This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down. 2 Corinthians 13:10
“There was nothing more capacious than the heart of Paul, for he loved all the faithful with an intimate love as any lover could have for a loved one, his love not being divided and lessened but remaining whole and entire for each of them. And what marvel is it that his love for the faithful was such, since his heart embraced unbelievers, too, throughout the whole world.”
John Chrysostom (347-407) in 2 Corinthians 13 as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 368.
Capacious. What a great word to describe Paul’s heart. We might say in modern terms that a generous person has a big heart. But how do we get one?
Chyrsostom offers us a clue. Our love must not be divided or lessened.
I was chatting with my Pinehurst Bible Study brothers yesterday after breakfast. We discussed how the global church seems distracted by social issues.
When that happens, it divides and lessens our love. Don’t let it happen to you.
God, give us capacious hearts, with deep love neither divided nor lessened by any factors around us so that our service is both faithful and generous. Amen.