Third Sunday after Pentecost, Tone 2; The Holy Martyr Julian of Tarsus (284-305)
Romans 5:1-10; Matthew 6:22-33
Apostles’ Fast.
Read Romans 5:1-10
A metal refiner was teaching his young apprentice the process for refining gold. After the gold was extracted from the surrounding rock it still looked dull and dirty. The refiner explained to the young man that he would have to heat up the gold in the crucible until it was in its molten state in order for the impurities to become visible and be removed. The temperature had to be regulated very carefully to avoid the risk of damaging the golf itself. As the student watched the master’s work, he noticed a substance which certainly was not gold begin to form at the surface and be skimmed off by his teacher. Over and over again the master subjected the gold to this heat, and continued to skim off the impurities until his student asked him: “how do you know when to stop?” “That’s the easiest part,” the master replied, “I stop when I can see my reflection in the gold.”
We have been made in God’s Image and have been called to grow in His Likeness. This process of human refinement is called theosis by the Church: becoming gods by grace. Gold is worth the heat, the time and the effort to refine it. Our Lord shows us that despite our sinful condition we were worth the blood of His Son! This is why we can rejoice even in our sufferings knowing that if we are aligned to God’s agenda and mission in our lives, even these sufferings will not be wasted and useless, but will contribute to us growing in hope, endurance and character. They will allow us (if we will let them!) of growth in Christlikeness.
This Sunday let us be grateful to the true Master Refiner who loves us more than all the gold in the world. Let us count our blessings, but also our sufferings, and return them both to the Lord in thanksgiving.