Thursday of the 34th Week

1 John 1:8-2:6

Brethren, if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. 

Mark 13:31-14:2

The Lord said to his disciples, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the cock crows, or in the morning— lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.”

The Lord leaves us with the promise of His return, but to know the exact time has not been given to human nature, nor to the angels. When Christ tells us that the Son does not know, we should not imagine that Christ as God is ignorant of His own coming, but that, according to His humanity, He made manifest only that knowledge which was appropriate to human nature, just as we are told that he “increased in wisdom” as a child (Luke 2:52), “because God the Word gradually manifested His wisdom proportionably to the age which the body had attained” (Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on Luke).

As Solomon says, “Do not withhold to do good to the needy, when your hand can help. Do not say, ‘Go, come back, and tomorrow I will give,’ for you do now know what the next day will bring”(Prov. 3:28-29). If we were to know the moment at which Christ would return or, more relevant to most of us, the moment at which we would die, we would live as we pleased, enslaved to the passions, with the intention to repent and mend our ways just before the end. Indeed, in the early Church the practice of death-bed baptism was a great problem against which the Fathers fought tirelessly. People thought they could live a life of sin, and then have it all washed away just before the moment of death. To paraphrase the famous verse from Isaiah, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall repent” (cf. 22:13).

What this shows is a complete misunderstanding of what the Christian life entails, and what Christ wants from us. Salvation is not a reward for good behaviour. God will not judge our life and, if we passed the test, put us on a cloud where we can play eternity away on a harp while those who failed will be thrown into a torture chamber where they’ll be tormented by sadistic demons. This is the stuff of childish cartoons. Salvation is our relationship with Christ, our union with Him, the transformation of our hearts to the realisation of God’s image and likeness within us, and it starts here and now. The Lord will certainly accept those come at the eleventh hour and reward them as he did with those who came at the first (Matt. 20), but we should not confuse His mercy and patience with a desire for us to delay. St. Paul tells us that it is “the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” that we ”rejoice always, pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thess. 5:16-18).

We were created to be loved by God, and our salvation consists in the reciprocation of that love so far as our human nature allows. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. Sin is a reality, if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and we should take courage in the fact that if we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That God waits with open arms to any sinner that repents is such an important part of the Christian life that the Church considers confession one of the holy Mysteries. Through the Mystery of Confession, we are reconciled to God and to one another, and we are brought back into the Communion from which we had cut ourselves off through sin. What today’s readings stress is that, once we fall, our repentance must be immediate. We should not delay, because we know neither the time nor the hour, and tomorrow might never come. 

Wednesday of the 34th Week

2 Peter 3:1-18

Beloved, this is now the second letter that I am writing to you. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Saviour through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgement and destruction of the ungodly. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfil his promise as some count slowness, but is patient towards you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Final Words Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. 

Mark 13:24-31

The Lord said to his disciples, “In those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."

Today's readings.

Tuesday of the 34th Week

2 Peter 2:9-22

Beloved, the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgement, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and wilful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgement against them before the Lord. But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, revelling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness. These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.” 

Mark 13:14-23

The Lord said to his disciples, “But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that it may not happen in winter. For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days. And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.

Here are today's readings. Comments to follow, God willing!

Monday of the 34th Week

2 Peter 1:20-2:9

Beloved, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgement; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgement. 

