Christ as our Bridegroom

A common and powerful image is Christ as the Bridegroom of our soul.  Of course the other side of this is that our soul is His bride.  A bride's innocent and total love for the one she wishes to marry is brought to mind in this image. There are important implications of this. Christ as the bridegroom of our soul implies that our soul follows Christ in everything. There is a devotion that begs of a union with Him.


Elder Porphyrios says,

There is nothing higher in life than love for Christ.  Whatever we desire we find in Christ.  Christ is everything: all joy, all gladness, all Paradise.  When we have Christ within us, we possess all magnificence.  The soul that is in love with Christ is always joyful and happy, however much pain and sacrifice this may cost.

The Elder points out that a bride stays awake and dreams of her bridegroom.  Even when she sleeps her dreams are of Him. All her actions express her love and total devotion.
He says,

She adores and worships Him.  Do you understand? Worship must  spring from the whole soul and whole heart. What does that mean?  Your only thought must be of God. But the thought of God is unlike other thoughts.  It is different.  It is a kind of worship of Christ.  This is the thought that beguiles and delights.  It is not something that is done under duress.  You feel a spiritual delight and pleasure.  It's not like the homework a child does for school.  It is like the passionate love between two people, but higher and spiritual.