“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35
“He is so good that He asks no recompense except our love: that is the only payment He desires… When I reflect on all these blessings, I am overcome by a kind of dread… at the very possibility of ceasing to love God and of bringing shame upon Christ because of my lack of recollection and my preoccupation with trivialities.”
Basil of Caesarea (330-379) in Rules as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 178.
Basil is known as “the great” for good reason. He states profound truths clearly and concisely in a manner that shakes and wakes us to our responsibilities as stewards.
Here he reminds us to obey the command of Jesus to love. It’s the only “payment” He desires. By this we show we are His disciples. But what causes us to fail to show love.
We either have “lack of recollection” or we fall prey to “preoccupation with trivialities” along the way. Lack of recollection is to forget. When we focus on ourselves, we forget Christ.
And “preoccupation with trivialities” relates to giving our heart to many other things. By this way, our love for God diminishes, and our actions bring shame upon Christ.
This relates to generosity in this way. Reflect on God’s blessings. Avoid the “dread” of allowing “lack of recollection” and “preoccupation with trivialities” to diminish your love.
Instead, resolve to love God and love others, including the undeserving, with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and see how God deploys you and the resources in your stewardship.