On the Love of God and On Perfect Reconciliation

Of the holy Mar Jacob of Serugh. Memra 20. On Love. The Son of God, who came in his love to unite all. Give me your love, that I may speak with it to those who hear me. The height that descended from its heights toward our evil: give me that I may ascend to the place of your love and be established in its stations. Or, by whose love he endured the pains of crucifixion: that my tongue may be kindled in me to speak of your grace. By the heat of your love, my speech shall be stirred concerning your tidings, that I may richly recount your story among the assemblies of the earth. Come, O beloved ones of the womb of the font of baptism: love is a great treasure for those who acquire it. Brethren who were from within the waters for the Only One: in the story of love, come, be delighted discerningly. By the beloved requests of the great Father in the blood of his Son: give me the voice of the discourse of love, that I may speak it with trembling. For every story, when it is spoken, its meaning is in it; and every discourse, its likeness is the word that is upon it. Because today I am stirred to speak of love: it is a sweet taste; come, be delighted by its flavors. O discerning one who runs after beauties: hunt for love, which brings one near to God. O teacher, the revealer of divine mysteries: speak with love, otherwise you cannot be heard. O disciple who has learned the discoveries: give me love and take the word that is full of life.

One who teaches without loving is like one who is silent. For it is not fitting in the order of words that have no profit. And one who does not hear because of love, his knowledge is forgotten. Sounds and words do not cause him to hear, so that he might understand. A great teacher who wishes that his hearer become rich: love much and speak little with the disciples. And you, a learner, a small discourse in great love: hear and become rich in it, for without love a person does not become rich. As soon as love enters the soul, her thoughts immediately stand in the place of divine mysteries. And when deeds are beautiful, they are adorned; without love they are not beautiful. Salt seasons and sweetens the flavors of foods, and love adorns the deeds that are performed through it. Deeds are like limbs in the body, and love fills the place of the soul for the whole body. Fasting is beautiful, but if a person fasts without love, his mouth dries up and there is no profit in his abstinence. Prayer is beloved, but if he who does not offer it with love, its wing is weak and it does not see the height in its place. Righteousness is very beloved, to practice it, but if one does not love while practicing it, his labor is in vain. The crown of virginity and holiness is glorious, but if it is empty of love, the holy one is like a robber.

Great is the reward of the one who breaks his bread for the hungry. And without love, if he breaks it, it is without profit. For the martyr gives his body to the sword and to the fire. Love is required, and with the martyrs he receives a crown. Love conquers (childishness and faithlessness). For without it, there is neither baptism nor faith. From his deeds one learns: take love as a model. And his works bear witness concerning him, how beautiful they are. (Through love) the father (delivered) his son in place of sinners. For without love, this deed would not have been. Love brought the Lord down from his heights and made him dwell among men. It mingled him with the flesh, so that he became a companion (a master to his servants). Love brought the Son of God from his Father's house and made him man, and he endured the sufferings of the crucifixion. Love confined him and enclosed him in a womb and in a tomb, the mighty son who hung the creation by his hidden command. Through the love of the Father, who is eternally existent in him, he asked for his death, that man might be created in the image of his Son. By that same love he created the creatures when he was creating, and by it again he delivered them to his Only-begotten when he was redeeming. What king had the power to do this: to deliver his son for the sake of the captivity (to redeem its place)? What rich man was so generous as to scatter all his wealth upon the poor because of his love and become poor?

He who would give his son to the altar to be a sacrifice, because of the servants who fled from him who would bring him, (he who would give his son to the altar) did not fear to cast himself down, so that in place of evils he might taste death and live. And what living one could have sounded the depths of Sheol, and bound himself to release the captives from darkness? The Most High made for himself a tomb-dwelling, and raised the dead to the high dwelling of the heavens. This deed love wrought for the Son of God, that in place of suffering he might taste death and live. For this reason love is higher than the virtues, and beneath its feet are placed all the beautiful things. Without it there is no righteousness and perfection, for unless it is perfected in him, a man cannot attain. However much one may be justified, who is righteous in his deeds, love is required, and then it is fulfilled in perfection. It seems to me that the discourse which I am about to deliver is difficult, and the account of the incarnation is very heavy for the hearers. For a discourse on love cannot be heard except by love, and where shall I find him, or how shall I approach him who will speak of it? Among us there are envy, wrath, and a hard heart, injury, deceit, falsehood, and calumny. All grudges, all hatreds, all enmities, all contentions, all causes of evil speech.

