"And it is only by the observance of the
first and greatest commandment that we can keep the second. The more we love
God, the more we shall love man; the less we love God, the less we shall, in
the true sense of the word, love man. Our love will become capricious, fitful,
and unreliable—not charity, but passion. If you feel that your love for your
fellowman is dying out in the fumes of selfishness, there is but one way to
revive it: strive for, pray for, the love of God. As the heart turns toward its
source, it will be quickened and expanded. There is no true, no lasting spirit
of charity apart from the practice of religion. Therefore, we cannot keep those
commandments which teach us our duty to men unless we are keeping those which
teach us our duty to God."
— Fr. Basil W.
Maturin, Christian Self-Mastery, p. 160
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