Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea. Our Holy Father Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus (403). Germanus, Patriarch of Constantinople (733).
Acts 20:16-18, 28-36. John 17:1-13.
Read Acts 20:16-18, 28-36
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory for ever!
Why is Paul so certain that people from both outside the Church and within will try to destroy us? He says that they will attempt to entice us away by words to follow them rather than our apostolic leadership.
Paul’s ceaseless warnings and tears come from his own hard experience. He knows the opposition he faced in preaching the gospel and what it required of him; he knows that those he has ordained will face at least as much. His concern also comes from the fact that he “advanced in Judaism beyond many of (his) contemporaries” (Galatians 1:14). The Pharisees’ zeal for the traditions of their fathers was born of the painful cultural memory of judgement by exile to Babylon and the fear that it could happen again. And, as an experienced pastor, he knows us, that unless we are vigilant, we are so easily seduced.
Yet he acts with hope. Against the seduction of false teachers, he laid the foundation of the apostolic preaching of “the word of His grace”. Against self-aggrandizing personalities, he gave us the example of his own humility in working instead of enriching himself. And he commended his apostolic successors to God in prayer.
Almost three centuries later, his successor bishops overcame the false teaching of a strong personality at the First Ecumenical Council. We too can overcome sometimes being our own worst enemies. We can grow in knowledge and understanding of scripture and apostolic tradition. We can follow the Lord Jesus in the blessing of supporting the weak by giving rather than coveting. And we can “commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.”