He is angry, and he is wrathful, and he is enraged. Where is love, that it might speak his story without fear? And if it were good for you to speak of him, and if it were not unjust and oppressive to tell his story. For love is never subject to wrath from any person, for it has mercy on the lover, on the near and the far alike. For love cannot bear to be angry with its own. It looks to its Lord, who for the sake of all who were crucified endured. Come, O wrathful one, come to the gate to be angry with yourself, for wrath destroys your soul if it enters it. For this reason the apostle commands those who hear him: Do not let the sun set while you are still wrathful. The discerning one seeks reconciliation until that very day, so that if wrath enters you by night, it will do its work. It darkens your soul, troubles it, and sets it loose, and afflicts the heart and gives birth to all confused thoughts. It produces troubled dreams that are not good, and all the commandments it disturbs in you by night with evil tremors. And it brings your enemy a dream and arrays it against you, and all night long it humbles and silences you. It greatly compels you to distance yourself from him because of his errors, and it takes the dream and brings it and places it within your summer-house. It forces him to go and bring the night and mix it with you, so that wrath may fill you with dreams of confusion.

From the evening, he is a day that seeks visions. And the whole night he brings to your mind the image of the light that is with you. Woe to you from him, for he is cast down with you upon your bed. And when you sleep, he is with you and he mocks you. The wrath that is within you has made for you an image of the one you have worshipped. And in the midst of the dream, he places before you something for you to be reproached by. If you serve him, he will be enraged and you will groan from him. Place love in yourself until you sleep, and behold, it will not mock you. Take enmity from yourself when you are awake. And place love in it so that it may generate divine dreams. From the evening, introduce peace into your mind. And behold, you are able to have a pure sleep the whole night. The sun has set and love has shone upon your thought. And the light of love has conquered the night, so that no darkness remains for you. Dark is the night, and dark is wrath, and if both of them are present, you will give yourself over to be troubled, to be illuminated, or to be gladdened. The day has set; take for yourself love, the great sun. And enter and be illumined by it in the night, your self from evils. Look upon your enemy with love when you sleep. And behold, you will find sleep and be freed from trouble. All thoughts, good and evil, are seeds. The soul is the earth, and also the will is like a farmer. And if evil thoughts are sown in your soul in the evening, you will have dreams of the afflicted, and you will reap them the whole night.

And if you do not bury love in your soul when you sleep, a sweet fragrance rises from your bed from your resting place. Anger flashes against your soul when it enters. Flee from it and fill the hour with peace when you sleep. Paul, the physician of souls, has resolved the affliction: This affliction has placed the soul so that it may be healed. He commanded the angry one that the sun should not set upon him, but that he should expel anger from himself without sleeping in it. Thus the soul is a bride who is betrothed to the righteous one, and if the night remains with him, he weeps and is troubled by it. Therefore he gives counsel to the one who is angry: that anger should not trouble him in the night if it remains with him. From when you are awake, illuminate your soul, O discerning one, so that when darkness (of the heart's malice) comes, it may not overcome you in suffering. What will you do to your enemy who has sinned against you? Love him and conquer him, for if you conquer him, he conquers you. The more you conquer him, the more shame grows within your thought, and it afflicts you, but your love for him does not diminish. In the image of the created wild beast, you are a man who conquers his brother; how will you resemble him except by loving the one who conquers you? Your master Jesus changed water into good wine; do as he did: a new deed, and be amazed by it.

