The Orthodox Standard Journal

Early 19th Century Icon, Russian “Union of Love” (Sourced from Temple Gallery Catalogue Christmas 2004) WORD of the Week: Love (Love in Truth) A Scriptural and Patristic Understanding “ Let us not love in word or in speech, but in deed and in truth .” – 1 John 3:18 Introduction: Love Misunderstood in the Modern World The modern age has stripped the word love of its sacred weight, reducing it to sentimentality, psychological affinity, or erotic desire devoid of ontological content. In political rhetoric, love becomes an empty slogan. In contemporary culture, it is commodified or psychologized. Yet Holy Scripture and the Church Fathers offer a radically different vision— love in truth ( agapē en alētheia , ἀγάπη ἐν ἀληθείᾳ)—an existential and divine energy, a way of being proper only to God and those in communion with Him. Scriptural Foundations: Love Is of God In the New Testament, agapē is not an option but a divine imperative, a reflection of God’s own essence: “God...

  Love in the Face of Heresy:  A Genuine Orthodox Christian Reflection by Stavroforemonk Symeon Agiomicheltítēs “Brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle” (2 Thess. 2:15, KJV). In every age of the Church’s life, the manifestation of love is inseparably tied to the defense of Truth. Love that abdicates the Truth is not love at all, but a subtle betrayal of Christ Himself, who declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Genuine Orthodox Christians (GOC), following the Apostolic and Patristic tradition, have not ceased to proclaim the dangers of heresy precisely because they are bound by Love—a love that refuses to allow souls to drift into darkness unchecked. It is a failure of charity to remain silent when the saving dogmas of the Church are attacked, undermined, or distorted. Among heretics and critics, a persistent accusation resounds: that by continually exposing the errors of modernity—whethe...

Prayer: O Heavenly King! Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, Who are everywhere and filling all things, Treasury of blessings and Giver of life: Come and dwell in us, Cleanse us from every impurity, And save our souls, O Good One. and... Prayer to the Holy Spirit O Holy Spirit, You are the light of the heart, You are the source of life, You are the comforter and the guide. Come and fill our hearts with Your love, And enlighten our minds with Your wisdom. Grant us the strength to follow Your path, To live in Your grace, And to love as You love. Lead us into all truth, And fill us with the joy of Your presence. Amen.