At the start of your holy life, the flame of love doesn’t burn only inside you but it spreads to other people as well, it is revealed in thinking, shown in words, sight, hearing and all the bodily gestures.

It is discovered in thinking: meditation fed with the contemplation of the Eternal Love enriches understanding by willing to share the heavenly earnings with those who don’t have them. Meditation driven by love does not need figments, but it uncovers itself as you build your inner world: it is revealed completely, for the sake of your neighbour.

Love is manifested in words: the silence of love is disrupted only by the glorification of God and by helping the neighbour. These are instances of convincing love, its mouth springs genuine words, sheds salve on the spiritual and bodily wounds, and speaks peace and truth. Its speaking, following the word of Scripture is indeed beautiful.

Love is manifested in our glance, when it looks at seen creatures only to exalt them to the unseen world. It turns towards the poor in order to help them, towards people in need to ease their burden, towards the pious to follow them, towards the smaller with gentleness, towards everyone with a pure heart.

Love is manifested in hearing as well, when it ignores the insults that hurt their heart but listens in the distance the sigh of the innocent, when becomes deaf to the worldly tumult, but sharp when it comes to listen the righteousness.

Love is present in all the bodily gestures, when, serving God the body is filled with spiritual fruits, when man raises his hands towards God for charity and partaking, when he directs his steps toward the house of mourning and weeping climbing towards the house of prayer, when he always bears in his soul our Lord’s assassination by being crucified, and suffers together with Him.

(Translated from Sfântul Inochentie al Penzei, Viața care duce la Cer, traducere de Adrian Tănăsescu-Vlas, Editura Sophia, București, 2012, pp. 207-208)