Our Holy Father Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus (403); Germanus, Patriarch of Constantinople (733)
Acts 18:22-28; John 12:36-47
Read John 12:36-47
Christ is risen! Truly, He is risen!
The reference to the prophecy of Isaiah provokes some interesting questions. Is the scripture suggesting that Israel was predestined to be cut off? Or worse yet, that God intentionally blinded them, hardened their hearts, and took away any opportunity for repentance. The prophecy was not the cause of their unbelief, but rather their unbelief fulfilled the prophecy. Each human being is given the freedom to choose and true freedom predicates that there must be an opportunity to fully reject or fully accept. Those who accept Christ fulfil the positive prophecies of the Old Testament and those who reject him fulfil the negative.
God does not force people to believe or to be good, but to the degree that we strive toward goodness, truth and beauty we become open to the light of Christ. The eyes of the heart more accurately see the spiritual reality that upholds all of existence. On the contrary, wicked and evil choices lead us toward deeper and deeper blindness, which become a gradual and free rejection of God. The absence of divine light makes us blind, and the rejection of God hardens our heart—it is a consequence of the decisions that I make. In other words, if the presence of the Lord softens the heart of people, so the absence hardens it.
As we celebrate the Leave-taking of Pascha today let us with gratitude reflect on the gift that is our faith in the Risen Christ. It is not something to be taken for granted. We must continually work on living, celebrating and growing our faith. And be aware that the choices I make either let the light of the Risen Christ in or shut the light out.
rep