·Комментарии к записи The 32nd Sunday after Pentecost. On Zacchaeus отключены
Today in the Holy Gospel we have heard the name, that we all hear while we are blessing the houses: “…even as He brought salvation to the house of Zacchaeus” – says the prayer.
Or, as we have just prayed during the Baptismal blessing of houses: “…Who condescended to enter under the roof of Zacchaeus, to bring salvation to him and to all his house…”
And The Old Testament Church used to be referred as the house of Abraham, and of all his righteous descendants, Isaac, Jacob.
And the verses we read during the Holy Theopahny are calling for the house of God which at that time was the Old Testament people – and now the Holy Church – to confess that the Lord is good; for His mercy endures forever.
At the time of the Old Testament saints, they were the examples of righteousness. They were chosen and tested, touched by God, — to tempt and check as for what they really depended on, what and whom they really trusted…
Today we hear about the house of Zacchaeus.
The man of a low statue (not very tall), who was also chosen by God to host Him.
The man of a low respect… Or, as St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) says in him homily: “…Zacchaeus, was a publican with seniority over other publicans. He possessed significant wealth, as the Gospels relate, hinting about the way he obtained that wealth. “Publicans” were what they called tax collectors. It was tempting money! The sparkle of gold and silver charms the eyes of Adam’s descendants infected with sinfulness, and where money passes from hand to hand, abuse almost inevitably creeps in…” And then he also says: “a sinner given to the passion of greed, acting out of this passion by unjust tax collection and a multiplicity of offenses against his neighbor.”
But the Gospel disappoints this “natural” state of things:
“Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have wronged any man of any thing, I restore him fourfold [four times].”
And “Jesus said to him: This day has salvation come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Again, … to seek and to save that which was lost.” Not those who are satisfied and content, especially, by the righteousness of the others: “Create a worthy fruit of repentance. And do not think to say in yourself: “our father is Abraham,” for I tell you that God can raise children from the[se] stones to Abraham.” (Matthew, chapter 3)
And this tax-collector didn’t say: I’m so very glad to see you, O Lord, I’m Zacchaeus, the son of Abraham… So, what can I do for you?
Instead, he told: I’m so happy to host you, because I was lost without you, and now with you I will be living a different life, and I will rebuild the Jerusalem inside of me.
“because all have sinned and lack the glory of God”, — says Apostle Paul, the son of Abraham and the spiritual brother of Zacchaeus”.
And all the commandments (plus our conscience) should, first of all, reveal this truth, the spiritual decay and death, and thus the need not in just a teacher, but the Saviour: to be saved by constant and acting, and painstaking repentance, and not by any hidden wisdom or a kinship.
And there is another thing to consider, and St. Ignatius says in the same sermon:
“The Holy Gospels can be compared to a mirror. Each of us can see, if we so desire, the state of our soul reflected in them [in the Gospels], and find that all-powerful healing offered to us by the all-powerful physician, the Lord.”
Let us remember, that what is the best and the highest in this world is very often useless and harmful for the reconciliation with God.
That’s why the Lord today again preferred to stay with a “sinner”. Amen
·Комментарии к записи Sermon for the Sunday after the Baptism отключены
We have heard again today in the Gospel reading several words, which express the whole meaning of Christian life: Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has drawn near (or at hand). This is how Saint John the Baptist taught, and with these words Christ began to preach today.
The Savior came out to preach after John the Baptist was imprisoned: first, people themselves had to do everything they could! And John the Baptist is representing all the people.
John the Baptist, the one who bore the signs of repentance on and in himself, completed his ministry, and then the time has come for God, who became Man, to start acting.
And now Christ from Judea, where He appeared as One of the Trinity, at the Jordan at Baptism, goes to Galilee, and preaches there. Why?
“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles…”
He goes to those who are more open to His word.
“The people who sat in the darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.”
