Post-feast of Pentecost; The Holy Prophet Elisha (9th c. BC); Our Holy Father Methodius, Patriarch of Constantinople (847)
No fasting or abstention from foods.
Read
Romans 2:14-29; Matthew 5:33-41
Today’s gospel reads like a checklist for daily living. But there is more going on here than simple moralizing. You can get that from the right Twitter feed. The Bible’s pages open unto us knowledge of the divine. When Jesus instructs us for our “yes” or “no.” I am reminded, of the most simple of liturgical responses: “Amen.” In its simplest form, Amen means “so be it.” It is a great “yes” that offers our assent to the prayers being prayed. This assent is more than just rational acknowledgement; it requires the participation of our entire being.
Augustine explains in his work On Christian Doctrine, that Hebrew words like “Amen” and “Alleluia” are left untranslated first for their more sacred meaning, but also because interjections chiefly express emotions in the mind. As a result, these words translate the otherwise untranslatable language of the inner stirrings of the human heart. How then do we approach the Amen’s of our liturgies? Are they muttered thoughtlessly waiting for the liturgy to be over? Are they linked to the deep seeded joy, fear and awe, one that demands the kingdom come? Is it an Amen that acknowledges that Christ died “for the life of the world” offering that life for us as food and drink on the altar? It is for this reason that every amen of our liturgies need to be filled with the intention of an alleluia, bringing the entirety of our being before the presence of the mystery of God.
as