Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Tone 4; Mother of God of Perpetual Help; Our Venerable Father Athanasius of Athos (c. 1003)
Romans 10:1-10; Hebrews 9:1-7; Matthew 8:28-9:1; Luke 10:38-42;11:27-28
Feast of the Mother of God; Polyeleos feast.
Read Romans 10:1-10
What is the point of a telescope? Is it to look in the eyepiece? Or how about a telephone? Is it to dial the numbers? What about a television? Is it to push the “on button?” Of course, all of these things are necessary for using these devices, but that’s not what these things are “for,” those aren’t their purposes.
If you take a close look at these three examples, you’ll notice that they all start with the same first four letters: tele. This comes from the Greek word “telos” (τέλος) which means “end” or “goal.” The goal or purpose of a telescope is to see a specific part of the sky up close. The point of a telephone is to communicate with a particular person on the other end. St. Paul in our reading today reminds us that the Law which the Jews received from God had its end, its telos in Christ. The problem was that the people felt that the Law justified them, it had become an “end in itself.” The Jewish people of St. Paul’s time believed that the Law would save them while St. Paul was telling his Christian converts (many of them from Judaism) that the Law was meant to bring people to Christ, and it was only faith in Christ that justified them.
Now we can shake the “baba finger” at them and point out how silly that is. But I know that often we do the same thing, just not with the Law. Have we ever seen the purpose of the Divine Liturgy as strictly social time? A time for beautiful singing? Prayer in our preferred language? An organization which is strictly a social action body? All of these things are essential to serving the Liturgy and coming together in common worship, but when we miss the point, the telos of the Liturgy, that it is to bring us to Christ and join us to His life, death and Resurrection, all the best coffee, singing and socializing isn’t worth it. Only with Christ as the proper end do all these other things take on their real meanings. Let us guard very much the “why” of our worship. Only then will the “hows” fall into their correct places!