The Galileans were simple people, they were less taught of the Law of God, but there was less distance between what they knew and what they did. That is why Christ begins his preaching among them. (We know that all twelve apostles and almost all of Christ’s disciples during His earthly life were from Galilee [ˈgælɪliː]. This fact is actually sad, isn’t it?)
So, ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!’
Repent means change. The word repentance means change of mind, change of heart; and only from there does life itself changes, that is, our actions, words and deeds.
But “repent” also means – to see, as we should clearly see, what we should change, or rather should let the Lord change it in us!
If these words were said to the Jews, that means, they had already had the way to see. That means they have already been given the eyes to see.
What are those eyes?
First of all, these are the commandments they had been given!
“Painstaking fulfillment of the commandments teaches man about his weakness” (4:9) (It does not sound too simple, does it? So, let’s take a look.)
We can see that the vision of St. John the Baptist (or the vision, the spiritual eyesight of St. Mary of Egypt) led them to the wilderness, the dessert of repentance.
But the “healthy” (cf. Mt 9:12) have no need of a physician, and no need of Christ. The vision of the “healthy” (or, spiritually self-sufficient), though they saw and had the same commandments, led them to the cursing of Christ, to the council that betrayed Christ to the Romans for crucifixion… The “healthy” crucify Christ.
We could also try to remember and listen what St. John replied to those who asked him what to do to repent. The advice written in the Gospel (and also read during these days) is as follows:
“Collect no more than what is appointed for you.” And:
“Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”
Two things: temperance in our life and mercy to our neighbour…
We do not get rewards from God for doing the commandments of God, or for living according to our conscience (which is however quite weak), or for being loving to those who hate us (maybe just at the moment of their or our weakness…). They can be self-rewarding, but they can as well be kind of a hard temptation…
What the fulfillment of the commandments does is open our spiritual eyes, and enable us to really see who and where we are. There is no other way to recognize our infirmities — no one can simply “teach” us about them. On the contrary, many (of this world) would try to blur our spiritual sight… , and we are often not at all inclined to resist it.
The fulfillment of the commandments reveals the ailments (diseases) of the soul and spirit.
Without this foundation, no other virtues are possible. Moreover, virtues themselves, without spiritual poverty, can lead a person into a very dangerous state—into vanity, pride, and other sins…
On the other hand, the words that we have heard today sound so simple, as if this (this foundation) is the only thing necessary, and the Kingdom of Heaven is as near as at hand for those who repent. Amen.
·Комментарии к записи The Week after the Nativity of Christ. Commemoration of the Holy Righteous Ones отключены
Today, on Sunday after the Nativity of Christ, we hear the Gospel story about the fleeing of Joseph and the Blessed Virgin with the infant Jesus to Egypt (Mt. 1:18-25).
And in this story, in addition to Joseph, Mary and Jesus, it is said about the first enemy of Christ — King Herod. It was from his anger that the Holy Family fled to Egypt, it was he who became responsible for the death of thousands of innocent babies. He also killed many devout servants and even his own wife and sons. He thought they would take his power from him.
In the liturgical texts of the Church, Herod is called an insane man. And what indicated the main reason for Herod’s madness – was that for him «there was no God.» In other words, the whole life of his took place only in the earthly perspective, or in still other words – he chose a sad fate of becoming a god for himself…
But here we also see another man, Joseph.
The gospel says very little about him. When he was already betrothed to Mary, it was discovered that She had in the womb the one of the Holy Spirit (which he however got to know later). At that moment, Joseph her husband, being righteous and not wanting to make Her public, wanted to secretly let Her go.
Behind these two or three phrases of the evangelist about Joseph is the personal drama (personal conflict, a great inward temptation).
He is called righteous for neglecting the law. He is called righteous rather for being merciful and humble; that was especially meet and right at that moment.
When in a dream an angel appears to him strengthening him, Joseph immediately rebuilds his whole way of life. From that moment on, his life is entirely devoted to Mary and the Baby, Who is not his son, but the Son of God. And in order to preserve Mary’s virginity – for we believe that Mary remained a Virgin in Her marriage, and we profess Her ever-virginity — in order to preserve the life of the Baby, in order to share with Him his earthly genealogy – for His Son to be accepted by the Jews — Joseph assumes the role of the head of the family.
