Love-- More Important than Prayer?
“Love of neighbor is more important than prayer. It can happen that when we are at prayer some brothers come to see us. Then we have to choose, either to interrupt our prayer or sadden our brother by refusing to answer him. But love is greater than prayer. Prayer is one virtue amongst others, whereas love contains them all.” John Climacus, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, 6th Century Monk.
Love of neighbor is more important than prayer?
Do you believe it?
It seems that when our spiritual life gets in the way of doing the very thing that Jesus encouraged his followers to do then we have missed the point of prayer. Prayer connects us to the Divine but prayer shouldn’t leave us alone with God, it should carry us into the world in love of God, self and others.
I love to pray and meditate. It feeds my soul. I would even say that I need prayer and meditation to live. I love the solitude and feeling the presence of God in my breath and being. To close my eyes and listen to the still, small voice within and to feel the rhythm of my breath is like waltzing with God.
But when I read this today, “Love of neighbor is more important than prayer” I couldn’t escape the truth of his words. In the same way that I feel connected to God while praying and meditating on scriptures, I realize that when I am loving my neighbor that I am much more intimately connected to God and I can pray all day but if I fail to love, it's all for naught.
Prayer is a gift but love is greater than all.
17 Comments:
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Jesus had good things to say about prayer, but that wasn't the "New Commandment" he gave: it was to love each other.
And his teaching on the greatest commandment in the Torah had nothing to do with prayer, but everything to do with love.
For years my email signature was this quote by St. Teresa of Avila:
It is more important to love much than to think much. Always do that which most impels you to love.
really good thoughts, i agree. the new commandment is a beautiful thing.
Very sobering thought...and I love the quote of St. Teresa....I sometimes think too much {just not too deep}
Great post. I really like the line: "Prayer connects us to the Divine but prayer shouldn’t leave us alone with God, it should carry us into the world in love of God, self and others." That old saying, "sometimes we are so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good" seems appropriate.
B~
I wonder about this ... you see I believe that without prayer we don't have the love He has for others.
I cannot remember the name of the poet who said it, but the lines I've remembered:
"Prayer is the soul's sincere desire, uttered or unexpressed."
Love is indeed a living, breathing prayer,in and of itself. Without love, where is there a direction to pray?
Shanti
Thanks folks! Interesting thought.
Lorna, I see where you are coming from. I was't saying that prayer isn't important, I am saying that love is more important. :)
greater than all, indeed..
It seems to me that prayer comes from love... as does everything.
amen to that. thanks and God bless
I think that when we leave our prayer to answer our brother we are moving from a prayer of words to a far greater and more powerful prayer, a prayer of action.
not a fan of either or.
like and try and do both
in my opinion, we pray in order so that we may love better. Prayer is a connection to love better?
the greatest of these is love...
...the origin of life on earth wasn't the product of chance or even intelligent design; it was all because of love...
story
steven james
Greetings Dear Friend:
The Sufis say that one good deed is worth more than 100 years of prayer. And so, ss a spiritual traveler, may I commend to you my book, Master of the Jinn: A Sufi Novel, a mystical adventure tale on the Sufi path of Love. You can view the book and read an excerpt at http://www.masterofthejinn.com
Please pass on the link to anyone you think might be interested.
In the Name of the Most Merciful, 10% of all profits go to charity.
Peace and Blessings,
Irving
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