“Ultimately, we all need to grow into a realization that if we are to keep our sanity, Christ is the only one who can have undivided mastery over our heart. We will discover that this also means making room for others He puts in our lives.  It isn’t a matter of dividing our love - it is learning to multiply it.” 

- Mother Raphaela, Living in Christ, pg 29. Samaritan Woman at the Well

Reflection:  

Mother Raphaela ties together Christ’s words of the two greatest commandments(1), showing us that having complete love for God means also learning to multiply our love - making room for everyone He puts in our lives.  

It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking we must divide our love between all the people that come into our lives.  We think that we have a limit in our ability to give love, as if it is like some kind of material currency that we can deplete.  This is only true if we do not first give our love and our hearts completely to Christ.

Our love for God and neighbor is not something we portion out in categories (family, friends, etc), it is something we ask God to help us learn to grow and multiply unconditionally for all.

When we feel we are at our wits-end, instead of entertaining the thought that we have run out of love for others let us dig deep in the moments we struggle and ask Christ for more creative ways to love and care for others.  

Do we attempt to multiply our love to make room in our hearts for each person we encounter, giving them the respect, dignity, and care they deserve as a person made in the Image and Likeness of God?

Depending on the social climate we are in, it may feel more difficult to accomplish - but our Lord’s commandments and our commitment to our love for God and neighbor do not take a break for social climates.  Our calling as Orthodox Christians to love God and neighbor always takes precedence above any and all events in the world. 

It is God’s love that saved the world and we, the Body of Christ, are vehicles of the Holy Spirit - of His love.  Christ’s love for humanity is unconditional and unending, we must follow His example.  How do we learn to multiply our love? We must start with Christ. 

On our own, our ability to love others has its limits.  We are not alone in life, Christ is always near by for us to call upon for help.  His love for us and everyone is constant, we must turn to Him and freely accept Him and love Him back.  Only Christ can fuel our hearts with an ever-multiplying, unending capacity to love for others as He does all eternally. Let us allow Christ to dwell in our hearts through our humility and sacrifice, so our ability to love draws from the well of living water(2), God Himself.

Resources:

1) Two Greatest Commandments

2) Story Samaritan Woman