III. The Mystery of Fidelity

The second collection of reflections in the work of Philip and Allen is entitled "The Mystery of Fidelity" examines the "human connection and the call to faithfulness to the other -- to our fellow human beings, our earth, our community and ultimately to God" which serves to lead the individual in their response to God and in God's call to mankind to search for and find Him as He awaits the answer to the call that He has sent out. These meditations contained in this part of Philip and Allen's work demonstrates the ways that all of God's creations are interconnected in the life of the individual, their sisters and brothers, and in the community and world.

IV. Violence

The opening meditation in the second part of Philip and Allen's work is entitled "Violence'. The challenge presented in this reflection is given to the individual of faith and instructs them to "do violence to his own heart is he will become faithful to God and his fellow." (Hester, 2012, p.31) the focus of this reflection is on the necessity to "endure separation, fear, lack of comfort, abandonment, betrayal, and freely chosen poverty to become faithful to God and our fellowman. In all of this we come to experience the mystery of the truth that, as the final reflection notes, "fidelity to God is one such response to his love." (Hester, 2012, p.31) God waits for the individual "to return, to be healed…Entering the mystery of fidelity as we discovery God." (Hester, 2012, p.31)

Summary and...

According to Very Rev. Fr. David Hester, pastor of St. Mary Antiochian Orthodox Church, Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania, the work of Philip and Allen is should that should "be read in silent, soul-filled moments to allow the depths of the words of each meditation to touch the heart and to fill the mind with an ever greater love for the Lord who can to us in his Incarnation in the flesh." (Hester, 2012, p.31)
Philip and Allen emphasize the necessity of an intimate relationship with God in a one-on-one interactions in which the individual spends time talking with God and also listening silently and waiting on God to speak and to move in their lives, mind and heart. This is very much attuned to the following verse taken from the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 40, Verse 331 which states:

"Those that wait upon the Lord, small renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint." (the Holy Bible)

The meditations in the work of Philip and Allen are such that put the reader in touch with God through contemplation and reflection on God and his infinite love for mankind.

References

Hester, D (20312) Book Review: Meditation on the Incarnation by Metropolitan Philip. The Word. Retrieved from: http://www.antiochian.org/sites/antiochian.org/files/DEC._2009_WORD.pdf