The Holy Hieromartyr Simeon, Relative of the Lord; Our Venerable Father Stephen, Bishop of Volodymyr in Volhynia.
Acts 10:1-16; John 6:56-69.
Read Acts 10:1-16
In today’s reading we encounter the centurion Cornelius, described by St. Luke as, “a devout man who feared God with all his household”. We are further told that he “gave alms liberally to the people, and prayed constantly to God” (Acts 10:2).
As a high ranking soldier in the Roman military, Cornelius would have had extremely demanding duties. Yet in spite of these, he still finds time to pray each day and devotes himself to the poor and the people under his care. “Here is a soldier,” says St. John Chrysostom, “who has had benefit of no instruction, who was tangled up in the affairs of this life, who has each day a thousand things to distract and bother him. Yet he did not waste his life in banquets and drinking and gluttony but spent his time in prayer and almsgiving. He showed such eagerness on his own initiative, he attended so constantly to prayer, he was so generous in his almsgiving, that he showed himself deserving of such a vision.” (Baptismal Instructions 7.28–29).
The faith and good works of Cornelius should be a point of reflection for us. If such a man made such great efforts to love God and draw close to him, even according to his own imperfect knowledge, how much more should we who have been instructed in the faith and partake of the Holy Mysteries?
Yet as important as this is, these good works are not themselves the goal of our Christian life. St. Seraphim of Sarov reminds us that, “Acquiring the Spirit of God is the true aim of our Christian life, while prayer, fasting, alms-giving and other good works done for Christ’s sake are merely means for acquiring the Spirit of God.” (On the Acquisition of the Holy Spirit)
The key here is that our good works are done not for their own sake but for Christ’s. Good works in themselves avail us nothing – yet God is so generous that as long as we seek Christ with a pure intention, St. Seraphim adds, “If a man like Cornelius enjoys the favor of God for his deeds, though not done for Christ’s sake, and then believes in His Son, such deeds will be imputed to him as done for Christ’s sake.”
This week, let us try to make space daily for prayer and works of charity – not for their own sake, but for the sake of the One who suffered and rose for us. May our good God see our good works and grant us the grace of His all-Holy Spirit, that by His spirit thousands around us might be saved.