Mark 13:9-13

The Lord said to his disciples, “Be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Today’s readings bring us hope that no matter what trials and tribulations we will face, the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and that the one who endures to the end will be saved. This is a theme we’ve already covered a few times, and so I’ll only focus on these words of St. Peter: No prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. The teachings of the Church are not the musings of philosophers or manmade ideas, but are truths revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. When the Church gathered to produce statements of faith like the Nicene Creed, they were not coming up with something new, but were expressing what right believing Christians had always held, in response to false teachers who will secretly bring in destructive heresies. Many of the great heresies throughout history were the result of people reading the Scripture according to their own interpretation, relying on their own fallible human wisdom rather than the Tradition of the Church, which is guided by the Holy Spirit. If we apply the words of the Lord, “you will recognise them by their fruits” (Matt. 7:20), we see that the fruits of the rejection of Holy Tradition as the interpreter of Scripture have been the creation of over 30,000 different denominations who all claim to believe in the same Bible – in other words, it has been the antithesis of the Lord’s prayer “that they may all be one” (John 17:21). Every time another person (mis)understands a particular verse in the Bible a little differently, a new church or sect is born. St. Peter’s warning was certainly not without cause! In today’s Gospel, Christ promises to the persecuted saints that it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. What one notices about the writings of Church Fathers, from Apostolic times to present day, is the harmony of their message, and their singleness of mind – quite the opposite of the disagreement and discord brought about by private interpretation – a sure testimony to the fact that their words were not the product of their own reasoning, but were of the Holy Spirit. Let us therefore remain faithful to the words of Scripture, and take care to understand them in accordance with the Holy Tradition of which they are a part, lest we are led astray by false teachers who bring upon themselves swift destruction. 

Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee

Matins: 24:13-35

At that time, two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is towards evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. 

2 Corinthians 4:6-15

Brethren, the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness”, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke”, we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. 

Luke 18:10-14

The Lord said this parable, “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

From the Bulletin of Spiritual Edification (No. 1272)

A Sunday in the Life of a Pharisee

"This church is full of hypocrites. Look at these people! They don't care about religion. Slackers! Nationalists! Oh look! Here's another late comer. Why can't they get their children to shut up? This is a place of prayer! I didn't come to hear screaming babies! Look at that priest! His heart isn't in this at all! And that chanter - what a show off! And that man in the corner with the prayer rope constantly crossing himself is really annoying me. Showing off his piety - Pharisee! Love that Gospel Reading! Really sums up Pharisaic Christians, like that man in the corner. Weren’t you listening to any of that? It was about you! Thank God I'm not like that! Now look! A woman in a mini-skirt taking communion - I bet she had breakfast! Too young to be married, but I bet she has sex. Does she have her spiritual father's permission to take communion? Bet she doesn't know what a spiritual father is! Have any of these people gone to confession or said the prayers before communion like I have? I'm definitely going to a monastery next Sunday - somewhere where I'll find real Christians and pious priests and no screaming babies - somewhere where other so-called Christians won't disturb my prayer". This is how Pharisees think. How do I know? Because there is a Pharisee in me too. There is a Pharisee in all of us.

Synaxarion

With God on this present day we begin the Triodion, the hymns of which were composed by many of our holy and Godbearing Fathers, inspired by the Holy Spirit according to their worthiness... The purpose of the Triodion intended by the Holy Fathers on the feasts of the Publican and the Pharisee, the Prodigal Son, and the Second Coming is a kind of preparatory lesson and stimulation to prepare ourselves for the spiritual labours of the Fast, having put aside our usual corrupt habits... The first weapon among the virtues is repentance and humility. And the temptation to attain the greatest humility is pride and arrogance. So they place before us first of all this present trustworthy parable from the Divine Gospel. It encourages us to shun the desire for the pride and arrogance of the Pharisee, and to cultivate the opposite desire of the Publican for humility and repentance.... Through this example the Holy Fathers encourage all not to be proud of their successes, but always to be humble. For the Lord sets Himself against the proud, but He gives grace to the humble. Better a man who has sinned, if he knows that he has sinned and repents, than a man who has not sinned and thinks of himself as righteous....This parable reveals that no one should exalt himself, even though he has done good deeds, but rather should always be humble and pray from his heart to God, for even if he should fall into the most serious sin, salvation is not far off.

“Like the sun which shines on all alike, vainglory beams on every occupation… I fast, and turn vainglorious. I stop fasting so that I will draw no attention to myself, and I become vainglorious over my prudence. I dress well or badly, and am vainglorious in either case. I talk or I hold my peace, and each time I am defeated. No matter how I shed this prickly thing, a spike remains to stand up against me.” (St. John Climacus)

Saturday of the 33rd Week

2 Timothy 2:11-19

Timothy, my son, the saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself. Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his”, and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” 

Luke 18:2-8

The Lord said this parable, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterwards he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

God hears those who call upon Him. "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" (Matt. 7:7-11). Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? God hears us, but if we ask wrongly, He will not give us what is harmful to us, as St. James makes clear (James 4:3). This is why St. Paul says, Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity, for "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 7:21). Moreover, will the faithless even ask at all? 

