Post-feast of the Dormition; Holy Martyr Agathonicus and those with him (286-305); Passing into Eternal Life (1964) of Bishop Symeon (Lukach) Confessor of Krasnoyarsk and Pastor of the Stanyslaviv (Ivano-Frankivs’k) Region
Read
2 Corinthians 4:1-6; Matthew 24:13-28
Today’s reading is from the “eschatological discourse” in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus’ teaching about the end of the world and the watchfulness needed of Christians at that time. Most of today’s passage is about a period of great suffering, and the description of Matthew and the other evangelists sounds a great deal like the events that led up to the destruction of the Jewish temple in AD 70. But the overall message applies to us today: despite the terrifying events we read about in the news, and sometimes experience ourselves (things like wars, famine, disastrous climate change, but also the troubles inside the Church) the end is not yet at hand. Christians shouldn’t search for false Messiah’s but must wait for Christ to appear as clearly as lightning in the sky.
Moreover, the first two verses of today’s reading give us an insight into how this time should be spent: not in fear and worry, but in perseverance, and especially in faithful preaching of the gospel of the kingdom. The disciple’s commission from Christ at the end of Matthew’s gospel is to proclaim his new kingdom to all the nations of the world, and we are still bound by this call. The new martyrs of the 20th century, like Symeon Lukach whose feast it is today, were faithful to this call even when it meant opposing the powers of this world with their very lives. Let’s pray for the same perseverance and zeal in preaching the kingdom, so that we aren’t found idle when the Lord does return.