Elder St Paisios on Faith and Love
“First comes faith and then love. One must believe in order to love. One cannot love something he does not believe in. So to love God we must believe in God. The greater our faith, the greater our hope and love and sacrfice for God and our neighbour. A fervent faith in God brings forth a fervent love for God and for the image of God, our fellow man. Out of the abundance of our love that cannot be contained in the heart and overflows – the poor animals also benefit. We believe strongly and we love strongly. If our faith is lukewarm, our love will be lukewarm. If our faith is fervent, our love will be fervent.”
– ‘Spiritual Awakening’