Hymenaeus and Philetus had caused some to lose faith by saying that the resurrection had already taken place, an idea essentially tantamount to denying the resurrection altogether. St. Paul assures them, If we have died with him, we will also live with him - that the resurrection is indeed yet to come and that they should not lose hope. However, if we deny him, he also will deny us. Both of today's readings remind us that God is forever faithful, God will never depart from us, never turn His back on us, never break His promise to us. We are never without hope, God's firm foundation stands. But what about us? Will we remain faithful to Him, will we depart from Him, turn our back on Him, break our promise to Him? As C.S Lewis so beautifully put it, "The gates of hell are locked from the inside." 

Friday of the 33rd Week

2 Peter 1:1-10

Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so short-sighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practise these qualities you will never fall. 

Mark 13:1-8

At that time, as Jesus came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

The question of the destruction of the temple, the coming of false prophets and false christs was deal with on Saturday of the 31st Week, so for the sake of brevity I won't repeat what I wrote there.

Christ warns us, See that no one leads you astray. Many Christians are so fearful of being mislead that they have become obsessed with the coming of the antichrist and all of the possible signs that will accompany it - bar codes, microchips, the number 666, various conspiracy theories about government plots and secret societies, etc. - yet in so doing have completely lost sight of their spiritual life and their relationship with Christ. But St. Peter says that it is precisely such neglect that will cause us to fall, to become innefective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so short-sighted that he is blind. We may study the ins and outs of every plot, every scheme, every institution, every government action, but if we lose sight of Christ, if we do not supplement our faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love we have already been led astray. 

Those who do not fall away, God has called to his own glory and excellence, to become partakers in the divine nature. This is the very essence of salvation, and what the Fathers call 'theosis' (θέωσις).* The lie of the serpent in Eden was not "you would be like gods" (Gen. 3:5), but that Adam and Eve could become like gods without God, prematurely, and by their own effort. As St. Paul says, theosis can only come from God because it involves transformation into His image and His glory:  "We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" (2 Cor. 3:18). Christ Himself also makes reference to Psalm 81:6, saying, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming’, because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?" (John 10:34-36). Through our union with Christ, the incarnate Word of God, we become by grace what Christ is by nature. We do not become another God, as Mormons and various pagans assert, for there is but one God and can never be another; nor are we absorbed and dissolved into God's being the way some forms of Eastern mysticism suggest; nor do we become additional persons of the Godhead; nor are we united to God in the way that Christ's divine and human natures are united in the Person of the Word of God, becoming further incarnations of God. All of these ideas are utterly blasphemous. The Fathers make a distinction between the essence, substance, or nature of God and His energies. The former is unknowable, incomprehensible, utterly transcendent, and we as created beings can never partake of it. He remains the uncreated Creator, while we remain creatures subject to Him. His energies, however, refer to what is knowable and what we can relate to: He is love, humility, kindness, justice, immortality, and so on. Although St. Peter uses the expression divine nature (φύσεως), what he refers to here are God's energies, not His essence. As I mentioned on Monday, theosis consists of us attaining God's likeness. As God is unending love by nature, we will become unending love by His grace; as He is immortal by nature, we will be made immortal by His grace; as He is light by nature, we will become light by His grace. In this union, God remains God, and we remain human, but fully human, created in God's image and having attained to His likeness, not the partial humanity we experience in this state of sin - sin being the state of separation from Him.

When we understand that salvation and damnation do not consist of reward and punishment, but of union and separation from Christ respectively, we can understand why Christ said "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). It is not enough merely to 'be a good person' if we do not have a relationship with Christ, because salvation is not simply a reward for good behaviour but is Christ Himself and our relationship with Him, in which we become partakers in the divine nature.

