Scripture ~ “No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and God’s love becomes complete in us—perfect love!”
1 John 4:12 The Message
Spiritual Focus ~ “Love [people] even in [their] sin, for that is the semblance of Divine Love and is the highest love on earth. Love all God’s creation, the whole and every grain of sand in it. Love every leaf, every ray of God’s light. Love the animals, love the plants, love everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things. Once you have perceived it, you will begin to comprehend it better every day. And you will come at last to love the whole world with an all-embracing love.”
—Fyodor Dostoyevsky, 19th century Russian novelist
Breath Prayer ~ I Am Loved, I Am Love
Devotion ~ There is a deep well of words, songs, symbols, and definitions that attempt to connect us to an experience of love. Consider various Greek meanings of love: Eros-romantic, passionate love. Philia-intimate, authentic friendship. Ludus-playful, flirtatious love. Storge*-unconditional, familial love. Pragma-committed, companionate love. Agapé-empathetic, universal, or selfless love. To contemplate the idea that we might be able to see all people, all things, the whole universe through the lens of love is to connect to the mystery of Divine Love. While it may feel vulnerable or daunting to attempt this kind of love, it is really the one unifying path that leads to the experience of perfect love. We are created by Love, for love, and the dynamic flow of love continues to invite us to evolve toward agapé love.
Agapé love is most often taught in faith, cultural, and spiritual narratives. The Bible teaches us how to stop hurting each other so we might learn to love each other as God loves us and all people. The South African concept of Ubuntu teaches, “I am because we are,” that is, we are inextricably connected. The late Thich Nhat Hanh famously said, “Your ability to love another person depends on your ability to love yourself.”
Yoga instructor Gwen Linden-Bruzek of Zengwen began a recent class by saying, “I think all yoga is love.” After class she elaborated on that idea, “For me, when there is union of body, mind and spirit, the only possible outcome is love.” Universal love includes the sacred space that dwells within us and expands it to a dynamic, flowing relationship where we love God by loving each other. We love ourselves as we love the whole world—everyone and everything connected in an all-embracing, all-inclusive, complete, and perfect love.
* pronounced STOR-jay
Artwork by Emily Fiamova
