1914_07_06 Love

[Jackline Spasova-Bobeva]

 

From Dawning of a New Epoch, Beinsa Duno

 

 

Love

 

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of Angels, but have not Love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.”^[1] The word “love” has become very mundane in the world today. It has become so prosaic nowadays that it has lost its meaning. When a word loses its meaning, it becomes lifeless; and everything that becomes lifeless lacks inner power and so declines.

 

In the organic world when a certain food enters the stomach, but cannot be properly digested, it creates a condition that doctors call “indigestion” and that produces an unpleasant feeling in the body. This law is true not only in the physical, but also in the mental world: When a thought comes to one’s mind, which cannot be digested with one’s mind because the mind cannot understand it, a similar condition occurs. The same happens with the human heart. When a desire enters, which it cannot connect with, a similar condition results.

 

Human nature gets to know things around us in three stages. When you take a fruit, an apple for example—red, colorful, and beautiful—first its form appeals to your eyes, then you take it, turn it around, and through your eyes you will form an impression of the apple from its outer form and color. After your eyes have finished this process, you bring the apple closer to your nose to check its smell and determine the quality of its smell. When your sense of smell has done its job, then your tongue and teeth taste the apple and perform the last operation on the fruit, thereby destroying its beautiful garment until nothing is left of it; and the tongue says, “This apple is tasty.” Similarly, Love manifests in three stages in human lives, and because we do not understand this, we often have an inaccurate understanding of Love. Some say that Love is a feeling, others a power, still others an illusion, and so on. It is said that whatever condition your mind is in, you are in the same condition, so your understanding of Love will depend on the condition of your mind.

 

In order to come to know someone’s opinion on a certain subject, observe how that person speaks and writes; to come to know a woman, visit her, see her home and how it looks; to come to know a cook, enter her kitchen and observe what and how she cooks; to come to know a soldier, see his action on the battlefield; to come to know a teacher, see him at school, and a preacher or a priest in his church; and so on. Everything should be tested in its own environment.

 

When we come to discuss the meaning of Love in general, as not all of you may be ready to understand what I can share, I will present it in a simpler way. I may speak in a language incomprehensible to you, not because I do not want to be understood, but because there are some reasons why my talk might not be clear to you. 

 

When a child is born, the mother first gives the baby some milk and then some liquid food when it is a little older. Later she prepares soft food by first chewing it. The children enjoy the milk and the liquid food, but in order to be able to eat solid food, their teeth first need to grow; otherwise they will have stomach problems. During the teething process, the child may become ill.  The mother worries, “My baby has a temperature. I need to call a doctor. Will my child survive?” Yet, when the teeth come through, all that is forgotten. A similar situation happens in human life as well: when people are given “solid food,” Love, they undergo suffering. Therefore, when we say, “Sufferings are necessary,” we imply that it is necessary to pass through them, “to undergo teething” in order to be able to eat solid food. I could explain later what these “teeth” are, but for the moment I can tell you that when sufferings come, this shows that you are “teething.” Once you have passed through this process, you will have a complete set of 32 teeth; and you will have reached the age of Christ, 32 years old.

 

Let me offer you an explanation of how the Apostle Paul perceived Love. In order to understand Love, we need to compare it to its opposite, as when people try to describe an object, they need to find its distinctive features. For instance, to describe a horse, cow, sheep, wolf, and so on, we need to find those features that distinguish these animals from one another. In the description we make an analysis, usually based on the external characteristics, but we can do the same with the inner differences between them too.

 

In the modern world many people desire to be eloquent speakers, as everyone knows that in this way they can influence an audience by the power of their words. However, the Apostle Paul says that, though he may have all the eloquence of human language and even that of the Angels, without love this would profit him nothing—this would be rather like trying to understand an apple by looking at it only from the outside.

 

At present, many people would like to find out what their future is going to be and that of Bulgaria as well. If you were able to make such a prophecy, many would rush to you asking questions, and you would receive much honor, if your predictions came true. Yet, the Apostle Paul says, “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”2 He is saying that in the world today people are not concerned with the inner meaning of life: even if they were able to move mountains and cities, and be able to divide kingdoms, they would only be dealing with the outer aspects of life.