Take and exchange the hour with love within your mind, so that you may see in yourself all new things as in a mirror. You called Abbot the Father of Rome, the house of reconciliation. Show that you have in you some of the likenesses of the Only-Begotten. He made wine from water, he who was the Son of God. You make vinegar from the Eucharist and become like him? When he did not become angry, he gave his peace to those who slept against him. And you, from the Word, are turned and disturbed and filled with rage. Spit in his face and strike his sides instead of the sinners, and he endured death instead of them as a taste. When he was angry, he loved them, the Son of God; and when he was crucified instead of their lives, he was offered. Come, show me, angry man, who is angry at his brother: what did he do to you that it is difficult for you to be reconciled with him? For your sake, look at the God who was crucified for your sake; he endured insult upon insult, and he also received his own insult. Your hair, your sweat, your all—your brother is again guilty, you, for the Son of God endured the cross without anger. And after these things, if you cannot love him, call Abbot if you are the brother of the Only-Begotten. Leave him to learn and run after him and be reconciled with him, for this deed gives hope to those who hear it.

O disciple, unless you love the one who hates you, you have no master greater than the master who is crucified. Let Jesus be your teacher, teaching you thus: that you should love your enemy and be loved by him. Otherwise, your teacher is the serpent, who teaches his disciples all the commandments and righteous deeds, lofty in the school of disciples. Two masters have been for the world from the beginning, and not like this one teaches this one to his disciples. In their teachings, the serpent and the lord of the earth’s serpents: one killer, one life-giver to their disciples. The serpent teaches hardness of heart and evil of the eyes, and hatred of brothers and wrath and bitter envy. Great anger, error, and wrath and disturbance, trembling and groaning with the envious and evil righteous ones. Pride, falsehood, and arrogance, and division with commandments and the shedding of blood. And Jesus teaches purity of heart and goodness of the eyes, and compassion for humanity and joy and meekness. Great peace, pure peace, and burning love, integrity and rectitude and humility. Also simplicity and straightforwardness and faith, and righteousness and that you love the one who hates you. Come, disciple, take for yourself one master from among these, and in his teaching do not be perplexed if he is your master.

Choose for yourself books and learn from him as he says to you: For you will be hearing both sides, you cannot come. If you are a disciple of the serpent, your mind will be agitated. Anger and enmity are for you, and hate your brother while he loves you. And be pressed, turned, bitter, and hate the man. The good ones, the good intention, kindle and stir up wrath. Call to strife and disturb and trouble and cast the sword. And like a rebellious disciple of the serpent, be bitter. Your love, your brother, hate him, you are a magician, you are worthless. And if he hates you, hate him as he hates you, and be separated from him. Crucify him, dig a pit for him, cast him into destruction. Think evil thoughts and increase his affliction upon him because he wronged you. And if he comes to be reconciled with you, do not accept him, so that your master, the evil serpent, will not be angry with you. He teaches you not to be reconciled and not to be appeased, and no man can overcome you so that you have no peace with anyone. But repay his evil deeds with evil to the one who wronged you, and do not leave him, otherwise he will mock and laugh at you. Do evil to him greater than that which he did to you, so that everyone will fear you and honor you. These things the serpent teaches his lovers and his disciples. Woe to the one who goes astray from his knowledge and accepts him.

After this, come hear what Jesus says to you: And be a disciple of the teaching of the house of God. Love your enemy and turn your face away from the sleep that is yours. And instead of your love, surrender your soul if you are pursued. Love your enemy; have mercy if you are my disciple. And if he insults you, forgive seventy times seven; the gate is open for him. Be disturbed, but do not disturb the one who is your enemy. And be good even toward the evil ones who persecute you. Leave aside for your brother all the evil deeds that he has done to you. For thus your teacher Jesus teaches, if you are his. Look at the zodiac and look at the crown of stars above him. And immediately anger and wrath are extinguished from your mind. For they stirred up the body of the man who was enraged. He swallowed, was disturbed, and made peace throughout the whole world. The teaching of the Son of God was hidden. And before his face every man runs in his deeds. The disciples fled from the teacher of truths. And the commandment that teaches peace to those who hear it is foolish. Evil laughed until where the priest is angry. And the ruler of mysteries gave drink to his brother and mocked him. Be silent here, or shall I speak, for I am afraid? Shall I raise my voice or close my mouth from teaching? The priest is salt and physician for all who are enraged. And if he is angry, he heals his anger with his neighbor.

