Dino Marcantonio asks how would St. Germanus site your church?
For St. Germanus, praying toward the east meant that at Mass, the priest and assembly were both on the same side of the altar. The priest was not facing the people; all faced God together. Likewise, church buildings, including St. Germanus’ Hagia Sophia, were commonly orientated , that is, the front doors were located toward the west and the sanctuary was located toward the east.
Also today, Howard P. Kainz on the weirdness of commanding love :
The greatest commandment, Jesus tells us, is: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”Well, of course. But a commandment ?