 

The Apostle Paul goes on to say, “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not Love, it profits me nothing.”^[2] This means that even if we have all the good qualities mentioned by the Apostle Paul, but we lack Love, we would be lacking in the most important one. It is not that all these gifts are without value, but they represent only the external side of a person’s life and fail to transform the inner side.

 

The Apostle Paul goes on further to describe all the qualities of Love.^[3] Its first quality is longsuffering. Do you know the meaning of longsuffering? It is the essential pillar of life. If you have endurance, you can achieve everything in life; if you do not have it, you will not. A person with endurance is like a ship with an anchor; a person without it is like a ship without an anchor.  This is precisely the distinguishing quality of Love. It is because God is longsuffering that it is said in the Scriptures, “God is Love.”^[4]. Longsuffering is a sign of the sublime Love of God toward us. If He did not have this Love, He would not have tolerated us all this time; He would not have tolerated our ignorance and wrongdoings; and would have rid the universe of us a long time ago. Therefore, whatever work we begin, whatever results we want to get in life, endurance is absolutely necessary.

 

Many say, “Endurance means strong will-power.” No, endurance is a great quality and there is nothing more noble than this in the human character. However, endurance does not come at birth; it needs to be acquired. Love can come to us as a gift, but endurance we need to achieve by ourselves. Suffering is a process by which we can learn endurance; it is a method for acquiring endurance.  

 

To be able to endure, we need to have three essential qualities: Wisdom, Truth, and Virtue. Why does a mother tolerate certain faults in her child and try to bring him or her up well? She foresees that, in spite of its weaknesses, the child will become a great individual and bring benefit to many. Foreseeing this, the mother thinks, “I will face all difficulties and will endure my child’s faults,” and she is right. Those who bear all things in life are wise and foresee the future.

 

When a young woman is not yet married, she keeps her hands very clean, avoids even water, and uses perfumes instead. Yet, when she gets married, she is eager to dirty them with the “perfumes” of her baby and even enjoys it. What does she find in this small child? If you weigh the child, it is only a few kilograms, but there is a Divine Spark within the baby that attracts the mother’s love to the point that with her longsuffering attitude she is ready to put up with the child by taking care of it in every way. If it were left to fathers, many of them would say, “This is not for me.” In the same way, to accomplish any work in life, we need to have Love, which is an essential quality in the hearts of those who possess it.

 

I am talking about Love in its general sense, not about its essence. Some people consider Love as a feeling, as a pleasant feeling in the heart. This is not Love because one can experience a pleasant feeling after drinking some wine or finding a relief from body aches. However, this is not the feeling produced by Love. When someone loves you, that person may sometimes also cause you pain. Love can cause pain and joy at the same time. Love is like a two-edged sword: it caresses all, but also punishes all. How does it punish you? When Love is away from you, you become sorrowful and say, “I am unhappy.” Why are you unhappy? It is because Love is absent, because you are only happy when Love is present in you.

 

Love also tells us something else: Longsuffering creates conditions for Love to manifest. Endurance is the way it enters the human heart. Without endurance Love cannot manifest in us. Endurance is a pre-requisite, the vanguard of its coming. When a degree of endurance has been acquired, you will understand that in brave, decisive people it is a mighty power that gives them a bright future.

 

Let us consider now the word “benevolence.” This is the positive, active side of Love, while longsuffering is the passive, protective side, which one needs in order to endure certain burdens.  Benevolence is Love that is ready to build, to help someone, no matter whom. When you encounter a beggar, who asks you for a favor, help him! When a friend of yours, who has a noble character, asks you for a favor, help him, even if his convictions and faith are different from yours. We desire that people love us and address us politely, yet we often violate this rule and not only do we not show patience, but often we do not even show the normally expected politeness.

 

Some people may say that they love a person, yet they badmouth about him to others. The echo of this will be heard in time because whatever one sows, one will also reap.  If you plant an apple, you will harvest apples; if you sow thorns, you will reap thorns.

 

I am not talking about my relationships with you. I am always paying attention to what my relationships are with God, with Love, in other words, what my actions should be toward my brethren. It is less important how I judge my actions; it is more important for me to be ready to fulfill the fundamental Law required by Love: To be patient the way Love requires, and to be benevolent as it desires. This is necessary for everyone, for the entire world, for those who have a warm heart.

