Captives of Love
An absolute heart felt feeling and power, living for the other, denying oneself, a spirit that fills us with happiness, gotten in suffering, and such a great virtue of nature is “love.” Love gives everything; loves as itself; considers others, suffers, aches for others and sacrifices life itself.
The owner of love is the Lord, with all His love for mankind He degraded His character; He is the Lord yet He came to be amongst mankind. He was convicted as a criminal and brought before a court of law; He was accused, suffered and the one Begotten Son of The Father was crucified on the cross for the sake of love.
He captured the heart of those who love Him; His Captives of Love, love their God with all their heart, all their soul and all of their power. (Matthew 22:37) They loved there brother more than themselves and suffered in the way Lord Jesus Christ suffered. They loved the truth and hated falsity They chose suffering over the comfort of the world. They were starved, thirsted, deprived, migrated, suffered, and died unfairly; ye, the captives of love will illuminate in the end.
Midst the darkened world, filled with misery, they were tired of the vanity of the world. They attained hope form the gospel that lighted their hearts. Walking on the path of righteousness, with their free will, they went through all sufferings favorably since, they are captives of love. Their heart was in-flames for the love of the Lord, because He is in their heart.
Every day they are disregarded. They travel from place to place since; still do not get acceptance. They starve for righteousness and hate falsehood. They withstand all through the day and the night. They serve the Lord, taking refuge in a wild ravine. They do all this for the love of the Lord.
Love is true and so they became the witnesses of truth. Saint Ephraim the Syrian said “Martyrs belittled the pleasures of the world; they bled for the sake of God. They patiently went through suffering and died for the Kingdome of heaven. In the world where betrayal, lies, theft, blasphemy, vanity are abundant, they were tolerable; they lit up like candles because of their resilience.” (Praise of Saint Mary Thursday) Like a candle burning in a cave, like a lantern in a dark hole, they shine like a lamp in a small, narrow hut.
Within the one orthodox religion, they serve the true God. The fact that they borne Christ’s cross proves that God of light, lights up on them. All their life they fearfully served Him, denying themselves for the sake of their Lord; left their family and home, chose to live itinerant in suffering so God who is light lives within them.
In this chaotic world, they sweeten our bitter life. When lies are abundant they protect the truth; whilst justice is not served, they remind us. When hatred controls our mind they remind us love. They don’t fear being slaughtered, nor do they fear the chains that diminish them; pain did not push them away. They faced the enemy face to face and gave their testimony for the true God. They were beaten for His love; there skin peeled; were sawed with a saw, boiled in water an burned in fire. “…There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated, the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.”(Hebrews 11:35-38)
They always think of Christ’s suffering in faith and cry. They have been whipped on their backs, thinking of the whipping Christ endured. They were slapped in their faces out of sheer love; They threw themselves from trees and stones; and died. And he will raise them with His abundant miracles (Hagiography of Abune Abib) They perform spiritual sacraments with faith. Their life revolves by the fear of God. They will not worry about anything, nor will they fear, for He is their refuge, shield, strength, their power. Their resilience is all for the one God. He is their cloth, food and drink. He is there bridge during their hard times. He is their cloth when they are bare and food when they are hungry. The almighty God is the one that endows us an everlasting bread and wine. So they do not worry about the world, or else the huger and thrust within it. They believe God who bestows a true life, will a-same give them peace, freedom, and protect them with life for eternity. Because of their faith, they chose to serve the one God who created heaven and earth. Lastly, they choose to die and inherit the kingdom of heaven and live with God in happiness for eternity.
May the prayers, intercession and meditation of saints’ martyrs’ be up on us, Amen!
Praise be to God!