They flee from Herod’s wrath to Egypt, and Joseph guards and protects Mary and the Baby. Later, after learning about the death of the wicked king, they return to Judea and settle within the borders of Bethlehem.
Unlike Herod, Joseph is ready to renounce everything and sacrifice both his honor and his life for the Child and for the Christ.
Whole nations sometimes face such a choice. The Jewish people stood before the face of Christ, and had such a choice. They could accept Him as their Savior, or could reject Him.
And unfortunately they rejected Him, though not all of them, because we also commemorate St. Apostle Jacob (James), who made a different choice and was the first bishop martyr, the first church leader (church hierarch) martyr.
And, as if in contrast to king Herod, we also venerate today the first righteous King — David the king, about whom the Scriptures say that there was no other king in Israel, so pleasing to God as King David.
When King Saul (the first king of Israel), learned that, according to God’s definition, David would be king, in his place, he hated David. Saul drove and persecuted David throughout Israel, trying to destroy him by all means.
But several times it happened that David could easily kill Saul, because Saul found himself at an arm’s length from him, not knowing about it, sleeping. And never did David take this chance to harm the anointed by God.
Think about our people, how and what we did… with on-going consequences…
So, we have again approached the manger today, and we contemplate the Baby…
Let us remember what St. Simeon said about the child: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.”
So, let us clean and strengthen our hearts, dear brothers and sisters, by all means that we are given in the Church, and by looking at the lives of the saints that we commemorate today. Through whose prayers may the Lord bless and strengthen us!
·Комментарии к записи Sermon on Sunday 26th after Pentecost, about ten lepers отключены
Today’s Gospel reading recounts the healing of lepers by the Lord Jesus Christ. A person afflicted with leprosy was required to leave their home, city, and family. They became an outcast. If a leper encountered a healthy person, they were obligated to cry out loudly, «Unclean! Unclean!» (Leviticus 13:45). This disease was considered incurable and was therefore simply not treated. There were no hospitals or medicine for lepers.
[One literary depictions of this disease have once left a lasting impression on me. I recall reading about a modern leper colony, possibly by Hemingway, where the inhabitants were slowly dying, their bodies decaying, and, in addition to this, they were forced to engage in armed struggles. The details of that story made it exceptionally somber and distressing…]
Leprosy forced those afflicted to leave their homes and face a slow, agonizing death. Often, to survive, lepers would gather into groups. These groups were not formed based on nationality or religion but by the shared burden of their disease. One such group of ten lepers, seeing Christ, stopped at a distance, as noted by the evangelist: «They stood at a distance» (Luke 17:12), because the Law forbade lepers from approaching others. They cried out loudly, «Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!» (Luke 17:13).
The Lord then directed the ten men to go to the priests: «Go, show yourselves to the priests.» Only after a priest confirmed their healing could a leper be considered cured and allowed to return home. Jesus specifically instructed them to show themselves to «priests,» not «a priest,» because Jews and Samaritans had different priests.
An important detail deserves our attention—all ten, who asked Christ for healing, received His blessing to go to the priests, and they obeyed. This demonstrates their faith in Christ. They trusted His words, did not stay there, nor did they disperse. They went to the priests, revealing the faith and hope they had in Christ to heal them.
Their faith was not in vain: «And as they went, they were cleansed» (Luke 17:14).
However, only one of the ten, when realizing he was healed, returned to Christ to thank Him. This man was a Samaritan (Luke 17:16). The Gospel does not specify what happened to the lives of these ten healed men afterward. However, considering the mutual hostility between Jews and Samaritans, it is reasonable to assume that, having been healed, the nine Jewish men likely ceased all association with the Samaritan who had been their companion for years, perhaps decades, bound by the same terrible disease, and the shared miracle.
