Our Venerable Father Xenophon and his wife Maria
2 Peter 2:9-22; Mark 13:14-23
No fasting or abstention from foods.
Read 2 Peter 2:9-22
Christ is born! Glorify Him!
Temptations are a part of our everyday life in this fallen world. The opening line of today’s epistle reading gives us hope that the Lord will free us from that which we suffer but also leads us to wonder whether we are among the godly who are rescued from temptations, as St. Peter points out in that first line.
Our Lord does indeed rescue us from temptations, though we may ignore or miss His moment of rescue. In describing the five stages of the development of a logismos (evil thought or passion), numerous Fathers point to there being a moment between stage 3, consent, and stage 4, captivity, where it is possible to turn back to the Lord before the evil thought becomes an act.
This moment, provided to us by the Lord, requires our action. However, He does not rescue us without our co-operation,and we cannot be rescued without dependence on His love and mercy.
As we continue our time of preparation for the Great Fast where our spiritual battles will intensify, may we look for the Lord in those moments of temptation and allow Him to rescue us as we lean on Him for His eternal love and mercy.