The Holy Martyrs Zenobius and Zenobia His Sister (284-305); Passing into eternal life of Blessed Priest-martyr Olesky Zarytsky (1963), Pastor of Strutyn near Zolochiv, and Siberia, Martyr
Colossians 4:10-18; Luke 10:1-15
Abstinence from meat and foods that contain meat
Read Colossians 4:10-18
In the end of this letter of St. Paul to the Colossians, we get the feeling of outsiders looking in on intimate relationships. Paul is trading greetings with Colossians and Paul’s friends, most of whom we have very little historical details about other than their mention in Paul’s letters. What is particularly edifying about this reading is the way Paul refers to these greetings. The verb aspazomai suggests a warm welcome, with open arms and kissing. In framing these greetings in this way, Paul expresses the intimacy and kindness that should be expressed in the Christian community.
In the contemporary Byzantine liturgy, the kiss of peace between clergy is exchanged during the Creed with the statement: “Christ is among us!” and the response “He is and ever shall be!” The clergy then embrace and then perform a ritual kiss, twice on each cheek and once on each other’s hand, reverencing their office as priests. In truth, this restricted gesture was extended among the faithful in earlier iterations of the Byzantine liturgy. This is no vague welcome of bland sentiment. Rather it is a confession of a faith, insisting that Christ is in our midst. It is no coincidence either that we go on to recite the Creed, the profession of faith in which we specifically call to mind, who this Christ is for us. Especially in the ancient world, there was no way to google the identity of a newcomer into a community. No background check. Hence, the case for suspicion for newcomers was high. Paul shows us a different way, urging us to respect, deference, and accommodation for the stranger.
As Christians, when we show kindness in greeting someone, we are not performing mindless observance of social mores. We are professing our faith. We are acknowledging Christ in our midst the very Christ who saves us and hides in the stranger. We should hear Paul in our heads, urging us to greet each other as if they are ambassadors of Christ and us, their cheerful recipients.