AS YOU LABOR THE FLESH, SO LABOR THE SOUL

A Homily for Holy Tuesday

St. Theophan the Recluse

pravoslavie.ru    

“As the Lord went to His voluntary Passion, He said to His apostles on the way: “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man shall be betrayed, as it is written of Him.” Come, then, and let us also journey with Him, purified in mind; let us be crucified with Him and die for His sake to the pleasures of this life” (Holy Monday Matins, Praises).

Thus the Holy Church invites us to journey, to co-suffer and be co-crucified with the Lord on these days, dedicated to the memory of His Divine Passion and death. As obedient children, you have heeded this maternal calling and entered the indicated path that leads to the Lord. And now my task is not to persuade you to obey, but, finding comfort in your obedience, to merely wish that you complete more fully and perfectly what you have already begun.

And indeed, if any of you were to ask: “So, the Church invites us to come to the Lord Who is going to His voluntary Passion—how can we do that?” there would be nothing to respond with, except perhaps: “Do what you do, only do it properly, and you will reach the Lord.” So you fast, you go to church, and you pray at home, you lay aside worldly affairs for a time and you spend more time in solitude, you have taken up pious endeavors, devoting part of your sleep time to this—whether a lot or a little. So do this. Fasting to the point where the body feels deprived of satisfaction in food and drink, prayerful labor until the flesh is weary, cutting off usual social interactions and forcing yourself to soul-saving activities, vigilance despite the inclination to sleep, and much more associated with observing the fast constitutes the first step in following the Lord to the Crucifixion.

It is necessary only to take up this burden willingly, without self-pity. Man is attached to this earthly life. A slight reduction in food or deprivation of sleep, or more exertion and exhaustion than normal provoke an outcry of the flesh, and it feels like an attempt is being made on its life. Whoever now, despite this outcry, despite this seeming parting with life, not only does not succumb to self-pity, but on the contrary, with a desire for self-mortification, compels himself to undertake these labors—every time he does this, he takes a step in following the Lord. And it must be said that only such a man comes to Him in this regard. Is this the case with you? If so, then you’re at the goal. If not, take care to add to this labor, which you still bear, this merciless desire to mortify your flesh for the sake of the Lord. By doing this, you will offer to the Lord your love of life as a sacrifice, or you will carry your flesh to your co-crucifixion with Him, emulating at least a little of His ordeal in the Garden of Gethsemane.

St. Theophan the Recluse. Photo: tsargrad.tv    

Having begun this way, compel yourself and move closer to the Lord in following Him. I would like to say: As you labor the flesh, so labor the soul. Although the body and soul make up one man, often, as you know, the body does one thing and the soul another. Bring your body and soul into harmony in the works you have undertaken. In fasting with the body, make the soul also fast: cut off desires, suppress the passionate movements that arise: anger, condemnation, self-aggrandizement, greed, obstinacy, and the rest. In laboring the body by standing in prayer here in church, or at home, also labor with your soul to stand reverently before the face of the Lord in your heart, paying attention to what is being sung and read. Eliminate worldly talk and isolate yourself bodily—add to this a focused mind and concentration within yourself.

If you force the body to be vigilant, you will also arouse the vigilance of the spirit or the living striving of zeal for the Lord. If you compel yourself to spiritual pursuits, also compel your soul to develop a desire for them, of which it cannot always boast. When you do this, you will bind your soul. And the soul, accustomed to moving and acting freely, feeling these bonds on itself, will begin to languish, as in captivity, and will raise a cry of discontent. But don’t slacken your self-coercion. In this way, you will become like the Lord, when He was led bound to judgment, and consequently, you will become even closer to Him in going with Him to His voluntary Passion. The labor of both body and soul is like stepping first on one foot, then on the other, and is the most successful way to follow the Lord.

Let us draw even closer. Let us stand in judgment, like the Lord. You’ve already thought to do this. I understand your fasting with the intention of communing of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. We prepare to commune worthily by cleansing our souls from all their sins in Confession. And this is what it requires: Examine your life and compare it with the Gospel commandments, take note of all that does not conform to them, acknowledge your guilt in this and condemn yourself without self-justification.Be contrite of heart and lament everything that has offended the Lord, and confess everything, concealing nothing, with the firm intention not to succumb to sinful temptations anymore. Whoever does this properly will become like the Lord, as He was led for trial and condemnation to Ananias and Caiaphas, from them to Pilate, from Pilate to Herod, and from there again to Pilate. The difference is that the Lord was unjustly condemned and maligned, but we condemn and afflict ourselves justly. But as the Lord was unjustly condemned for our justification, so our just self-condemnation will be unto our justification, through the innocent condemnation of the Lord.

