The theme of love in Orthodox Christianity is immense and profound. Love is not just a human emotion, nor is it a virtue we can generate by ourselves.
It is an uncreated energy of God.
To understand love is to understand something about God Himself, for as the Apostle John proclaims, “God is love” (1 John 4:8).
Saint Isaac the Syrian, one of the great Fathers of the Church, expressed the depth of Christian love in a way that still astonishes us today. He wrote that the truly purified heart not only loves people and animals but even feels pity for the demons, grieving that they cannot repent and turn back to God.
This teaching may shock many, but it reveals the unlimited scope of divine love when it is reflected in the heart of the saints.
The Source of All Love in Orthodox Christianity
Orthodox Christianity insists that man is not the source of love. Just as the moon reflects the light of the sun, man reflects the love of God. Saint Isaac taught that God is the inexhaustible fountain of love, a spring that never ceases to flow.
The Psalmist testifies:
“The mercies of the Lord are over all His works”
Psalm 144:9, LXX
Love is not something that exists only between humans. It is divine mercy that extends to every creature God has made.
When the human heart is pure, it becomes capable of receiving and reflecting this universal love.
Christ Himself gave the command to love not only God but also one’s neighbor (Matthew 22:39). Yet He raised the commandment even higher:
“Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you”
Matthew 5:44
If we are commanded to love enemies, Saint Isaac reasoned, then the truly sanctified heart, burning with God’s love, will feel compassion even for those fallen spirits who forever remain enemies of God.
The Heart as a Mirror
The Fathers often describe the heart as a mirror. When God’s uncreated energy of love shines upon it, the heart reflects this love back toward God and outward toward creation. But when the heart is clouded by passions, it is unable to reflect anything.
This is why many do not love as they should. Sin and selfishness corrode the mirror of the heart.
Only purification through repentance, fasting, prayer, confession, and the sacraments restores its brightness. Once purified, the heart naturally begins to love not only people but also animals, creation, and even to feel pity for demons.
Saint Isaac describes this condition as a “burning of the heart” for all creation. Such a heart weeps for every creature, for people enslaved by sin, for animals suffering in the fallen world, and even for demons who cannot repent.
This is not sympathy with evil but sorrow for the tragedy of existence apart from God.
Love for All Creation
Orthodox Christianity teaches that human sin wounded all of creation. Saint Paul writes:
“The whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now”
Romans 8:22
The saints, who share in God’s love, feel this groaning deeply.
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Saint Isaac says the compassionate heart cannot bear to see animals suffer, or even to remember demons without shedding tears.
This love is not a natural emotion but the work of divine grace. It reflects the mercy of God, who:
“makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust”
Matthew 5:45
This vision of love embraces everything. For the saints, compassion is not limited to friends, family, or fellow believers. It extends universally, because God’s love extends universally.
Love for Enemies
One of the clearest marks of Orthodox Christianity is the command to love enemies. The Lord emphasized that even sinners love those who love them, but true children of God love their enemies (Luke 6:32-35).
Saint Stephen, the first martyr, demonstrated this when he prayed:
“Lord, do not hold this sin against them”
Acts 7:60
The saints after him imitated Christ Himself, who forgave those who crucified Him.
Saint Isaac’s teaching about feeling pity even for demons is the ultimate extension of this truth.
If the saintly heart can pity even the fallen angels who hate God, then surely it must love all men, regardless of their sins.
This teaching shocks us because our hearts are not yet purified. But it reveals what the grace of God can accomplish in those who have been made holy.
What It Means to Pity Demons
Some misunderstand Saint Isaac and think he meant we should sympathize with the devil or compromise with evil. That is not the case. Orthodox Christianity teaches clearly that the devil and demons are enemies of God and of human salvation.
Saint Isaac did not say we should agree with demons or excuse their malice. Rather, he said that the sanctified heart, burning with God’s love, cannot think of any creature without sorrow. Even remembering demons, it feels pity for their miserable condition, knowing they can never repent.
This pity does not imply hope for their salvation, since the Church teaches that their fall is eternal. It only shows the depth of compassion in the saintly heart, which mirrors God’s universal love.
The Christian is called to pray for all men and all creation. In the saints, this love overflows so abundantly that it even sorrows for those outside the possibility of salvation.
The Difference Between True and False Love
Not all forms of love are genuine. The world often confuses passion, attachment, or selfish desire with love.
Orthodox Christianity insists that true love comes only from God and is the fruit of a purified heart.
Saint Paul describes love:
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself; is not puffed up; does not behave rudely; does not seek its own”
1 Corinthians 13:4-5
Saint Isaac also warned of false loves: excessive clinging that becomes selfish, or sinful passions disguised as love.
Only the pure heart can discern what is genuine. Love that comes from God is universal, merciful, selfless, and holy. It includes even one’s enemies, and in the saints it extends even to the demons.
How the Saints Lived This Teaching
The lives of the saints illustrate Saint Isaac’s teaching.
- Saint Seraphim of Sarov fed bears and birds in the forest, showing love for animals.
- Saint Silouan the Athonite wept for all mankind, praying even for those far from God.
- Saint Stephen forgave his murderers.
Their love was not selective but reflected the boundless mercy of God. Their hearts were purified through prayer, fasting, humility, and repentance, until they became vessels of divine love.
In them, we see what Orthodox Christianity means when it speaks of love for all creation.
How We Can Strive for This Love
Ordinary Christians may feel overwhelmed by the example of the saints. How can we love like this? The answer is not to attempt great feats immediately but to begin with small steps of purification.
Prayer, confession, forgiving those around us, showing kindness to animals, and caring for creation are ways we open our hearts to God’s love. As the Lord said:
“He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much”
Luke 16:10
Step by step, the Christian heart is healed, until one day it may reflect the same universal compassion of the saints.
Explaining to Children
Parents can explain this truth to children in simple terms. God made everything. He loves every person and even cares for animals. He wants us to love everyone too, even those who are unkind.
Children can be told: the heart is like a lamp. When it is clean, God’s light shines through it to all things. If someone is mean, we should pray for them instead of hating them. Even when we think about the devil, we can be sad that he turned away from God, but we never follow him.
This helps children see that true Christian love is not just about feelings but about living close to God and shining His love everywhere.