Responding To God’s Love Casts Aside All Estrangement
When we feel estranged from God it is a true sign we are in need of working more diligently on building up our faith. Faith is a gift from God that requires our cooperation and when we are feeling dry we must quickly turn our eyes to Christ, asking him to fill the void and quicken our belief. Our cooperative response begins when we commit to increasing our time in prayer, both corporate and in private. The corporate prayer of the Church brings us into contact with the Holy Mysteries, which in turn feeds our souls.
The hearing of God’s Word and the partaking of the Lord’s Body and Blood, together with a repentant heart, push aside the estrangement and open the door to a deepening faith. Like the spouse who responds to the touch of her husband, so too does our soul respond to the love of God and our faith comes alive by the power of the Holy Spirit.
A woman whose husband never tells of his love will feel her love diminish, whereas the husband who tenderly expresses his love for his wife will see the rebuilding of a relationship that began with love and passion. Our soul, as well, responds to our tenderly expressed love of God and sees love of Christ increase and faith restored to a state of blissful vigor, with all estrangement cast aside.
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
About the author
Fr. Tryphon is the Abbot of the Monastery of the All-Merciful Saviour, which was established in 1986 by Archimandrite Dimitry (Egoroff) of blessed memory. The Monastery is under the omophore of His Eminence Kyrill, Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America, of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.
