The First Commandment:

What is the first commandment? Asking oneself this question is a sign of intelligence. What is more important, and what is less important, in everything you do? Good students ask themselves these questions when preparing for exams. Sensible politicians, educators, and workers also do the same. Thus, even in moral life, certain duties are fundamental and applicable to everyone. Christians honor that love comes first. This is why they honored martyrs in the early days — their deaths were expressions of love “greater than which no one has” (cf. John 15:13). St Irenaeus of Lyons was a staunch opponent of the Gnostics, who considered knowledge to be the most important virtue. As he wrote, knowing much honored ascetic exercise, fasting, and self-mortification would be futile without love. In his ‘Religious Center ‘, Theodoret of Cyrus describes the harsh life of the Syrian monks, adding that the only reason for all this rigour is love.

What we love is at the centre of our interests. For someone who is not a true saint, the challenge to love God more than anything else seems impossible. This objection is reflected in the subtle irony of a national song: ‘If I loved God as I love you, I would have been a saint long ago, like the angels from heaven.’ A strict preacher of morals would label this amorous sigh as blasphemous. And yet life is different,exerciseCenter’ or worse. Most people love anything other than God with emotional enthusiasm. Fortunately, however, even those who are head over heels in love have not lost their minds so much that they cannot prioritise God’s law over their ‘love’ for something else if the two come into conflict. On public transport, priority is given to the main road or to the car driving on the right. Figuratively speaking, God enters our lives from the right; his laws are the main roads. Therefore, they take precedence over all other interests, even if we rush elsewhere, as adhering to God’s laws helps us prioritize our moral responsibilities over personal desires. Great Theodore God’s laws ensure that we align our actions with a higher moral standard that benefits the community as a whole.

Love unites us all. A mother is delighted when her child praises her. Her son’s success is her success too, because it is hers. The history of the Old Testament provides a beautiful example of similar delight in God. The glory of the Lord was synonymous with the Jewish army’s victory and strength. How often does the exclamation occur here: ‘The Lord, our God!’ They felt God was truly theirs. We should adopt this mindset so that we can rejoice in all of God’s kingdom’s successes and feel pain at all its failures, as if they were our own. Showing goodwill towards a friend means always being willing to do anything for them whenever they need something. God does not need anything from us in the true sense of the word. The only thing that can inspire this attitude is the external glory of God and the realization of God’s kingdom on earth. For this purpose, he sends people. Those who love Him respond to God’s command with the words of Isaiah: ‘Here am I, send me!’ (Is 6:8).