My Brother is My Life - St. Siloaun meaning?

ArmyMatt

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Antoni

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As Father Matt stated above. Our salvation revolves around the two great commandments, namely our love for God and our love for our neighbor. Our eternal life depends on our love for the other, first God, and then our neighbor (brother). Do we wish to be forgiven? Then we must forgive our brother. Do we wish to find mercy? Then we must have mercy on our brother. Do we wish to find grace? Then we must practice charity with our brother. If we do not love our brother whom we see, we cannot love God Whom we do not see. Thus, our life is found in our brother, namely how we relate and interact and pray for them, following the example of Christ.

If we can see the face of God in every person we meet, even when hidden under mounds of corruption and sin, then we do well in understanding how St. Silouan lived and what he taught.
 
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SingularityOne

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self emptying love is the only thing that leads to life.
I don’t think I’ve experienced this self-emptying love towards God to the level of like so that I can understand this fully. How do you understand self-emptying love?
 
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SingularityOne

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As Father Matt stated above. Our salvation revolves around the two great commandments, namely our love for God and our love for our neighbor. Our eternal life depends on our love for the other, first God, and then our neighbor (brother). Do we wish to be forgiven? Then we must forgive our brother. Do we wish to find mercy? Then we must have mercy on our brother. Do we wish to find grace? Then we must practice charity with our brother. If we do not love our brother whom we see, we cannot love God Whom we do not see. Thus, our life is found in our brother, namely how we relate and interact and pray for them, following the example of Christ.

If we can see the face of God in every person we meet, even when hidden under mounds of corruption and sin, then we do well in understanding how St. Silouan lived and what he taught.
This is very enlightening, thanks so much for expounding.
 
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~Anastasia~

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I don’t think I’ve experienced this self-emptying love towards God to the level of like so that I can understand this fully. How do you understand self-emptying love?
Become a monk and revisit the topic in twenty years. ;)

Just teasing you. :)

But I suspect this is one of those things we may begin to understand on one level, but likely never plumb the depths of it.
 
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ArmyMatt

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I don’t think I’ve experienced this self-emptying love towards God to the level of like so that I can understand this fully. How do you understand self-emptying love?

to the highest good to the other as other, at the expense of the self.
 
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SingularityOne

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Become a monk and revisit the topic in twenty years. ;)

Just teasing you. :)

But I suspect this is one of those things we may begin to understand on one level, but likely never plumb the depths of it.
I’m sure trying to understand it as someone living in the world so I can balance it with the fear of God so man-pleasing/fear of man isn’t intertangled with this love for my brother that is my life.
 
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SingularityOne

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to the highest good to the other as other, at the expense of the self.
So, I agree, but how does Fear of God for into this? I don’t want to fall into man-pleasing/fear of man in this expense of the self...
 
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ArmyMatt

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So, I agree, but how does Fear of God for into this? I don’t want to fall into man-pleasing/fear of man in this expense of the self...

you treat man as he was created to be. so, you never indulge the passions or help the other to.
 
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SingularityOne

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you treat man as he was created to be. so, you never indulge the passions or help the other to.
So, it’s the love unto salvation that’s rooted in truth and love? Not the false love that doesn’t incorporate truth?
 
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SingularityOne

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you treat man as he was created to be. so, you never indulge the passions or help the other to.
Quick question as I’ve been thinking about this some more, how do I know when I’m indulging the passions or helping the other to?
 
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ArmyMatt

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Quick question as I’ve been thinking about this some more, how do I know when I’m indulging the passions or helping the other to?

you pray, make the sign of the Cross, and see what fruit it bears. but generally, if it helps to give the passions more over you (like something self indulgent), you are indulging the passions.
 
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SingularityOne

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you pray, make the sign of the Cross, and see what fruit it bears. but generally, if it helps to give the passions more over you (like something self indulgent), you are indulging the passions.
Yes, I’ll do the first sentence for sure.

Are you saying, in the second sentence, that when you observe that a passion is rising within you then it is indulging in the passions? How would I know if I’m helping my brother indulge in passion themselves?

If I’m understanding you correctly here (please correct me if I am not), then how can I sense the passion of man-pleasing/fear of man rising within me?
 
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ArmyMatt

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Yes, I’ll do the first sentence for sure.

Are you saying, in the second sentence, that when you observe that a passion is rising within you then it is indulging in the passions? How would I know if I’m helping my brother indulge in passion themselves?

If I’m understanding you correctly here (please correct me if I am not), then how can I sense the passion of man-pleasing/fear of man rising within me?

only if you focus on it. as soon as you recognize it, turn to Christ.
 
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