Since it is such an important topic, and the above explanation does not in any way do it justice, here is a link to a great little book by Archimandrite Gregory of St. Gregorios Monastery on Mount Athos called Theosis: The True Purpose of Human Life, which I'm sure many of you will find useful.

*Theosis is often translated into English as 'deification' or 'divinization', though I prefer to avoid these terms as they're frequently misunderstood and confused with the non-Christian and heretical ideas mentioned above. While less precise, the term 'glorification' might be preferable. 

Thursday of the 33rd Week

1 Peter 4:12-5:5

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgement to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility towards one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 

Mark 12:38-44

The Lord said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the market-places and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at feasts, who devour widows' houses and for a pretence make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Not yet had any time to write anything today, but here are the readings at least.

Wednesday of the 33rd Week

1 Peter 4:1-11

Beloved, since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does. The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 

Mark 12:28-37

At that time, one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbour as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions. And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet.’ David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?” And the great throng heard him gladly.

Asked what is the most important commandment of all, Christ answers that one must love God and ones neighbour. As St. John teaches us, we cannot have one without the other: "If anyone says, “I love God”, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen" (1 John 4:20). Prefacing "these two commandments" on which "depend all the Law and the Prophets" (Matt. 11:13) is what the Jews call the 'Shemaʿ' (the Hebrew word 'hear'): Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Monotheism precedes all other things, it is the first of the Ten Commandments - "You shall have no other gods before me" *(Ex. 20:3) - and the Orthodox Symbol of Faith, which we recite thrice daily, opens with the words "I believe in one God." Having established as His starting point the truth that God is One, Jesus proceeds to say that the Christ shall not be a mere man, but the Lord of David; in other words, Christ is God. He says that David spoke these words in the Holy Spirit, thus revealing to us that the one God is Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

Contrary to both the Great Commandments is love of self. This is why the doctrine of the Trinity is so important. Were God a monad, He could only have loved Himself before He created the world, and yet self-love is no love at all. The fact that God by His very nature is a communion of love, a relationship of Persons, means that selfless love of the other is part of His very being. We who are created in the image of God are called to reflect this selfless love: Keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another

The indulgence in human passions St. Peter warns us against in today's Epistle is contrary both to love of God and to love of neighbour, stemming from a selfish desire for instant gratification. How familiar our present society is to the pagan world described by St. Peter, where the only things that seem to matter are drinking to excess and sexual promiscuity. We sin against the image of God in us when we abuse ourselves through alcohol, we abuse and sin against one another when we see each other as objects for our own sexual gratification, rather than using sex to strengthen the bond of love established with someone in marriage and to bring forth children, parenthood being the greatest example of selfless love most of us will ever experience. As in those days, people now are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you, mocking anyone who tries to keep chaste until marriage and excluding those who do not feel comfortable spending their weekends binge-drinking. Our selfishness is not limited to the examples mentioned by St. Peter. We buy unnecessary products to gratify ourselves, not caring that they were produced in sweatshops by slave labourers. We happily destroy the environment around us, polluting the earth, air and water, often for no other reason than for convenience. The rich continue to amass unthinkable wealth while millions of poor die of starvation and preventable diseases. The lawless idolatry of today might not take the form of religious ritual, but we have created countless secular forms of idolatry, such as the pursuit of wealth, the cult of celebrity, fashion, among the many other useless things which distract us from God and the reality in which we live. If we followed the two great commandments, becoming living images of the Holy Trinity, such an unjust world could not exist. We will all give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead, so let us live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God that Christ will also say to us, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."

Tuesday of the 33rd Week

1 Peter 3:10-22

Beloved, “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honour Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behaviour in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. 

