"And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgement: that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence, till the day of Christ: being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God" Philippians 1:9-11. "That your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgement..." There is a certain party within Christianity that believes true Christian "love" must needs be blind, nondiscriminating, passive, limp, and must change its colour like a chameleon so as to avoid the "sin of pride" or seeming to reject those who oppose or differ. The notion goes that ignorance is bliss - and that the more you know the less joy you will find in your spiritual life...perhaps the real world will intrude on our playpen, and harsh spiritual realities will crash in on our neatly packaged theology. St. Paul seems to suggest that a true and deep love for God is a fruitful love - it takes root deep within our beings and then reaches out in every direction like a fruitful vine. The reaching for knowledge and wisdom and discernment is a common theme in the OT. Many times we are admonished by Wisdom Herself to seek Her and that we will receive the graces we seek if we are persistent and diligent in our quest. It is somewhat like an arduous pilgrimage, braving dangers and enduring hardships to attain that which we seek. He also seems to imply that we cannot know to choose the good and reject the evil until we obtain - at least in part - this knowledge born of divine love. The progression is logical: we cannot know what is evil until we find the good and recognise it for what it is. We cannot escape damnation and sin until we know what it is that truly offends God and falls short of His perfection; we must learn to judge these things for ourselves in the light of revealed truth. Faithfully following the good out of love for God will naturally produce the fruits we desire. Good actions produce good consequences just as evil actions produce bad consequences. In this God is glorified in His creation. Love that remains fruitless can hardly be called by that name...it is something else. Perhaps we could insert the Parable of the Talents here most opportunely? Love reaches out to those around us and seeks to serve in concrete ways. Love reaches upward to our Creator and seeks to worship in concrete ways, we make the connection in prayer and the sacraments. Love also reaches inward and transforms us from within, we make this connection through study, meditation, examination of ourselves and through suffering. Ultimately it is love that is the driver behind all we do, feel, think, say, and believe. It is the chiefest theological virtue without which all else is as nothing. It is the key to finding the pearl of great price..let us spare no expense or pain to nourish and tend it and keep the flame alight and be true sons of light! Your servant, Br. Dominic-Michael FOHS |
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