 

I am not talking about those who do not understand these things. Some ask, “What will happen to the bad people?” The same as will happen to stones, to ants, to little insects. Probably you think that the ants’ situation is worse than yours? They are a thousand times happier than you, as they do not experience the sufferings that you do. It is toward those in whom Divine consciousness is awakened that we need to feel compassion, toward those who understand Love, God, and evil, who suffer and are in torment.

 

Some people complain that they are unhappy and their life is a disaster. The answer is: they are unhappy because Love has not yet visited them.

 

“Why has Love not come?”

 

“It is because you are impatient.” 

 

“I am trying to become patient.”

 

“It is good that you are already trying.”

 

“Yes, but my life is still is disarray.”

 

“This is because you are not yet benevolent.”

 

Some people say that all this is very good and easy to achieve, but they fail to act on it.

 

As a doctor I am telling you that none of you are healthy because I have not met a person who is healthy in the full meaning of the word. Only the saints and the Angels who are in Heaven are completely healthy. People, of course, are unhealthy, but not all in the same way.

 

When a doctor enters your home, he may tell you, “Your room is not hygienic, as it is facing north. You need to leave this room and move to another one facing south; and you should keep your windows open as much as possible to allow fresh air and light to enter. You need to change all your bedding and begin paying attention to what you eat, and so on.” Love tells you the same, “Your room is facing north and it is not hygienic; you need to move to a southern one where the sun’s rays can enter.” In other words, Love wants to advise you to be patient and benevolent. 

 

Love also tells us that it constantly uses its hands for all work to be done. Do you know the immeasurable riches of these two hands?  When you have these hands, you can do anything. I repeat: In order for your spiritual hands to appear, you need to possess endurance and benevolence. If you reject these two qualities, not only will your external organs fail to react, but neither can your internal ones develop properly in order to manifest the necessary virtues. Why do you need to have virtues? It is because virtues will bring you all the necessary elements for the building of your house and all the juices needed for your growth. Virtue is not something abstract, but real.  It is always ready to build.

 

Therefore, those of you who can understand need to grasp the full meaning of endurance. It is not only the endurance of bearing insults; this is not the fullness of endurance. The secret of endurance is, when someone insults you, to find the good side in it and use it.  An insult is like a hard walnut, which someone has given you; you should break it, take its contents and eat it. If you can get nourishment in this way, you will become completely healthy. Those who speak badly about you and who blacken you are giving you food, and if you can use this food, you will be well satisfied. People may throw hard stones at you, but you need to break them because inside these stones treasures are hidden, which you can use to enrich yourselves.

 

When you go home, contemplate and pray to God to understand endurance. Many people occupy themselves with mediocre things; many desire to become famous and learned. That is fine, knowledge will come in due course, but, if you are true human beings, you need to be able to receive and apply that knowledge. Knowledge is a power that can benefit you and your brethren, if used properly. However, knowledge can also be like a heavy load on your back.

 

Love does not envy. In order to be sure that Love has visited you, you should ask yourselves if you are envious. If you are, it means that you do not have the fullness of Love. Love should exist eternally in our hearts; it is needed both in our present life and in the next life, and in yet further lives.

 

The further we rise, the more profound will we find the meaning of Love to be. We need to follow this path from now on; there is no other way to Heaven. You may ask, “This path is difficult, is there no alternative?” No. We can enter everywhere else without following this path, but not into the Kingdom of God. Love does not envy, does not respond to injustice with injustice, to evil with evil, and bears everything. Of course, I am not saying that envy and pride will never visit your hearts. They will visit you, but we will not be judged for that, as long as we do not befriend them. However, sometimes we embrace envy and say, “This person is not good. Beware!” and we make someone’s life miserable. Envy is not something abstract, but is in reality a being with negative features; and even on Earth there are people who are personifications of envy.

 

Only after we have learned these two qualities, endurance and benevolence, will we learn the history of our life, and learn why we came down to live on Earth. I will again give you the example of the grain of wheat. There is no better example among all existing fruits than the grain of wheat, and if you want to study the process of endurance, observe the endurance of the grain of wheat. Without endurance you will have disappointments. Many people will not believe you. Some may say, “People do not follow me.” Why should people follow you? They do not have to follow you. They will listen to your teaching; but to follow you? No, they have no obligation to do so.

