God has given us the gift of carnal love. It is complete as a filled jar and perfect as a ripe apple. When we waste our love unwisely, we divide what we have received among all to whom we give it. And when that very special person appears in our life, he will receive only what is left. The more partners we have, the less love remains in our supply.
– How do we know when it is the right person?
– You will want to grow old with him …
We can have a complete relationship with only one person. There cannot be equally close relationships with several people. Even close friends are usually quite few. The relationship between a man and a woman is the ultimate intimacy possible between two people…
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One monk was once asked:
– You often speak about love and family. But what’s the difference whether a man and a woman live in marriage, or they have free love?
The monk replied,
– Marriage, created and blessed by the Lord, serves to cultivate and multiply love between people. But unfortunately, people abuse the gifts that they receive, causing countless sorrows. For example, let’s say you have a car. If it is yours, it will bring you joy and benefit. But if you stole it, then it would bring you nothing but trouble, and you will be punished according to your merits. Love outside of marriage is also stolen.
***
Once a young man who had a hard time getting married came to Elder Paisios for advice. The elder said that it takes a little extravagance to create a family, and told him the following parable:
– Once it started to rain, and water started running down the bed of a mountain river. There were two people on the bank, and they had to cross to the opposite side. One of them was very smart, and the other was a fool. “The rain will end,” the clever one reasoned, “the water will subside, and after that I will be able to cross to the other side.” The fool did not bother waiting and simply waded across the river. Of course, his clothes got wet, but he was able to get where he wanted. The rain, instead of stopping, poured harder and harder. The stream became turbulent and deep. And in the end, the smart one remained on the same bank, because it was already dangerous to cross the river.
It is the same with those smarty pants who hesitate to embark on the path of Christian life.
Source: https://azbyka.ru/days