Mark 12:18-27

At that time, Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.” Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”

At the time of Christ, there were two major rival factions among the Jews (there were more, such as the Essenes, but these are not mentioned in the Scriptures): the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection, and the Pharisees, who believed. This is why St. Paul says, "I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope of the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial" (Acts 23:6). The Sadducees attempt to disprove the idea of the resurrection by citing the Old Testament commandment to provide children for your brother's wife if he died childless. Christ dismisses their argument, not only because their proposed scenario is so implausible, but by pointing out that in the next life we shall be as the angels. He does not say we shall become angels - this is cartoon Christianity - but that we shall be like them in that they do not have sexual relations nor procreate. This is why monasticism is often referred to as the 'angelic life'. He then points to the Book of Exodus (3:6), where God says that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as proof that there is life after death. 

Those who deny the resurrection know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. As St. Cyril of Jeurusalem says, "The root of all good works is the hope of the resurrection; for the expectation of recompence nerves the soul to good works" (Catechetical Lectures 18:1). In today's Epistle reading, St. Peter, opening with a quotation from Psalm 33, exhorts us to good works, showing us how, through the resurrection, we should have no fear...nor be troubled, even if we should suffer because we do good, for Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit. "Do you not know," says St. Paul, "that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?" (Rom. 6:3). St. Peter also shows us the importance of baptism for our salvation, connecting it to the suffering of Christ and likening it to the ark of Noah, outside of which none were saved from the flood. As Christ Himself said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God" (John 3:5). The fact that St. Peter here clearly speaks of baptism by water as salvific is a clear refutation of those who wrongly say that baptism by water is a mere symbol, and that real baptism is only an inward spiritual thing that happens separately. Nowadays, there are also many misguided people who call themselves Christians while denying both the resurrection of Christ and the general resurrection of us all. Today's reading should be a warning about the dangers of such false teaching, which undermines the whole Christian faith: "If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain...your faith is futile and you are still in your sins" (1 Cor. 15:13-17). The resurrection is not just a part of our faith, but is its very centre and foundation. Without it, there is no Christianity, no Christians, and no salvation.

Monday of the 33rd Week

1 Peter 2:21-3:9

Beloved, Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewellery, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honour to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. 

Mark 12:13-17

At that time, the chief priests and the Pharisees sent to Jesus some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar's.” Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” And they marvelled at him.

"They dug a pit in my way, but they have fallen into it themselves" (Psalm 57:6). The Pharisees, bringing the guards of king Herod, try to trap the Lord with a trick question, which they wrap in false admiration and flattery, the "oil of the sinner" King David speaks about in the Psalm we sing every evening at Vespers (Psalm 140:5). Had He simply said 'yes', they would have accused Him before the people of supporting the Roman occupation, but had He said 'no', they could accuse Him of fomenting rebellion. As in Thursday's Gospel reading, the Lord's answer confounds them, and they leave unsuccessful in their scheming. But more importantly, He reminds us in whose image we are created, and therefore to whom we should render ourselves.  As the deacon exhorts us repeatedly in the Divine Liturgy, "Let us entrust ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God." In the Genesis account we read that "God said, 'Let us make humankind according to our image and according to our likeness'...And God made humankind; according to divine image he made it" (1:26-27). One notices that while God makes us in His image, His likeness is not mentioned again in the second verse. The Fathers explain this by saying that while we have all been made in God's image, His likeness is something we come to attain. Indeed, this is the purpose and goal of our life, to become Christ-like in conformity to the image we already bear. This is why St. Peter speaks of Christ leaving us an example, that we may follow in his steps. All that He did, we are called to imitate. What He is by nature as God - loving, merciful, just, forgiving, humble, etc. - we are to become by grace. This is the essence of what we call 'theosis', and what St. Athanasius meant when he famously said "God became man that man might become god." Conversely, Caesar is here also seen as a symbol of the devil, "the ruler of this world" (John 12:31). We should cast off and render unto the devil those things in us which belong to him - anger, malice, hatred, jealousy, pride, envy, etc. - lest we, being made in the image of God, conform ourselves to the likeness of Satan. This is why St. Peter says, Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewellery, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. The external adornments refer to the things of the world, which we render to Caesar, while the adornments of the heart are the things of God, which we render unto God.

