“Then He also said to him who invited Him, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, ‘Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!’”
– Luke 14:12-15
Saint Paisios of Mount Athos
Spiritual Counsels V
Passions and Virtues
(pp 214-215)
Cheap love
- Cheap love is when we want the love of others exclusively for ourselves and expect everyone to give it to us.
- Cheap love is when we do good but we are thinking of compensation.
- Cheap love estranges us from God and from people.
Spiritual priceless love
- Love that fights over who will give more love to the other.
- They love without considering whether others love them.
- They do not expect the other to love them.
- They constantly want to offer and give of themselves without expecting others to give them anything or give of themselves to them.
- Such people are loved by all, but even more so by God with Whom they are thus kindred. For it is more blessed to give than receive (Acts 20:35).
Cultivate spiritual priceless love
- Do not do good deeds for the sake of receiving blessings in return.
- Cultivate the noble invaluable love which God has rather than cheap worldly love which carries every human weakness.
“It is hard for me to give my love where it is not appreciated.”
- You do not have real love; this is why it is hard for you.
- He who has real love does not care whether others appreciate his love.
- He does not even remember the sacrifice he makes for his neighbor because he does it out of pure love.
“How can I forget about the good I do?”
- Just “throw it in the sea” as the saying goes.
- Even the harm others do to you; you must also forget, in this way you will gather spiritual wealth without even realizing it.
Saint Paisios of Mount Athos
Spiritual Counsels V
Passions and Virtues
(pp 214-215)
https://www.holycross.org/products/spiritual-counsels-of-elder-paisios-softcover-five-volume-set
Orthodoxy of the Heart 