Three Principle Virtues: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5, especially vss. 2, 3: "We give thanks to God always for you all...remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father." St. Maximos the Confessor encourages us to exert ourselves so that we might attain our true, natural state of union with God: "Suppose there is someone who does not doubt in his heart (Mk. 11:23) - that is to say, who does not dispute in his intellect (nous) - and through such doubt sever that immediate union with God which has been brought about by faith, but who is dispassionate or, rather, has already become god through union with God by faith; then it is quite natural that if such a person says to a mountain, 'Go to another place', it will go (Mt. 17:20). The mountain here indicates the will and the law of the flesh, which is ponderous and hard to shift, and in fact, so far as our natural powers are concerned, is totally immovable and unshakeable." St. Maximos discloses why St. Paul has coupled faith with work, love with labor, and hope in the Lord with patience.
We have gazed at the "mountain" in film and on video, studying the route to the summit over rock slide, sheer face, glacier, and crevasse. We have even hiked toward the mountain, up steep trails, and along narrow ledges. Still, we have only gained a hint of what is required to gain the summit. Ah, but to move the mountain! Lord, have mercy! Our struggles to date confront us with our dependency on God, but faith is His gift; yet when we have admitted all this, let us acknowledge further that God does not bestow faith capriciously nor randomly. Constantly, He stirs in our hearts and calls us to begin to work with Him on our tiny, fragile, and shredded faith.
St. Maximos says in another place, "You should understand that God stimulates and allures in order...that He may be desired and loved by His creatures. God stimulates in that He impels each being, in accordance with its own principle, to return to Him." Our need is to respond to His stimulus, for faith is "measured" by the zeal with which we act and grasp the faith which God extends. By risking on the basis of the little we believe, the tiny mustard seed of faith grows (Mt. 17:20). Observe St. Paul giving thanks, for he has seen the Thessalonians act in faith, seen them taking those 'baby' steps. Nonetheless, by such tentative steps, let us also gain a strong, abiding faith, which lays the foundation of the other virtues - of love and hope.
Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos encourages us to realize that "The struggle is great. It is not an easy thing to transform oneself, to cleanse oneself from passions and fill oneself with virtues. For the purification of man is negative and positive. According to the Fathers, spiritual warfare is carried on by keeping the commandments of Christ, and we know that when a person struggles to subject his body to his soul and his soul to God, the virtues of body and soul are produced." Let us enlarge our hope by making initial efforts to keep the commandment to love. Like infants let us mimic our loving Father and try to love as He has loved us (Jn. 13:34).
Note: love of others is an act of faith, especially to love them as God loves - selflessly. St. Thalassios urges us to "Strive to love every man equally, and you will simultaneously expel all the passions." Mark well the fruit that comes to those who labor in love: if we will but begin to love, even a little, in ways that cost us something, in the Lord's way - which surely exacts sacrifice - we shall also see genuine growth in faith. Returning to St. Maximos' initial point - "to love every man equally" comes by the grace of God. Such love expels the passions. Thus we attain hope of union with God and the possibility of moving "the mountain of our will and flesh."
Yea, O Lord, remember the infirmity of our flesh, and for Thy goodness' sake, come and dwell in us, working in us that which is well-pleasing in Thy sight, that we may hymn Thy glory.