St. Peter mentions the relationship between husband and wife, not only to show how holiness of life will lead to a stronger marriage and, in cases where one partner was either an unbeliever or less strong in their faith, will bring the other person to faith in Christ, but also to show marriage as an image of God. Wives are to be Christ-like, obeying their husbands as God the Son obeys the God the Father. Just as the Father and Son are equal, so husband and wife are equal, the latter freely submitting to the former out of love, not compulsion. Likewise, husbands are to be Christ-like by loving their "wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" (Eph. 5:25). In concord with Christ's prayer "that they may be one, even as we are one" (John 17:22), St. Peter ends by teaching us to have have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind...for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. 

Sunday of the Canaanite

I was originally planning to only have readings for Monday to Saturday, but since some readers might be unable to attend church every Sunday, or perhaps attend a parish where the readings are not done in English, I thought it might be a good idea to include Sunday's readings as well. When possible, I will also post the sermon from the weekly Bulletin of Spiritual Edification published by the Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain, written by priests of that archdiocese.

Matins: Luke 24:1-12

On the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marvelling at what had happened.

2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1

Brethren, you are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. 

Matthew 15:21-28

At that time, Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

From the Bulletin of Spiritual Edification (No. 1271)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

In the words of Fr. Alexander Schmemann "Long before the actual beginning of Lent, the Church announces its approach and invites us to enter into the period of pre-Lenten preparation". The first of these announcements comes through the Gospel reading of the Canaanite woman, which is often replaced by the Gospel story of Zacchaeus, and read before the opening of the Lenten Triodion, which beings on the following Sunday. This year we are given the Gospel reading of the Canaanite woman and our attention is turned toward the spiritual aspects which today's Gospel wishes to convey. On this occasion let us focus on the aspect of humility, a central and characteristic virtue for our spiritual journey through Holy Lent.

This poor but remarkable woman in today's Gospel is a prime example of the kind of humility necessary for our encounter with the Lord. The Canaanite woman not only has a strange and somewhat puzzling encounter with the Lord but she also manages to receive from Him her special request: the healing of her daughter tormented by the devil. Her success lies in her humility grounded in faith.

Matthew, the Evangelist, does not hesitate to describe the Lord's deliberate refrain from answering this poor woman's request: "he answered her not a word". In addition, when He decides to speak to her, He responds in a seemingly non-consoling way. He speaks very harshly. While the woman cries for help, making a public spectacle of herself, the Lord answers her and says: "It is not right to take the children's bread, and to cast it to the dogs". In our culture, where one is accustomed to a more passive and polite attitude toward others, such behaviour could be considered extremely rude and offensive. But what are we to make of this enigmatic story?

Needless to say the Lord's behaviour was deliberate. Everything the incarnate Word did or said was deliberate and instructive. On this occasion, it was hoped that his disciples would reflect on this remarkable woman's humility, as a prerequisite for their salvation. Perhaps the Lord's words to this poor woman stand as an allusion to those words, which He once spoke to His disciples: "When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, we are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do" (Luke 17:10). But such humility does not come so easily. It comes with faith and willingness. It comes through contemplating Christ, the divine humility incarnate. His words to us are: "Learn from Me for I am meek and humble in heart". His way is the way of humility. Humility, therefore, is the antidote for healing our sins, that venomous pride, which forever steers us away from God and is the root of all our transgressions. Let us seek the Lord! Call upon Him ceaselessly like the Canaanite woman: "Have mercy on me!" He will not deny our request. Neither will He despise us. On the contrary He will consider us as His own, since He Himself vested Himself with the garment of humility to draw us closer to Him.

Indeed, humility is the key to our salvation. Let us constantly strive to acquire it, calling upon the name of the Lord, fulfilling the precepts of His commandments and willingly seeking His will and not ours. Amen.

