The Gift of Love"Love is a gift from God, a sacred grace that invites us, indeed challenges us to respond with whatever capability we have within us to love God one another and his creation." With these words, Fr. Vladimir Berzonsky penetrates the sublime yet mysterious passages from the Song of Songs, I Corinthians and other books of the Bible which speaks of love. Much has been written in recent years about the differnce between erotic love called agape, which i both Christ-like and Christian; but it is the former type of love, according to Berzonsky, that conditions us for the latter. The Gift of Love suggests that we learn to love in stages, developing an ever greater power to become godlike in our affections, increasing our capacity to care less fo self and becoming filled with concern for God and all he made. The fifty-seven reflections in this book are written and intended to read separately, yet all deal with the underlying theme of love as expressed in the Bible. |
From inside the book
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Contents
From Womens Eyes | 30 |
The Reflection of Love | 37 |
13 | 47 |
16 | 56 |
The Spirit of Patient Endurance | 64 |
Binding Kindness to Love | 70 |
True Love is SelfAcceptance | 76 |
Requirements of Love | 82 |
Common terms and phrases
abide able affection affirm anger apostle awareness become behavior Bible blessed body called charity child Church comprehend Corinthians 13:4 created creatures cross death desire disciples divine Divine Liturgy earth Eastern Christians emotions eternal everything existence fail faith Father feel forever gift God's Kingdom God's love gospel grace heart heaven Holy Kisses Holy Spirit Holy Trinity human icon inner insist invitation Jesus Christ John John Donne kind Kingdom of Heaven kiss knowledge lifetime live Lord Lord's lovers marriage Maximus the Confessor means merely mind modern mother mystery ness never one's Orthodox ourselves parent patience person pray precious realize relationship revealed sacred Savior sense sexuality share sins society Song of Songs soul speak St John Chrysostom St Paul suffering tears term Theotokos things tion transcends true Christian true love truly understand unity woman words young