Fourth Sunday of the Great Fast: St. John Climacus, Tone 7; Our Holy Father Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem (638)
Great Fast Day 28. The Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is celebrated today.
Read
Hebrews 6:13-20; Ephesians 5:9-19
Mark 9:17-31; Matthew 4:25-5:12
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
Sin has passed into humanity; this is a fact. But the great evil is that human beings have let sin pervert them and lead them into a confrontational attitude towards God, an attitude of faithlessness. This has left man entrenched in unbelief, something he seems to want to remain in. But there is something required from human beings, and God is waiting for it. That suffering father did all that he was able to do. He spoke that amazing phrase – “Lord I believe, help my unbelief! ” – which was an act from deep within his soul, and which shook his own existence. This is an opening, an act of faith, a giving over to God, even as it is a self-condemnation. A miracle takes place at that moment – he is illumined.
A human being undertakes difficult tasks gladly and does many things, but he is afraid to do this: to put himself down entirely, to confess his sorry state, and at the same time with confidence to take refuge in the Lord: “Lord I believe, help my unbelief!” Just as a human being is trapped by sin – sin which is also perversion, denial and faithlessness – so it is necessary to escape from there. It is necessary for him to be seized by something outside of himself (just as this father was): to be seized by Christ, by the Church. And then truly the miracle will occur.
The time of the Great Fast is a great opportunity to turn away from the devil, sin and evil and to stay on the path of God’s love and making of good things: recognize our sins in the sacrament of Reconciliation and try to be closer to God. A person who stays close to God is safe because God has power over evil and He is always glad to help us.
Let us always strive to be close to God through our prayer, fasting, alms-giving and virtuous Christian life. For, if God is with us who can be against us. Let not be afraid of anything.