Saturday of the 32nd Week

1 Thessalonians 5:14-23

And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Luke 17:3-10

Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent’, you must forgive him.” The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea’, and it would obey you. “Will any one of you who has a servant ploughing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterwards you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”

Both the Gospel and Epistle today open with a call for us to admonish and rebuke those who have fallen into sin. If we saw someone fall and injure themselves, love would demand that we help them back up. And so it is with sin. If we see a brother sinning, either against us or in some other way, we do not abandon them to their sin, but love demands that we rebuke and admonish them to bring them back to salvation. Matthew's Gospel adds that "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector" (18:15-17). This is a last resort. St. Paul says elsewhere, "If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed," but adding also "Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother" (2 Thess. 3:14-15). In other words, even such extreme measures should only be an act of brotherly love and concern, never of malice or anger. Indeed, we see in today's Epistle that the call to admonish is joined with an exhortation to encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, and be patient with them all. Before all this, however, the Lord says: Pay attention to yourselves! We should first and foremost be mindful of our own sins and weaknesses, and be careful not to confuse admonishing and correcting with judging and condemning. We have all heard these words: "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye’, when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye" (Matt. 7:3-5).

The same goes for forgiveness. Even if someone sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent', you must forgive him. The number seven in the Bible denotes completion. In other words, however many times you are wronged, you must forgive. We should never repay anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. In the Lord's Prayer, which we say several times a day, we ask God to "forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." If we do not forgive every time we are wronged, neither will we receive forgiveness from our sins against God which are countless: Pay attention to yourselves! 

The disciples, recognising their own weaknesses and the difficulty of what the Lord is requiring of them, ask Him to strengthen their faith. On the one hand, He recognises that they have asked rightly - for such things are only possible with the help of God- and speaks about the importance and power of faith. On the other hand, however, He points out to them that what He is asking of them is not some great wonder, but simply their duty. As we heard in the Epistle on Thursday, "whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." However, to do the right thing is not a cause for pride or boasting, but is just doing what's expected of us: when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty. Likewise St. Paul tells us to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, simply because this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. There is a lot that could be said about unceasing prayer,* but, in connection with what has already been said, I'll limit myself to saying that we are called to pray unceasingly, that is to be in constant communion with God, because that is our natural state, that is who we're supposed to be. As such, we should not regard these things as being too difficult or out of our reach, nor should we ever feel proud were we to attain them, but, as being in communion with God is our natural state, nor must we never think that they can be reached without Him. We must therefore join the disciples in praying, Increase our faith! in order that the God of peace himself may sanctify us completely, and keep our whole spirit and soul and body blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

* A short introductory article on the subject of unceasing prayer can be found here.

Friday of the 32nd Week

1 Peter 1:1-2:10

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and enquired carefully, enquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains for ever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you. So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” So the honour is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone”, and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 

Mark 12:1-12

The Lord said this parable, “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the wine press and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country. When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this Scripture: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes’?” And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.

The parable in today’s Gospel concerns the rejection of God by the Chosen People, who had first murdered the prophets God had sent to them to announce the coming of Christ and who would then put to death the Son of God Himself. Accordingly, St. Stephen the Protomartyr says to them, “Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it” (Acts 7:52-3). On account of their disbelief and rejection, God says he will give the vineyard to others – i.e. to the Gentiles – out of whom He will build a new Church.

It is this promise St. Peter - on whose teaching tradition tells us St. Mark the Evangelist based his Gospel - assures his listeners of in the Epistle reading. He calls them elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit and contrasts their obedience to Jesus Christ with the disobedience of the wicked tenants. Furthermore, while they had the vineyard taken away from them, the inheritance of those who have now been given it by being born again in baptism – available equally to Jew and Gentile alike – is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven. While the old tenants had, after seeing the prophets and then Christ Himself, rejected them, St. Peter praises the new tenants who, although they have not seen Him, love Him and believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. However, he tells them that they should not be conformed to the passions of their former ignorance. While the Christian Church was called out of the Gentiles (and also, of course, those Jews who believed), it is not a Gentile church, but the New Israel: “If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:29). Just as Abraham was called to abandon Ur, his fatherland, to the new land shown to him by God (Gen. 12:1), so St. Peter tells them to abandon the futile ways inherited from their Gentile forefathers, from which they had been ransomed by the blood of Christ: You shall be holy, for I am holy. Through rebirth and spiritual circumcision in waters of baptism, we Christians are no longer Gentiles but have been made part of the Israel of God, not of perishable seed like the Jews, but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God. Having been united to Christ through a common birth, we can truly call God our Father and one another brothers. We are therefore called to put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, that we might offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ, for “if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matt. 5:23-4).

