Love
The Preeminence of Love
Obedience is a central theme throughout the history of salvation. Without obedience to God's commandments, there can be no salvation, for the nous (the eye of the soul) must be healed before we can be made whole. The role of obedience is so central, in fact, that submission to God's will must take place before the healing process can begin.
Obedience has often been misunderstood, for many associate submission as a sort of enslavement. For many, obedience is a relic of the past, when people had to bow before kings. Some parents even treat their children as though they were simply little friends, for fear obedience might stifle their child's creativity.
Children raised by permissive parents often feel unloved, for they interpret leniency as a sign their parents don't care. They sense a parent who really loves their child, would be willing to set boundaries as a way of protecting and nurturing the child.
Age and experience gives the parent an advantage, for it equips them with the needed tools to guide and protect their child. Experience is the factor that lets the parent know it is never a good idea to leave church attendance up to the child, for just as one would ever think of asking a child if an education would be something they'd be interesting in pursuing, so the parent is willing to make the decision that church attendance is needed as a way of forming them into an adulthood with a spiritual grounding that will serve them well. Love is the root of a good parent's expectation of obedience from their child.
Obedience also plays a role in our spiritual development, and our willingness to seek out spiritual guidance, and in turn, try to follow the direction we are given. The husband and wife who are obedient to one another, find true freedom in their mutual submission, for in surrendering their self will, they open themselves to the Grace of God, and healing of the nous can take place.
The obedience of a monk to his abbot, and to the rule of the brotherhood, also leads to a freedom that can not be enjoyed when he wallows in self will. Likewise, the obedience one gives to his bishop, is ultimately liberating, for in surrendering himself in obedience, the priest gives himself over to God's will. The lives of monastic saints are filled with stories of persecution by bishops, but the monk who humbly embraces this suffering, is made holy, for holiness does not come without suffering, and ascetic struggle.
The bishop, abbot, husband, or parent, whose position is God ordained, must rule with love. Intimidation or coercion has no place in the life of any Christian, and the husband, priest, abbot, or bishop, who rules without paternal love, betrays the love of Christ, Whose example we are called to emulate. The preeminence of love is the core of our Christian faith, and the foundation stone of our relationship with Christ. Without love, Christianity is simply philosophy.
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
Photo: Our novice, Bro. Basil, took this photo of Lilly drinking water from the fountain in the monastery's courtyard.
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