Do not season salt with salt and sweeten it. And if it becomes insipid, what taste can make it savory? If it becomes putrid, who will salt it back to savoriness? For if it becomes insipid, the hope of its flavors is lost. Come, salt, and bring your taste that sweetens us. You, do not become putrid, for your healing is in you. In my turn, I beseech you to laugh at us and to be amazed. Spare our weakness and increase taste for our laughter. Your own taste looks upon all who are healed in you. And if your taste is lost, it is a lamentation over your loss. Salt, you are a physician; see, do not be angry with your neighbor. For it is not fitting to speak with outsiders about the insipidity of salt. You are the salt of the earth, the light of the world, and the lords of the houses of divinity. In you is revealed who is angry with his neighbor; in you is calmed who is troubled against his companion. From you the world learns to love those who hate him, and from you it hears the teaching of the full life. You proclaim from the high place of divinity: Forgive your brother if he sins against you; forgive seven times over seventy. In your strings the good news of the Son of God sings, the voices of love that teach all to love those who hate them. From you the pure sound of the Church of the peoples hears: Never return evil for evil.

Your enemy, whom you taught from the reading that you taught me: And if I see that I have labored for your brother, what shall I do? That I may love, if I am to love the one who hates me, you teach me. And for your brother who is angry, it is not fitting for you to be reconciled with him. I fear that if I do not leave, he will not leave me. And you do not wish to leave anger toward the one who has offended you. If you depart from your duty, who will teach you? It is a trial for me to extend teaching to you. When you read, you learned from yourself about reconciliation: that an angry person is not received in the house of forgiveness. Go, be reconciled, and then come, the saying approaches him. For an angry person, when he is reconciled, it is easy for him to come. The fragrance of perfumes without reconciliation is a foul smell. And if the angry person is enraged, the holy oil is spoiled. Love of self is the fragrance of the house of forgiveness, which from the roots of the spices, when their scent is exhausted, it becomes. Choice perfumes that the priest brings into the holy of holies: thoughts that are peaceful and pure from evils. The cave of the tribes (the sevenfold light) of the mighty one of her fear: the love of the Lord is that which within the pure soul is placed. The fragrant oil that the priest anoints when he is consecrated: it is love that proclaims that its scent is sweet from the altars.

The stones of peace and of the pure one that are upon his fellow: He is the chosen crown and the clear light of faith. What would anoint his hand and his foot and the leaf of his knowledge? That it might be known that he is the minister of uprightness. That he might cast salt upon all the sacrifices that were commanded. And it became known that love ministers all sacrifices. The spread of the linen that the priest wears within the sanctuary: It is love that spread over his thought when he ministers. The paten that he wears when he goes out to the people for the offering: It shows that he is open and mixed with every beloved one. With bands of gold and with the purple of the param, he moved the priest, that he might fear, love, and tremble. The crown, the bridal chamber, and the redemption that he wears when he ministers: Hope, love, and faith that are not rejected. The whole crown of the priest: his love, the priest proclaims to the people: That this may be for him a strength for all the beautiful things. Through love the priest is able to enter before God: For if he does not love, the one who loves good is better than he. Do not prolong the discourse of teaching to the priest, and do not be troubled if your father is silent in the discourses of the mysteries. A lamp in the sun does not shine, what does it illuminate when it walks? For it is the sun that illuminates all the paths for all travelers. Be silent, speaker, lest the sun be scorched by you. Shut your mouth, for the tale of the Armenian is greater than you.