“We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to Gentiles” (1 Cor. 1:23). This is what became for most Jews a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, and which lead them to disobey. The honour is no longer given by birthright but is for you who believe. To those Gentiles made part of the New Israel through baptism, St. Peter says, you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

What then of the Jews? Although rather lengthy, I think it’s important to include what St. Paul says on the matter:

I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew…I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant towards the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity towards those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree. Lest you be wise in your own sight, I want you to understand this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved…As regards the gospel, they are enemies of God for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all. Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements and how inscrutable his ways! (Romans 11:1-2, 11-26, 28-33).

Thursday of the 32nd Week

James 4:7-5:9

Brethren, submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbour? Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the labourers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you. Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 

Mark 11:27-33

At that time, Jesus came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven’, he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

The priests and scribes asks Christ with which authority He had cast the money changers out of the Temple, wishing to trick Him. For had He pointed to His own authority, they could accuse Him before the authorities as a rebel. As King Solomon says, “Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes” (Prov. 26:5). Christ therefore answers their question with a question, asking them about the baptism of John. Either they had to reject John, and therefore God whom the people knew had sent him, or accept John together with Jesus whom He preached. Instead of repenting of their pernicious accusations, they simply said We do not know. Christ does not reply “Nor do I know what to tell you,” but I will not tell you, not wishing to entertain their wicked intentions, this time showing us the meaning of Solomon’s other exhortation, “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself” (Prov. 26:4). That is, we should not engage with evil on its own terms. Resist the devil, says St. James, and he will flee from you, just as the priests and scribes did.

This story from the Gospel is not just an example of the Lord shaming His opponents with a clever answer, but an occasion for us to ask ourselves by whose authority we live our lives? Even for us who consider ourselves Christians, the answer to that question is all too often “ourselves,” even if it is subconscious. While Christ acted as God because He was God, we act as if we are God on account of our prideful delusion. We judge our brothers, although there is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. We speak about our future plans as if we had authority over life and death, and yet we could not exist for a single second but for the will of God. St. James therefore tells us to preface any talk of the future with the phrase If the Lord wills. If you travel to the Middle East even today, you’re unlikely to hear anyone even say something as simple as “I finish work at 5 tomorrow” without adding “God willing”, a habit we would do well to imitate. Likewise, we store up riches for ourselves, forgetting that we are powerless to prevent the decay, corrosion and death that inevitably follows; as if we will never hear the words, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” (Lk. 12:20).

Submit yourselves therefore to God. We should submit to God, simply because to do anything else is to lie to ourselves. However, we submit, not to a tyrant, but to a loving Father who draws near to us when we draw near to Him. We are told to be wretched and mourn and weep and that our laughter should be turned to mourning and our joy to gloom. While this can sound very harsh to our ears, these things are a necessary part of the process of repentance. When we realise that we have wronged someone we deeply love, we cannot help but feel disappointment, sadness, and bitter regret. Likewise, when we draw near to God and see our own sinfulness, we cannot help but mourn. The Fathers tell us that these tears of repentance are like a second baptism, which washes away our sins: Cleanse your hands…and purify your hearts. We then read, Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. Although humbling ourselves can be a painful process, we will be exalted – not falsely, as the proud person exalts himself – but truly, in God. It is the false laughter, the false joy we feel when we take pleasure in the things of the world that we are called to put aside. But when we draw close to God through humility, we will find a joy that is infinitely greater.

Whatever we do in life, we must ask ourselves By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them? and never let the answer be anything but Christ.

This is the last reading from the Epistle of St. James, and there is so much more that could be said about it. Just a few minutes ago, I was sent a link to what appears to be a very good commentary on the Epistle, verse by verse with numerous references to the Holy Fathers, which is well worth a read for those who wish to have a more thorough understanding of it:

The Epistle of St. James: A Patristic Commentary