The Holy Martyrs Onisiphorus and Porphyry (456-474); Our Venerable Mother Matrona (456-74); the Venerable Theoctista of Lesbos.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-8; Luke 11:47-12:1.
Read Luke 11:47-12:1
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus warns his followers to, “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” (Luke 12:1).
The Pharisees were devoted to strictly following the law of Moses and upholding the traditions of their fathers. The Holy Scriptures tell us that they, fasted twice a week, and gave tithes of all that they had, down to giving tithes of their mint and cumin. They performed the ceremonial washings before sitting down to eat and knew the scriptures so well that they could quote them from memory. In a word – they did everything right. They were, as St. Paul says of himself, “blameless concerning the Law” (Phil. 3:6).
For us orthodox Christians, it can be easy to fall into the same pattern of being as the Pharisees. We can fast, and tithe from our time and treasure. We can stand in church for hours, bow deeply, and cross ourselves perfectly. We can attend every bible study and quote the Fathers from memory. All of these are good and helpful things – we can and should strive to do them according to our ability.
But Christ did not become man, suffer, die and rise from the dead in order to make us ‘do the right thing’. As St. Athansius tells us “God became man so that man could become God” – This is the language of the Fathers. “Becoming God” is something that transcends the notion of outward perfection. It is the language of being, not of simply doing.
It is easy to concentrate on outward actions (“doing the right thing”) while, at the same time, doing such actions for all the wrong reasons and in a manner that is profoundly removed from “god-like” behavior. Christ points to just such a disconnect in His condemnation of the Pharisees. The good acts of the Pharisees have no inner roots, they do not flow from the spring of living water welling up inside. In the end, as St. Cyril of Alexandria explains, “[they] are soon convicted of being really nothing”. (Commentary on Luke, Homily 84)
As we reflect on today’s Gospel, let us try to measure our success, not simply by our ‘doing the right thing, but by our desire for God. No matter how many times you fall, get back up. Every time you fail, call out for God who alone can save us. As much as possible, refrain from judging others. Assume that they are struggling secretly as well. Remember that our battle is with the passions. They are defeated and healed through the acquisition of the Holy Spirit. To paraphrase St. Seraphim of Sarov, it is this that saves the souls around us.
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