On Life 83 – Water, Not Fire – June 26, 2015

   He did not know what to do with that person who nursed him an unjustified animosity. He tried to find out its reasons many times, but failed. While feeling that puzzled, he saw fire eating up some slips of paper. So, he hurried to put it out with water. Here, he stopped and smiled: for he realized that love puts out animosity.

   Life is full of dualities, such as love and hatred. Each has a route different from the other’s. Hence, we can choose to follow either and be responsible for our choice. It is said that love sets life free, while hatred imprisons it. Hatred confuses life, whereas love enlightens it. Hatred makes life dark. Love fills it with light. Thus, hatred is associated with death and destruction, while love is associated with life and construction.

   Some people think love is synonymous to weakness. This misjudgment is ascribed to man’s wrongly evaluating matters due to his pains. Yet, whoever knows love knows that its path is sad and thorny. It needs that man implant its seeds patiently. These seeds will sprout beautiful trees that sprout the fruit of happiness.

   Man should realize he is responsible for spreading either love or hatred in the world through his actions. These will make the world either good or bad. According to the Portuguese poet Pessoa, “We torture our fellow humans with our envy and cunningness and say the world is evil!” Man is the author of the tragedy of evil. He will reap its fruit. On the other hand, if you sow love, you reap love, even if the fruit sprout late. If you sow evil, you will tread on thorns. Sacrifice for love in order to boost it, even if people abandon it. If you suffer for love as you endure others’ deeds, your pain will be transformed into strength that makes you kind enough to love everybody.

   Even if hatred fills the world, never stop loving people, for hatred cannot be held back except by love, in like manner fire is put out by water, not by fire. It is said that you cannot expel darkness with darkness, but with light. Thus, you cannot combat hatred with hatred, but with love.”

   Mark this: whoever chooses love chooses goodness and happiness. Whoever chooses hatred chooses darkness and death. Never allow circumstances to sway you from the path you have chosen: for what you have is too precious to forfeit for the negative and destructive.

General Bishop

Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center