Do you want, in the end, to approach the Lord Himself and go with Him to His voluntary Passion, as if step by step? Here’s what you must do: Traverse the whole path of the Lord’s Cross with deep reflection, embrace His suffering with feeling, as far as our nature can handle it, and co-suffer with Him in your heart. Begin by praying to the Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane, in anguish and agony to the point of sweating blood; go with Him, bound, over steep slopes and through ravines to the court of the high priests; remain with Him during the unjust accusations against Him, during the mockeries of scornful servants, during Peter’s denial; follow Him to Pilate, from Pilate to Herod and back again. Hear the cry of the people and the fury of those who accuse, and the unjust verdict; carry the Cross with Him to Golgotha, the Cross that is heavy enough to fall under with the noise of the blinded crowd and the taunting speeches of the triumphant elders; bear the nailing to the Cross, when nails were driven into living flesh, the raising of the Cross that tore wounds and disrupted the circulation of life, the weeping of those close by—among them the Most Pure Mother. The mockery of the foolish, the utmost humiliation to the point of saying, I thirst (Jn. 19:28), and the bowing of the head with the surrender of the spirit to the Lord. Go through all of this mentally and reproduce it more vividly within yourself, arouse sympathy for those wounds and so enter into compassion so sincerely that you yourself would suffer and accept wounds. And you will be like the women who shed tears as they followed the Lord as He carried His Cross..

Thus, step by step, you will draw nearer and near to the Lord Who is going to His voluntary Passion, and you will come to Him. Having begun with bodily labors, move from them to spiritual labors, and with both, undertake a self-examination: Lament and correct your faults in Confession, that you might worthily partake of the Mysteries of Christ. Finally, with deep reflection upon the Lord’s sufferings, enter into compassion and co-suffering with Him. But is that all? Do you not see that this path cannot end with this? This is how we follow the Lord, Who is going to His death. But we must not only follow Him, but also be co-crucified with Him. How so? When you embark upon the path of the true Christian life and truly begin to fulfill the commandments of Christ, then you will crucify yourself every moment for the sake of the Lord—that is, you will undergo the salvific co-crucifixion with Christ the Savior.

All of the above is only a preparation for this. In the sufferings of the Lord and enduring the Passion with Him, we have an impulse towards a virtuous Christian life. Spiritual and bodily labors aid us in this, and in Confession and Communion we lay its foundation and gain strength. Now having begun all this, it remains to truly begin living a Christian life. And how and why this life is a co-crucifixion with the Lord, you will understand from the beginning. You will feel for yourself, in fulfilling Christian virtues, how, now your hands and feet are nailed, now your heart is stricken, now your head is crowned with thorns, now your entire body is covered in wounds. I’m not going to explain how this is—you know it yourselves, or you’ll find out. I’ll conclude my word with a sincere wish for you. May the Lord bless you not only to exist for Him, but also to be co-crucified with Him. For there is no other path to salvation! Amen.

St. Theophan the Recluse

HOMILY ON THE MEETING OF THE LORD

HOMILY ON THE MEETING OF THE LORD

Delivered by His Grace Bishop Atanasije (Jevtic), 1995 in Pozarevac



Two-sided icon-tablet, late 15th-early 16th cc., Novgorod Museum-reserve



Today we celebrate a great Feast, the Meeting of the Lord in the Temple, we celerate a joyous event of the Meeting of Heaven and earth, the timeless and the transient, God and man, in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the Jerusalem Temple the newly born Savior was taken into the arms of the Righteous elder Simeon, who, having received a Divine promise that he would not die until he sees with his own eyes the Savior and Messiah, gave thanks to the Lord at that very moment for fulfiling that promise by saying: „Now you are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word, for my eyes have seen Your salvation...“. Receiving and taking into his elderly hands the Savior of the world, the righteous Elder recognized also in his prophetic vision the full history of what would be with Christ, and all of those who follow Him, and that is why He says to the Most Holy Theotokos: „Behold this Child is destined for the fall and rising, and for a sign which will be spoke against and many will stand against,“ but they will not be able to prevail, for in Him the thoughts of the hearts of many will be revealed.

