Love Begets Love

21 May 2009

In my early Orthodox days one of the things that struck me as a little odd, perhaps as a little contrived and maybe even a little too close for comfort as "works righteousness" was the the concept of practicing "active love".

Father Zosima offers this prescription to a desperate woman in Dostoevsky's Brother's Karamazov.

“…What, what will give me back my faith? Though I believed only when I was a little child, mechanically, without thinking about anything…How, how can it be proved? I’ve come now to throw myself at your feet and ask you about it. If I miss this chance, too, then surely no one will answer me for the rest of my life. How can it be proved, how can one be convinced? Oh, miserable me! I look around and see that for everyone else, almost everyone, it’s all the same, no one worries about it anymore, and I’m the only one who can’t bear it. It’s devastating, devastating!”

“No doubt it is devastating. One cannot prove anything here, but it is possible to be convinced.”

“How? By what?”

“By the experience of active love. Try to love your neighbors actively and tirelessly. The more you succeed in loving, the more you’ll be convinced of the existence of God and the immortality of your soul. And if you reach complete selflessness in the love of your neighbor, the undoubtedly you will believe, and no doubt will even be able to enter your soul. This has been tested. It is certain.”

What? You have to practice doing the right thing? All kinds of initial objections stirred in my head...not the least of which "if the God is ultimately the source of these works (and He is because all good comes from God), why does He need to practice?" Of course, as time progressed so too has my understanding and my appreciation for synergia and the practice of active love.

How is it possible that practicing active love can work? Anastasia has a marvelous post about a discussion with her husband and his new discovery on the principles of truth and goodness which explains how. From a physiological point of view Anastasia points out how doing something impacts our neurological system.

“Right. Every time you repeat any behavior, you reinforce that path along the neurons, so to stop doing that thing, you literally have to fight your own body, your own brain.”

In this case she is talking about doing something sinful. But note that the converse, active love, is also true. The more we do it the more the neurological pathways are reinforced. Love begets love.

And the spiritual consequences Father Zosima promises? Read Anastasia's post. "This has been tested. It is certain.” says Father Zosima. And as an added bonus see how science merely reflects the Creator. Wouldn't you just love to be with Anastasia and Demetrios, sitting at the beach, drinking espresso, or cherry juice as the case may be, and being immersed in such wonderful discussion?