 

You often ask, “Whom should I follow?” You could follow people, of course, but at times you may be deceived. However, if you are followers of God alone, you will never be deceived. The Path is one. As Christ says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” If people do not follow you, this indicates that you are not on the Path. Some may say, “I do not believe,” and try to follo^[5]w another path. However, at some point that person will find, without doubt, the true Path, thanks to life’s tests. You may insist, “Convince me then!” I am not trying to convince you. I simply say that the bread I am offering will feed you. You may ask, “Could you tell me its ingredients and what water is used?” but I would reply, “There is no point in answering such question. Just tell me if you are interested in taking and eating this bread?” You refuse, so I put the bread back in my bag and go away.

 

You may ask further, “What is Love, what is it made of?” If you ask too many questions, again I will place Love in my bag and continue on my way, telling you that I do not have time for discussion on the subject. Love is something concrete, and you need to try it, take it, and find satisfaction from eating this bread. By doing so, you will realize that Love is the food of life. Without Love one cannot exist or accomplish anything in the world. Some people see very little connection between Love and commerce, or study, or war. We need to have Love everywhere, as it is a mighty power. The force I use to lift this glass is also Love. The same power can be placed in a cannon to throw a grenade and kill many people; it can manifest in an earthquake; it can even destroy the entire Earth or it can create an entire new world.

 

There are rules about how to use certain powers. Love is a power that needs to be applied with consciousness.

 

People are selfish and when Love visits them, they want to keep it for themselves. However, if Love is locked in us, it will destroy our walls and break out. It cannot remain in this dwelling, in which we want to trap Love, and so this results in death. Death is a process for destroying every selfish thought and desire; through Love God destroys all the places where evil spirits hide. Our heart and our mind need to have all the necessary conditions for receiving Love, for Love is silent and calm, but at the same time a frightening force in its effects. If we are in harmony with Love, the world around becomes a blessing; if we are not in harmony, there is no more dangerous force in Nature than Love. For this reason, people with experience say, “Those who love a lot, hate a lot as well.” As powerful as Love is on the positive side, it is equally powerful on the negative; therefore, we need to be very careful with it. When we have Love, we should not act negatively because then it acts destructively, and illnesses, sufferings, and destruction for the whole of society may result.

 

Many say that God is Love and being Love He should not punish. The Lord, although merciful, is also very demanding. When He sees us discontented, He says, “Place one kilogram on their backs.” We may ask, “Why is this load placed on my back?” Without answering, God asks for another kilogram to be added. When you answer, “I cannot carry that,” God says to add one more kilogram. When we are pressed to the wall to the point that we cannot move, then we begin to plead, “God, forgive me!” The Lord answers by saying, “Remove a kilogram.” We repeat our plea, and He answers by removing another kilogram. The more we pray, the more weight is removed from our back. And when the entire weight is removed, the Lord asks us, “Have you learned your lesson?”

 

“Yes,” we say, “I have learned it well.”

 

“If you want Me not to burden you anymore, you need to be benevolent to all the world around you, to everyone around you, and they should be benevolent and bearing toward you as well. Your little brethren may make mistakes, but you need to show tolerance, just as I do; and in the day you violate My Law, I will start to put another load on you again.”

 

“I cannot carry such load.”

 

“You shall carry it.”

 

I will tell you how we can release ourselves from burdens. We need to address God sincerely, “I am thankful with all my heart for everything You are giving me.” God has given every person thousands of blessings, but people do not know how to use them. The proverb says, “He is swimming in water, but is still feeling thirsty.”

 

Many merchants are dissatisfied. Why? They have 10,000 leva, but this is not enough. You give them 20,000, but it is still not enough; you give them 50,000, then 100,000 leva, but they are still dissatisfied. Do you know what modern humankind resembles? Probably you have read about that fisherman who found a beautiful eye. He was asked, “How much do you want for this eye?”

 

“As much as it weighs.”

 

They placed 10 grams on the scales, but the eye was not satisfied; 20 grams were placed on the scales, but it was still unhappy; 100 grams, still unhappy; 1 kilogram, 100 kilograms, 1,000 kilograms, 10,000 kilograms… Finally all the gold they had was offered, but still the eye remained unsatisfied.

 

“What we should do because we cannot pay it off?” they asked themselves. Finally they asked a wise old man what to do.

 

“It is very easy,” he replied, “Take some dirt and cover the eye.”