Christ gives account for the thoughts of man, thus He is not only our joy, but also our judgment. Many of the Saints rejoiced in appearing before the face of Christ, and prayed: „Lord, cleanse me, have mercy on me, renew me, for if I appear unprepared before You, it will be most dreadful for me, if You only turn Your face from me.“

Lessons of the Cursed Fig Tree / OrthoChristian.Com

Lessons of the Cursed Fig Tree / OrthoChristian.Com

The Most Terrible of the Lord’s Prophecies / OrthoChristian.Com

The Most Terrible of the Lord’s Prophecies / OrthoChristian.Com

THE STONE ROLLED AWAY. EXEGESIS ON JOHN 20:2

St. John Chrysostom

   

The first day of the week(that is, the Lords day) comes Mary Magdalene, very early in the THE STONE ROLLED AWAY. EXEGESIS ON JOHN 20:2  and sees the stone taken away from the sepulcher.
For He arose while both stone and seals lay over Him; but because it was necessary that others should be fully satisfied, the tomb was opened after the Resurrection, and thus what had come to pass was confirmed. This then was what moved Mary. For being entirely full of loving affection towards her Master, when the Sabbath was past, she could not bear to rest, but came very early in the morning, desiring to find some consolation from the place. But when she saw the place, and the stone taken away, she neither entered in nor stooped down, but ran to the disciples, in the greatness of her longing; for this was what she earnestly desired, she wished very speedily to learn what had become of the body. This was the meaning of her running, and her words declare it.
They have taken away, she says, my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him.

The Sunday of the Prodigal Son

Monk Agapios of Kyriakodromion

God is always good and kind to everyone, more than patient with us. But He manifests His great goodness in particular towards those who are sinning. It looks as though He burdens the righteous on all sides and doesn’t give them any respite, yet He’s much more compassionate towards sinners and more easily moved to sympathy for them. He pulls them out from the cadaver of sin and brings them to repentance. The Lord says: ‘As I live, I do not desire the death of sinners, but that they should turn and live. Should the fallen not be raised? Should those who have turned away not turn back? Turn to me and I shall turn to you’. To the righteous, He says: ‘If you observe all righteousness and truth, and if you keep all my commandments and then fall into sin, I will not remember your righteousness, but you shall die in your sin’. The Lord is very strict towards the righteous, but has sympathy, immeasurable compassion and infinite goodness towards sinners. This is because, being all-wise, He knows not to frighten those who have sinned against Him, lest they fall into despair; whereas if He praises the righteous, He’ll encourage complacency. And so He shows mercy to sinners but puts His fear into the righteous, as He is terrible among the saints.

Therefore, being compassionate and seeking and desiring the salvation of sinners, He’s given us repentance as the cure and medicine. He teaches each of us the path of return and repentance through various sayings, parables and challenges, prompting us to reform. This is why today’s parable shows Him as merciful and compassionate.

There was a man who had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that falls to me’. So he divided his living between them, giving half to the younger son. This parable demonstrates and manifests the power of the repentance of the returning penitent and the boundless extent of divine compassion, through which God prompts and urges sinners to repent. It calls God, Who loves the human race, ‘a father’, and both orders of people, the righteous and the sinners, ‘sons’.

Since righteousness is the oldest part and possession of human nature, this is why the elder son is called ‘righteous’, because, from the outset, human nature was embellished and dignified with righteousness, from the very beginning of its divine creation. Holy Scripture tells us that God saw what He’d made and it was very good. Because sin came later, this is why the younger son is called the sinner, since his mind and outlook were unstable and uncertain. The younger son asked his father to give him his share and the father, who loved them both equally, did so, leaving them both self-sufficient. He gave the heavens, the sun, the moon, the stars, the earth and all the things therein for the enjoyment of all, the righteous and the sinners both. Neither has more than the other: the sun rises on both equally; the rain falls on everyone; and God’s blessing and benefits which He’s given in such abundance are to be enjoyed by one and all, without let or hindrance.

The younger son saw the heavens and deified them; he saw the fruits of the earth and didn’t put them to their best use; he didn’t observe God’s law but was ill-disposed towards the righteous and God’s holy prophets. Impious and sinful, he took the sun for his enjoyment and worshipped the gift as a god. He honoured the gifts but didn’t recognize the Giver. He worshipped the creation instead of the Creator. The elder, righteous son used all of these things God made for His glory and praise. He saw the heavens and, from their beauty, recognized the Creator and Primogenitor. ‘For I will regard the heavens, the work of your fingers; the moon and stars, which you have established’. He saw the world and praised and glorified the Lord Who embellished it. The righteous, who was grateful and an indispensable servant, lauded and admired the creation and therefore magnified and glorified the Creator. The sinner, though, who was ungrateful and good for nothing, also saw [the creation] and- wrongly- worshipped it.

