Post-feast of the Dormition; the Holy Prophet Samuel (11th c. BC)
2 Corinthians 7:1-10; Mark 1:29-35
Read 2 Corinthians 7:1-10
There is a lot going on in this letter. However, we will briefly reflect on two ideas here.
First, the notion of cleansing ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit. We have been given the incredible promise of salvation by Christ’s death and resurrection. The promise is fulfilled when we unite ourselves to Christ’s death and rise with him. However, we cannot fully die to self and to the world if we are still given over to inordinate desires or defilement of body and spirit. When we are cleansed of sinful thoughts and deeds, we become free to be able to give our lives in service to Christ and others. Our life of service to Christ and others is how we die with him, and therefore how we rise with him. If we remain caught up in sin, we serve ourselves and forget others.
Second, a godly grief produces repentance that leads to salvation. When we recognize the extent to which we are given over to sin, that is the time to grieve. We need to grieve that because that sin is what keeps us from the cleansing mentioned before. The sin keeps us from uniting to Christ’s death and resurrection. The sin ensures our damnation. That is truly something to grieve. But his grieving should lead to a change of heart and change of mind and lead us to desire the better way, the sinless way that brings us to the promise of salvation.
This is quite different than worldly grief, where we grieve the earthly things we do not have, as if that political power, wealth, or possession of anything can lead us to true joy. Those things can’t. If we grieve not having those, we grieve something that will ultimately tie us down in sin. That produces death.
No, grieve the sin that keeps you from drawing near to Christ. That grief leads to repentance and, ultimately, salvation. You won’t regret it!