 

The people did as he advised and the eye closed.  In the same way, when God sees us discontented, He will say, “Place dirt on the eyes,” and we become content. Just as we like to add salt and black pepper to our food, so God uses these spices to transform our discontent into contentment. The meaning of life is not in the abundance we have, but in what we can use at any given moment. You should be thankful to God for what He has given us, and then He will give us even more bounties.

 

We need to apply the words of the Apostle Paul in everyday life, to begin to work and to be useful to our brethren. We are studying as in school and not as in a nursery. Church is like a big nursery and you can sow anything there. However, school is like a garden where you can sow only things that are useful. In the school we need to learn how to work the soil and sow beautiful and useful things. There is also something more to do in the school, as there is a connection between heart and mind. We should not only plant seedlings, but also cultivate them and thereby fulfill the fundamental Laws that should govern our life.

 

You may ask, “Why has God not given us more talents, more power, and more money?” I can see many reasons for that. It is because whenever God sent you, your fathers and forefathers, to work in the field, instead of making efforts to cultivate your minds and hearts, you have been considering the taste of the forbidden fruit and again and again trying to taste it, and all these attempts have cost you all your capital. All the times you have come to this field, instead of working you have cut school and returned to Him, begging Him to give you yet more for free. You are like students whose fathers and mothers want to make them scholars, but who do not study. Many of you have cut classes in the Divine School. You say, “We cannot do this work, so let us throw all propriety to the wind.” You have talked like that and are doing this now, but this is not a wise attitude. Those who desire to learn the Divine Law and attain a higher realm such as that of the saints, from where they can get clear perspective on life and receive the blessings of God, need to graduate from the Divine School on Earth and pass its final exam. In this graduation lie blessings for everyone.

 

If unprepared for this life, you shall lead horses and plow fields, and break stones to make roads, until you learn what horses, plowing, stones, and roads can teach you, and so prepare yourselves for the Kingdom of God. God sets disobedient children to cut stones and gives to the obedient ones noble occupations. 

 

You may complain, “This teaching is difficult.” Yes, for the lazy ones I agree that it is difficult, but for the humble and hardworking students it has hidden treasures. Do you know why the worm is in the earth, the frog in the water, the bird in the air, and the human being among all of them? These are the four great situations in life. You may say, “These are abstract things.” They are not abstract, but four great truths that will show you the “narrow path”—the Path of the Divine. It is true that the Divine Path is narrow, but there are profound reasons for that which I cannot explain at the moment, as they are beyond the limits of this world.

 

I would like to return to the word “Love,” which people have diminished, blemished, and rendered lifeless. They have smashed its goodness and beauty and have destroyed the melodious harmony of its sounds to the point that its sounds have become hoarse and irritating. We often say, “Love is just an illusion of life, the empty dreams of young men and women who are chasing the elusive shadows of life.” Yes, it is a shadow, but there is a reality behind it, which produces the water of life. The soul constantly satisfies its thirst from this water, as a tired traveler will do at the crystal-pure and refreshing mountain wellspring. What valuable wealth, what knowledge is hidden in this one word! If people knew how to pronounce it correctly, the way it was originally pronounced by the Divine mouth, everything around them would smile at them and listen to this heavenly sound. They would have the magic wand of the wise men of old, through which everything turns to good. Many may say, “It would be a blessing to have such a wand!” Yes, this is the highest blessing one can achieve on Earth. Everyone can attain this as long as one strives constantly toward it.

 

For now, I will just tell you this: If first you learn patience in life, meaning enduring everything all the time with humility and joy, then you will find Truth. With your impatience and negative thoughts, you create a heavy atmosphere in your home. The wife is unhappy because her husband brings home only 150 leva, and she wants this and that. All these desires, desires, desires, but who will work for you? Who will fulfill them, if not you yourself? For instance, if people desire to have full barns without working, where will it all come from? Riches are acquired not easily, but through hard work. Therefore, we should be content with what God in His Great Wisdom is kind enough to give us.

 

I am not advising you never to listen to other people’s advice. You could draw some lessons from them, but each person needs to listen to the advice God has planted in his own consciousness. Listen to what people say, and if this is in tune with what God tells you from within, then follow their advice; if not, do not follow other people’s advice. If you want to be free of error, you must listen to God. Those who do not listen to God are not wise, but are slaves of their external impulses, of people, of everything.

