A man who has been assiduous in acquiring the fruits of love will not cease loving even if he suffers a thousand calamities. Let Stephen, the disciple of Christ, and others like him persude you of the the truth of this. Our Lord Himself prayed for His murderers and asked for the Father to forgive them for they did not know what they were doing. (Maximos the Confessor)

Love may begin as feeling, as fleeting as any. Over time love can become a habit, as unthinking as any other. Each has its grace.

But the love of which Maximos writes requires conscious care. It is a love under attack. It is love challenged at every turn.

Such love is exercised, strengthened and refined, assiduously as any athlete, until each strain and struggle unfolds in a beautiful wholeness.