All of us have both reason and free will and proceed as we think best. We’re not under compulsion, and virtue or wicked dealings depend on our own inclinations. Each of us can live well, in a God-pleasing manner, since we have reason and free will. This is why we praise those who have good intentions, who do good voluntarily and freely, not having been forced to do so by others. It’s not right nor reasonable to praise those who are brought back from wickedness and impiety by force or compulsion, but it is proper to recognize those who reform of their own free will. If someone is possessed of a virtue by their nature, it’s not tested; it’s only praiseworthy and redemptive when it’s exercised knowingly. So what did the younger son do when he took his inheritance? He sold it and lived the life of a prodigal. He spent lavishly and after a few days took what was left and went to another country altogether, where he threw his money away on riotous living and all manner of transgressions.

Sermon on the Apostolic reading for the Sunday of the prodigal son

Metropolitan of Pisidia Sotirios

In the parable of the “Prodigal Son,” which we heard from the Holy Gospel (Luke 15:11-32), we saw a situation where a man embraces “prodigal living.” He was a free man who became a slave, and grazed with the “pigs” of his fleshly passions.

This is what the Apostolic Reading is also talking about. The Apostle Paul does not hesitate to characterize sin and call it by its name. This is a contrast to what we observe in our days, in that the most obscene and unnatural acts are promoted and displayed for imitation; and that modern people cannot be held captive by the ideas of ancient times! The Apostle Paul clearly states: “The body is not for sexual immorality, but to glorify the Lord” (verse 13). And the Apostle cried: “Flee sexual immorality. Every other sin that a man does is outside his own body; but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body” (verse 18). The most destructive sin for the body is the one that is committed against itself. How many people have been wiped out by diseases, which in our days have evolved into epidemics!

To those who claim today that “my body belongs to me and I am free to do with it as I want,” the Apostle Paul gives the following answer: “You do not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit Who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price”(verses 19-20).

The Sunday of the Canaanite Woman

From the Kyriakodromion of Monk Agapios

At that time, Jesus went to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon”’. The Lord prevented His disciples from going into the lands of the pagans, but He Himself went to Tyre and Sidon which were towns where Hellenes* lived. He did so in order to condemn the lack of faith on the part of the Jews. So the Canaanite woman, who must have learned of the Lord’s reputation earlier, heard that He had come to that part of the country and approached Him crying: ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon’. With these words, the woman confessed the accuracy of her faith and shamed the Jews for not being persuaded by the words of Christ, the Saviour. She didn’t know the Law, hadn’t studied the Prophets, yet called Him God and human when asking for His mercy. By saying ‘Have mercy on me, Lord’, she acknowledged His divinity; with ‘Son of David’, His humanity.
And she didn’t say: ‘Come and heal my daughter, Lord’, but ‘Have mercy on me’ (because, miserable wretch that I am, I’m in pain and anguish over the suffering of my daughter). The latter was left alone at home, sick and almost unconscious, but the mother felt her pain and anguish all the more, precisely because she was a mother.

Lazarus’ Saturday

The Life-giving Word said: Lazarus come forth’ and the one who slept took on living breath.

And today the Lord of the Living says: ‘I am the Resurrection’, ‘whoever believes in me, though he were dead yet shall he live’.

Palm Sunday

This present day is a prophetic event, a glimmer of the glory of Christ, which will be revealed in all its fullness at the end of the ages.

Today the Lord enters into Jerusalem and the whole city is shaken. On the last day He will come with glory and the entire earth will quake, so that all those things that are shaken may be removed, as ‘things that are made’, and only the things which cannot be shaken might remain, marked with the incorruptible grace of the Almighty Jesus.

During His entrance to Jerusalem, the Jews did not apprehend the real identity of the meek and humble Messiah, who was visiting them riding on a donkey’s colt.

And we now, in order to known the visitation of the Lord, that our house not remain desolate, but learn the meekness and humility of the Saviour God, and through His grace to stand in His Presence and sing ‘Blessed is He who Cometh in the Name of the Lord’.

As the children of the Jews spread out their clothing so Christ the Messiah could pass over it and bless them, thus we also spread out the impulses of our will and our desires so that the Lord may rule over our free heart. Then, His grace will cover us, so that we become His own forever.