 

You are searching for God, but where? He is inside you, in your mind, and in your heart. He manifests in both of these. Listen well to your mind and your heart because God is speaking through them. Some may say that mind and heart are corrupt, but this is not true. If our mind and heart were bad, how would we come to know God? There are things in us that are corrupt, but not everything. I am telling you: If you do not trust your mind and heart, in what could you? If my mind and hear were corrupt, and yours also, why would I trust you? In whom do we need to trust? In God Who abides in us. If we can trust in ourselves, we will also trust our brethren.

 

Those who do not trust in God abiding in them cannot trust other people either; and those who are not compassionate toward their brethren are not pleasing to God. Therefore, God asks us to love our neighbors. And your neighbor is wounded, crucified, and nailed to the cross. Your Lord is not in Heaven, you have nailed Him and you can find the truth about this in the Scriptures. Your salvation will not happen in any other way, but through this “nailing”: endurance and benevolence. Only then will your salvation come. You may say, “This is very difficult.” It is not difficult, so do not be afraid. It is not without purpose to be nailed to the cross. The Lord endures thousands of years of being nailed. “But will we suffer?” You will not suffer. People who are afraid of suffering are not welcome in our school. You need to thank God for these sufferings: they are sent by Him. The sufferings given to you now are deserved; you are worthy of them. If Christ had not worn the crown of thorns and had not been nailed to the cross, how could He have manifested this Love? Would you love him today, if He had wanted to live like a king? You love Him because He was nailed to the cross for your salvation.

 

Therefore, from now on, be heroes! Do not be afraid of suffering, but show the world that you have courage and that you are ready to bear not one but ten crosses. One man complained that the cross he carried was very heavy. The Lord ordered his cross to be removed and brought him to a big hall, and told him, “In this hall there are many crosses: big and small, made of gold, iron, or stone. Choose one of them.” The man looked around, looked around, and finally found a small cross and said, “I want this cross.” God replied, “This is the same cross you were carrying so far, the cross I gave you.” As you see, we often exaggerate our sufferings, yet they are the way we can ascend toward God. When someone suffers, we should know that he is redeeming his errors and is on the path of salvation. I congratulate him and say “Brother, you are closer to Heaven; I wish I were in your place.” When someone says, “I have not experienced any suffering,” I tell that person, “You are still ‘green.’” Green is pleasant, but when it begins to ripen, suffering comes. Now, keep this thought in mind, I am giving it to you for contemplation as it comes from the Lord: When suffering befalls you, rejoice and thank God that He sends it to you because He loves you. Sufferings are a sign of Divine Love, so let us all carry this cross. For this reason God gave the Bulgarian nation as a whole, as a soul, these sufferings so that it may attain these two qualities: longsuffering and benevolence. You may say that the Serbian and the Greeks are such and such. It does not matter, do not pay attention; just try to learn the lessons for your salvation. What the others are, leave them alone. They have not gained anything and for them also the time will come to learn this lesson. This lesson was given earlier to you and for this you should give thanks and not protest. If you say, “We are being crucified,” God replies, “No problem!  In this way you are closer to Me, while the others are further away, but they too will come into this state later on.” When you are crucified, only then shall you enter the Kingdom of God. Therefore, let us rejoice that we have more opportunities in this world. Let us be true Christians, devout followers of Christ. Let us not pay attention to what others may say. Let us be longsuffering and compassionate and fulfill our obligations toward God through our pure thoughts and desires. Let us not stumble on this sublime Path, but act with courage and decisiveness, encouraging everyone who stands together with us. This is the power that will help us to overcome the present difficulties.^[6]

 

 

         Lecture delivered on July 6 (19), 1914, Sofia.

 

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[1] 1 Corinthians 13:1

[2] See 1 Corinthians 13:2–3

[3] See also 1 Corinthians 13:4–7, “Love suffers long and is kind; Love does not envy; Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

[4] See also 1 John 4:16, “And we have known and believed the Love that God has for us. God is Love, and he who abides in Love abides in God, and God in him.”

[5] See John 14:6.

[6] The Master refers to the second Balkan War in 1913, which brought about the defeat of Bulgaria through the combined attacks of her neighboring countries. Bulgaria was then left in despair after losing peoples and territories.