As in other Gospel narratives, this story highlights the Jews in a less favorable light, while portraying the Samaritan as a noble and morally superior figure.
Nevertheless, this Gospel story is not primarily about Jews or Samaritans, nor about the miracle or the lepers—it is about gratitude. About the ability to give thanks. Faith, unfortunately, can sometimes exist without gratitude. And we must strive to be not only believers but also grateful to God.
Gratitude is a way of returning to God all that He gives us. In expressing gratitude to God, a person is truly revealed as a personality. Our gratitude does not add anything to God, for He is perfect and unchanging. But the ability to give thanks makes a person spiritually noble. Without gratitude, even with faith, there can be no spiritual growth. Faith without gratitude is incomplete and imperfect.
In life, we all experience different events, both positive and negative. Often, even when we try to understand why something happens, we are unable to do so. Each of us, brothers and sisters, asks questions: Why is this happening? Why to me? Why such trials? Or, on the contrary, why such success? Yet searching for reasons is often futile, and in some cases even harmful, as it leads people to create an alternative reality.
Do not ask: Why am I ill while my neighbor is not? Why does one person prosper while I struggle? Am I worse than them? Are they better than me? Do not seek reasons! Even God’s prophets wondered: «Why do the wicked live on, growing old and increasing in power?» (Job 21:7), and «Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?» (Jeremiah 12:1). St. Gregory the Theologian, interpreting these texts, said, «Did they learn anything further? No, not even an answer was given to them.»
What remains for us, then? What should we do?
First and foremost, brothers and sisters, it is not the reason for that, which matters, but how we endure it. Often, the reason cannot be known, but our personal response to the situation depends entirely on us. In illness or hardship, we should not lose our minds searching for reasons but instead focus on how to endure such trials properly and decently.
When sick, remember the brevity of human life: «Man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field, the wind blows over it, and it is gone» (Psalm 103). Illness reminds us to cherish our days and dedicate them to goodness.
When betrayed, remember not to place your trust in people, as Scripture advises: «Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save» (Psalm 146).
When disappointment comes, do not despair but recall the words of the wise: «Meaningless! Meaningless! (Or, hustle!) Everything is meaningless!» (Ecclesiastes 1:2). Let our hope be placed in vain things, but in God, who is our refuge and strength (cf. Psalm 70:5).
Only when we cease futile searches for reasons and view our circumstances as an opportunity to examine our lives, beliefs, and actions, can we learn to thank God.
«Glory to God for everything!» we often hear from the believing people. The holy Apostle Paul also instructs us: «Give thanks in all circumstances» (1 Thessalonians 5:18). If a person, even a believer, has not learned to give thanks, then sooner or later the opposite feeling will awaken in him — a feeling of grumbling (resentment). Such a person becomes dissatisfied with everything, finds no joy, and views others negatively. As one theologian noted, apostasy begins with ingratitude. Faith is perfect only when completed by gratitude.
These nine healed lepers did not simply fail to thank Christ—they did not return to God. They received healing through His mercy and their faith, but they saw their health as an end (a goal) in itself, not as an opportunity for greater things.
Brothers and sisters, take note: when the Samaritan returned to Christ with words of gratitude, the Lord said to him, «Rise and go; your faith has made you well» (Luke 17:19). What did his faith save him from? He was already healed of leprosy. In all other cases, similar expressions (cf. Matthew 9:22; Mark 5:34; Luke 7:50; etc.) occur before or at the moment of healing. Only here does Christ say these words after being given thanks.
All ten were cleansed of leprosy, but the words of salvation were spoken to only one—the one who thanked Christ. This indicates that the salvation mentioned here is not about physical healing, which had already occurred, but something greater. What is it? Salvation as liberation from the power of sin and the devil, and participation in eternal life, which is Christ Himself: «He is the true God and eternal life» (1 John 5:20).
So, anyone who learns to thank God, the Lord is revealed to him as eternal Life, and grace-filled sanctification and transfiguration are given to such!