The lowliness of man, what is your goodness for speaking? Darkness would be what you say against the clear one. He passed from the order of that which has no place for the word against him. It is a high step; be silent, O weary one, and see yourself. Open teaching to the ear; speak what is smooth and simple. You have a place and love that hears sweetly. It is not for you, O man, against the enterers for speaking. To the lord of the feast, let go; the affairs of the watchful are guarded. To the feast, speak of the pure and perfect things. For their sake, the Son of God bore the cross patiently. Hear, O perfect ones, the buyers with the blood of the Only One, that again the discourse of love might be spoken for help. But if in him the beautiful things are not acquired, after him run, O one who hastens after the remnants. Love one another like members to their relatives, for there is one head of the whole body, Lord Jesus. O one who is angry at his relative and is not reconciled, he is like a member that is cut off and cast away from the members. The soul is love; O one who strikes love from it, the corpse remains, cold and stinking, and is not of the living. Show and reconcile the man who is angry at his relative, except for love (which is the ladder of new life). Say now, what is the nature of anger? In that which they are angry, show and embrace over the gate.

The lowly one was a cause, and one became small, and the other was great. That one who became small sought love from the cause which is she. The one who knew how to be reconciled is he who stands of himself. Shame came, go you to his face and be reconciled to him. And if the poor one is angry with the rich one, that rich one is guilty if he does not make peace with the poor one. But the poor one, when he knew, feared and confessed, and trembled and let go, and was reconciled without being reconciled. In all the ways, the one who knows how to conquer from the other, it is fitting for him who seeks peace with his neighbor. The one who is high and exalted, let him lower himself toward the guilty one and be reconciled to him in humility. At the head of the world, there was a cause that cast the serpent, and the Lord and Adam were angry from then on. How small he was, and how poor, and how he knew, and how he went to the face of his companion and was reconciled to him. Adam knew, he was foolish, and he was errant and rebellious; he stole and plundered, he snatched and ate, he was angry and went out. And after these, the son of the king came down from his father, and he sought that one who was angry from his will. That weighty one lowered himself toward the lowly one; even the rich one sought peace from the poor one. The master of the garden descended in peace toward the thief, and was reconciled to him, and gave him the fruit of life to eat.

The good shepherd for the sheep that had gone astray, in his love sought it out. He became angry and went out, took it upon his shoulders. The anger of the angry one subsided, and he embraced it every day at the door. That the Lord in his love reconciled himself to it when he had become angry with it. Do not say that the fool who erred came to the face of the good one; rather, it was he who, from himself, the small one went and reconciled himself to him. That fool, "Come to me, reconcile me, and I will receive," he said. By his humility he taught everyone about his folly. The Lord did not wish to do thus to Adam, who erred, that he should humble himself and seek from him that he be reconciled to him. Until today, if the Lord had remained in his place and had not come to his face, until now he would have been angry with him. And he knew that this help was that humbling himself (he reconciled the servant who had fled, that he might be reconciled to him). That high one descended in his love towards the lowly ones, and shepherded and led, and brought up to his place the one who had fled. That rich one cast his way towards the poor, and made peace and enriched and brought up towards his begetter. That mighty one made peace with the weak, and honored and saved and turned back the one who had fled from his lords. A master to servants and a king to subjects humbled himself; even God to the sons of men descended and shepherded. O you who are angry, look at your God and be like him, and make peace with your neighbor clearly.

Drive out from you anger, wrath, and malice of heart, and let the love of the Lord dwell in your soul like a kingdom. For whoever is angry with his neighbor and does not love him, he serves the Lord and loves his brother not at all. For in living beings the image of divinity is depicted, and whoever honors the image of the king loves the king. If his image is defaced by a man or damaged, the king demands the restoration of his image from his painters. No man is able, while he loves God, to hate his brother or be angry with his neighbor. God is hidden and your brother is near, and he is his image; do honor to the distant one through the near one. If your brother is manifest and near, serve your heart to the Lord who is hidden and removes himself from you, that you may love him. Show the love that is in your soul for your brother, and then you will confess that you love the Lord who is high above you. The king is far away and his image is near; if it is damaged, the king is angry with you and demands its repair. All the complaints that you have to cast upon God, show them through your brother, and upon him the Lord will judge your complaints. Love and cherish the honored image and be reconciled to it, and the king will repay your complaints, for he is not indifferent to your honor. Love God and love your brother from your thought; blessed is he who, through his love, shepherds the world with his begetter. The discourse on love is complete.