The Holy and Glorious Great-Martyr Demetrius, from Whose Tomb Myrrh Streams Forth (285-310); and the Commemoration of the Great and Terrible Earthquake at Constantinople of 741 AD
2 Timothy 2:1-10; John 15:17-16:2
Read John 15:17-16:2
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
Today’s Gospel passage reminds us of the challenges of being a follower of Christ. We Christians do not belong to the world; we belong to God. By our faith in Christ through baptism, we became sons and daughters of God. In his letter to the Galatians, St. Paul writes:
“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ” (Galatians 4:4-7).
Since we are adopted sons and daughters of God, by grace we are called to live beyond the natural order. Christ has chosen us out of the world! We share a deep, spiritual bond with all other Christians since together we make up the Body of Christ, the Church. Being adopted children of God means that we are truly brothers and sisters of one other in Christ. We are a family, and just like any other family we endure joys and hardships together. Christ was persecuted, and so we Christians should also expect to be persecuted since we are not greater than our Master. Whenever we face persecution, we face it in solidarity with Jesus and with all our brothers and sisters in Christ.
How often do we think of other Christians and our fellow parishioners as being our brothers and sisters? Remembering that we belong to this larger Christian family can give us strength and support when we face difficulties, but it also calls us to hold a certain responsibility for the other members of our community. Like a good family, we must show care and concern for the needs of our members. God calls us to love all people, including our neighbours and enemies. Do we make an effort to show genuine familial love for our brothers and sisters?