios uses the word “eros” and not “agape”. He names it Divine Eros. We often think of erotic love as it relates to people who have “fallen in love” with one another. The excitement, passion and focus of such love are all encompassing. Read how Elder Porphyrios describes it: “If you are in love you can love and be amid the hustle and bustle of the city centre and not be aware that you are in the city center. You see neither cars nor people nor anything else. Within yourself you are with the person you love. You experience her, you take delight in her, and she inspires you. Are these things not true? Imagine that the person you love is Christ. Christ is in your mind, Christ is in your heart, Christ is in your whole being. Christ is everywhere. Christ is life the source of life, the source of joy, the source of true light, everything. Whoever loves Christ and other people truly lives life.” (Wounded By love pg 97).
The love of Christ with this focus, enthusiasm and passion is indeed a “Divine Eros”. Is it not the ideal, the goal of a Christian to have Christ first in his or her life? We don’t just mean intellectually we mean intimately. Do we not understand that God’s incredible, indescribable love for us is not only an “agape” or unconditional love; it is also a passionate, enthusiastic, all encompassing focused love in which we are truly His “beloved” one? The terminology in Christianity clearly states this referring to God as the Bridegroom and the Church as the Bride. This reference is to the Church, the body of believers – all of us. On the other hand, it is very personal as well, referring to each of us personally in our intimate relationship with our Lord. Look at the Saints, at the martyrs who as men and women, young and old passionately loved our Lord Jesus with every ounce of strength. They devoted their lives to Him and often gave up their lives for Him.
This is what you and I are invited to do. We are invited to accept His agape and erotic love for us and become hopefully devoted to Him with all of our heart, all of our strength and all minds so that there is an intimate and all-encompassing union of the Divine and human, a Holy Communion between you and me and our God.
“Behold the Bridegroom comes in the midst of the night, and blessed is the servant whom he shall find watching; and again unworthy is he whom he shall find heedless. Beware, therefore, O my soul, not to be borne down with sleep, lest you be given up to death, and be shut out of the Kingdom. Wherefore rouse yourself and cry: Holy, Holy, Holy art You o God, through the interceptions of the Theotokos save us.” (Hymn sung at the Bridegroom services in the Holy Week)
With our Lord’s blessings,
Fr. Lou