Acts 18:18-28 “Love is in jeopardy” (Saint John Chrysostom)
18 After this Paul stayed many days longer, and then took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aq′uila. At Cen′chre-ae he cut his hair, for he had a vow. 19 And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there; but he himself went into the synagogue and argued with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined; 21 but on taking leave of them he said, “I will return to you if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus
22 When he had landed at Caesare′a, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. 23 After spending some time there he departed and went from place to place through the region of Galatia and Phryg′ia, strengthening all the disciples.
24 Now a Jew named Apol′los, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, well versed in the scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aq′uila heard him, they took him and expounded to him the way of God more accurately. 27 And when he wished to cross to Acha′ia, the brethren encouraged him, and wrote to the disciples to receive him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, 28 for he powerfully confuted the Jews in public, showing by the scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.
It is instructive to see how much time and energy Paul devotes to “strengthening all the disciples.” There’s no point preaching Christ unless those new disciples can be formed into a genuine community of friendship. In fact, the Gospel of peace can be preached authentically only by a community that is at peace. Anything else is a fraud. As we sing on Holy Thursday,
The apostles were united by a bond of love,
dedicated to Christ, Who rules over all.
Their beautiful feet were washed
for the preaching of the Gospel of peace to all.
Saint John Chrysostom has little to say about Paul’s vow at Cenchrae—except to note that Jewish practices were still acceptable at this early stage of the Church’s life—but he has a lot to say about mutual kindness. More than miracles, love is what’s needed for the spread of the faith. “But now, love is in jeopardy, for only its name is left behind, while the reality is nowhere seen, but we are divided each from the other.” He goes on to prescribe some simple practical asceticism to foster more loving interactions.
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For we lose nothing by lack of miracles, if we will but take heed to ourselves. We have the sum and substance of the good things: through baptism we received remission of sins, sanctification, participation of the Spirit, adoption, eternal life. What more do you want? Signs? But they come to an end. You have “faith, hope, love,” as the lasting things: seek out these, these are greater than signs. Nothing is equal to love. For “greater than all,” says Paul, “is love” (1 Cor 13:5.)
But now, love is in jeopardy, for only its name is left behind, while the reality is nowhere seen, but we are divided each from the other. What then shall one do to reunite ourselves? For to find fault is easy, but how may one make friendship, this is the point to be studied; how we may bring together the scattered members. For although we have one Church, or one doctrine—yet this is not the main consideration: no, the evil is, that in these we have not fellowship—“living peaceably,” as the Apostle says, “with all men” (Rom 12:18). On the contrary, we are at variance one with another.
For even if we are not having fights every day, neither do we have charity toward one another, genuine and unswerving. There is need of bandages and oil. Let us bear it in mind, that love is the how the disciples of Christ are recognized: that without this, all else avails nothing. That it is an easy task if we desire it. Yes, you say, we know all this, but how can we go to work that it may be achieved? What can we do, that it may be put into effect? In what way, that we may love one another?
…For a beginning, let none have any enemy: this in itself is not a small matter: let none envy; it is not possible to accuse the man who envies not. How then shall we be warmly affected? What makes love of persons? Beauty of person. Then let us also make our souls beautiful, and we shall be amiable one to another: for it is necessary, of course, not only to love, but also to be loved. Let us first achieve this point, that we may be loved, and the other will be easy.
Then let us not merely do this, but let us work it as a kind of trade. “And how can we?” say you. “A sweet mouth multiplies its friends, and a gracious tongue.” Let us get a well-spoken mouth, and pure manners. It is not possible for a man to be such, and not to be known…
Notice how many inducements and pleas for friendship there are outside the Church, and all for worldly reasons: community of art or trade, neighborhood, relationships. But mightier than all these are the impulses and ties that are among us as Christians: this Table of Communion is calculated more than all else to shame us into friendliness. But many of us who come to this Table do not even know one another. The reason, it may be said, is that there are so many of them. By no means; it is only our own sluggish indifference. Once there were three thousand (Acts 2:41)—there were five thousand (Acts 4:4)—and yet they had all one soul. But now each knows not his brother, and is not ashamed to lay the blame on the number, because it is so great!
…For as in a theatre, when the band of musicians plays, all listen with a hush, and there is no noise there; so among friends, while Love strikes the chords, all the passions are still and laid to sleep, like wild beasts charmed and unnerved: just as, where hate is, there is all the contrary to this. But let us say nothing just now about enmity; let us speak of friendship. Though you let fall some casual hasty word, there is none to catch you up, but all forgive you; though you do some hasty thing, none puts upon it the worse construction, but all allowance is made. Every one is prompt to stretch out the hand to him that is falling, every one wishing him to stand. …Where love is, there is no room for anger, but only for pleasantness of feeling. There is no room for envying. There is no occasion for resentment. … Then let us, I beseech you, make friends for ourselves, and let each make this his art.
But, lo! you will say, I do study this, but the other does not. All the greater the reward to you. True, you say, but the matter is more difficult. How, I ask? Lo! I testify and declare to you, that if but ten of you would knit yourselves together, and make this your work, as the Apostles made the preaching theirs, and the Prophets theirs the teaching, so we the making of friends, great would be the reward… For if this friendship be the common badge of disciples, we do a greater work than if we should put ourselves into the power to raise the dead…
… Let us be affable: let us not wait for our neighbors to move. Do you see a person hanging back and waiting for you to make the first advances? And do you then do the same? Instead, when you see this, forestall him, go to him and extinguish his bad feeling. If you see someone diseased, don’t add to his illness. This, most of all, let us make sure of—“in honor to prefer one another, to account others better than one’s self” (Rom 12:10.) Do not consider this to be a lessening of yourself. If you prefer another in honor, you have honored yourself more, attracting to yourself a still higher distinction. On all occasions let us yield the precedence to others. Let us bear nothing in mind of the evil done to us, but if any good has been done let us remember only that.
Nothing so makes a man a friend, as a gracious tongue, a mouth speaking good things, a soul free from self-elation, a contempt of vain-glory, a despising of honor. If we secure these things, we shall be able to become invincible to the snares of the Devil, and having with strictness accomplished the pursuit of virtue, to attain unto the good things promised to them that love Him, through the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom to the Father and the Holy Spirit together be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Metropolitan Leonty (1876-1965)
After a substantive meeting on Wednesdays night in Springfield, MA with the New England Diocesan Council, Treasurer Melanie Ringa headed home to Connecticut and I went to Saint Tikhon’s Seminary for yesterday’s Symposium marking the 50th anniversary of Metropolitan Leonty’s repose.
It was an extraordinary day and I will need to reflect on it at greater length in days to come. But I felt that this occasion, and the persistent calls for Metropolitan Leonty’s glorification as a saint of our church, resurrects a bright, invigorating, living vision for the mission of the Orthodox Church in North America.
The symposium and reminiscences of yesterday ended with remarks the late Father Thomas Hopko had prepared.
In my opinion Metropolitan Leonty deserves above all to be honored as American Orthodoxy’s pre-eminent “protector,” “preserver,” and “guardian.” This is so because he almost single-handedly held together the original mission as a diocese and metropolia while maintaining positive relations, as he was able, with the “jurisdictions” that emerged in North America after the Russian Revolution. And it is also so, perhaps even more amazingly and importantly, because he steadfastly upheld his Church’s original vision, spirit and ‘reason for being’ in the midst of tragic turmoil. Metropolitan Leonty never wavered from his conviction that there should be one fully united Orthodox Church in North America for all Orthodox Christians, and that his church’s sole calling was to serve this end, whatever the cost to itself in prestige, possessions and power.