Our Holy Father and Wonderworker Tychon of Amathus (408-50).
Apostles’ Fast. Abstention from meat and foods that contain meat.
Romans 9:6-19; Matthew 10:32-36; 11:1.
Read Matthew 10:32-36; 11:1
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
We might find it easy to fall into the societal pressure of keeping my faith as a private matter. My belief is between me and God. What I do on Sunday morning or in the privacy of my own home has no bearing on how I live my life during the week, outside my home, or in the public square. I have my truth and you have your truth. Society functions best if we don’t rock the boat of relative truth. We might think this is a novel and modern idea, but actually early Christians faced similar pressure to conform. Early Christians, during times of persecution, were hunted down and tried publicly in order to conform to the societal norm of polytheism—the world view that there are many gods. I have my god and you have your god and we’ll just leave it at that. Christians could never accept a relative world view. Many gods, many truths, only point to a chaos of existential contradiction. And more importantly ignore Divine revelation—God’s own shining forth into the World.
The Judeo-Christian Tradition has constantly opposed this world view. Even honest pagan philosophers leading up to the incarnation of the Son of God began to see the absurdity of polytheism (relativism). St. Paul says, “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made” (Romans 1:20). Jesus, who is Divine, proclaims “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). He is the one who pulls us out of the chaos of relativism and brings us to the One God and Father.
By accepting Christ we become shining beacons of Truth in a confused world. Jesus expects an honesty and loyalty which is not only inward based, but also publicly expressed. To acknowledge someone means to “accept or admit the existence or truth of.” In a world that is filled with relative chaos, and a growing resentment towards Christianity, the simple living out of our faith and not being afraid to be known as Christians can cause division and strife even in our families. Some of us may have even experienced this. But the Lord asks for our complete loyalty and love. If I truly love my wife I would not be ashamed—in fact I would be proud—to publicly acknowledge her and my commitment, promise and love for her even unto death. If I am willing to do this for my wife, how much more should I be ready to acknowledge my Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer—the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.