(Matthew 10:32-33, 37-38; 19:27-30) (First Sunday after Pentecost)
Last Sunday, you’ll recall, was the Feast of Pentecost, the day we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of the Lord. Filled with the Holy Spirit, they went forth to bear witness to the good news of our salvation in Jesus Christ. In what they said, and in what they did, they told everyone about our deliverance from death and our being set free from sins by the death and resurrection of our Lord. This was not without consequences. Many were mocked and ridiculed; others were tortured; and some were put to death for bearing witness to Christ. James, the brother of our Lord, was thrown to his death from the top of the temple in Jerusalem. Peter and Paul were crucified. Some were beheaded; some were sawn in two; killed by wild beasts; burned alive; drowned; in fact, if there was a particularly horrible way to kill someone, there is probably a martyr whose life was ended in that way. The fathers tell us that it is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that the martyrs and confessors could remain faithful to our Lord when such tortures were brought to bear against them.
Today, the first Sunday after Pentecost, is the day we, the Church, celebrate all the saints of the Church. Some of their pictures hang on the walls around us; a “hall of fame” in which they are remembered for the way in which they show us the life of Christ. Again, some are martyrs; some, confessors; some died peacefully, but showed a form of holiness worthy of our consideration. They are saints: people from whom shines forth to us the light of Christ in them, the hope of glory. We honor them this day; and the best way to honor them is to follow their example, to strive to be like them, to show forth Christ in our own lives.
What makes the saints different from us? It isn’t something in their nature, for we are made of the same “stuff,” the same substance, the same human nature. It isn’t in the power they have received on high; for, like them, “we have seen the true light, we have received the heavenly Spirit, we have found the true faith…” In our baptism, our nature was transformed, just as theirs was transformed; they received the life of the risen Lord, and so did we. When we were chrismated, we received the same Holy Spirit they received. So, what makes the saints different from us? Why are we not more like them?
The answer is simple: we don’t love God they way they love God. We love our sins; and we love ourselves more than we love God. When we’re faced with a choice between doing what we want, and what God wants, more often than not, we chose to please ourselves – even if this means that we sin. You know, it’s hard to fight against our passions when we so often indulge them; and, if we don’t struggle against our passions, we can never hope to defeat them, we can never hope to transform them, so that what we think and do and say and want will be pleasing to God, rather than offensive. What can we do?
The answer is simple: we begin by following the life of the Church. We pray; and, in praying, cultivate within ourselves a desire to draw closer to God, to enter into His presence, to pour out our hearts to Him, and to allow Him to guide us. We fast; to cleanse ourselves by denial, and to teach ourselves that we can do without certain foods, so that we can learn as well to do without our sins. We give, so that we can be free from the things that attach us to this world. And we struggle, fighting against our sins and passions, overcoming the evil within us by doing what is good and right, calling upon our Lord to help us.
Brothers and sisters: We may not be called to suffer, or be tortured, or to become martyrs for the Orthodox faith. Our suffering, our torture, our martyrdom may be nothing more than to struggle against the passions and desires that lead us into sin. But we must not be confused. We are called to walk the same path the saints walked during the time of their life on earth. We are called to be transformed into vessels bearing the light, and life, and love of Christ. We have been given the life of Christ; we have received the heavenly Spirit. Let us resolve ourselves to embrace these gifts, and to work to show them forth to the world, to the glory of God, and the salvation of our souls.
O ye saints of God, pray to God for us!
1 comment:
I have often wondered what constitutes "sin" in Orthodoxy. In Catholicism, and probably in most of Western Christianity, it's much clearer: a transgression is a transgression. But if you are "doing everything right," living according to the Commandments to the best of your ability, attending as many of the services as is possible in your situation -- what, then, is sin?
You've answered that question. Thanks!
BTW -- Paul was not crucified. A Roman citizen could not be crucified, and he makes it clear in his Epistles that he was a Roman citizen. The tradition is that he was beheaded.
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