Saturday before Theophany; Our Holy Father Sylvester, Pope of Rome (335)
1 Timothy 3:14-4:5; Matthew 3:1-11
Read 1 Timothy 3:14-4:5
Christ is born! Glorify Him!
As we prepare to celebrate the holy feast of the Theophany of Our Lord we read this interesting passage from 1 Timothy. In it, the Holy Apostle Paul warns against false asceticism. He warns against false teachings that turn things that are inherently good into things that should be shunned; this is an erroneous understanding of the faith. St. Paul specifically condemns those false ascetics who forbid marriage and encourage abstinence from food. But wait for a second, doesn’t the Church encourage abstinence from food during fasts and forbid marriage for those under monastic vows and those celibate men who have already been ordained as deacons?
Yes, the Church has established these things, but for what purpose? It is not for the purpose of a false asceticism since these provisions do not encourage those called to these disciplines to “depart from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.” Rather, we know from both the witness of Holy Scripture (both in the Old and the New Testament) and the ancient tradition of the Church that fasting entered into willingly and in a spirit of self-emptying is a good thing. Why is this so? Fasting properly embraced assists us to grow deeper in prayer and to grow in thankfulness for God’s gifts. This is a true asceticism because it is done out of love of God. Likewise, those men and women who embrace a celibate vocation embrace it willingly and not out of a rejection of marriage as something to be avoided. No. Marriage is good, beautiful, and true and those who embrace a celibate vocation are called into a deep relationship with Christ and His Church, akin to marriage, and to give love and patient counsel to their fellow Christians as a parent would to their own children.
As Our Lord emerges from the waters of the Jordan at Theophany He embarks upon His earthly ministry. In His fasting in the desert, He shows us how to combat those temptations, the “pretensions of liars”, that can lead us away from Him. In His love for the weak, the poor, and the suffering that He encounters He shows us how to love perfectly. No matter what our vocation in life is, may we always seek to follow Christ by these examples He gives us.