The Holy Martyrs Manuel, Sabel and Ismael; Our Venerable Father Hypatius, Hegumen of Ruphenia (446)
Romans 8:2-13; Matthew 10:16-22
Apostles’ Fast. Abstinence from meat and foods that contain meat.
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Romans 8:2-13
God created the human being by combining two substances, the spiritual and the material; furthermore, the Lord God breathed His Spirit into the human being (Gen 2:7). By the gift of His breath, we receive the Holy Spirit, which is to be our power, energy, life, wisdom and guide. In paradise Adam and Eve enjoyed living the Spiritual life, that is life directed and empowered by the Spirit of God. They had their ‘minds on the things of the Spirit.’ and lived in peace and harmony with God, nature and each other. As soon as they set their minds on the allurement of the flesh—that is their entire focus was given to the fleshly physical existence of the material world—they were not able to uphold the Law of God and therefore, fell into disobedience, sin and death.
We who are in the Spirit, who have received this life-giving gift at Chrismation, are privileged to live life in the Spirit again. For Christ breathed the Holy Spirit upon the Church (John 20:22) reversing that which was lost. To grow in the Spirit St. Paul reminds us that we ought to ‘put our minds on the things of the Spirit’, so that we may perform deeds of the Spirit; in other words, our focus should be on pleasing God, which is the true keeping of the Law. Pelagius commenting on this chapter reminds us that, “For when one of these substances brings the other under its control, the subordinate substance in effect loses both its power and its name.” (Pelagius’ Commentary on Romans 107). We become spiritual by living in and by the Spirit; thereby, overcoming the flesh and its false allurements.