Forefeast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God; Holy Martyr Sozon the Shepherd (304). Zhyrovytsi Icon of the Mother of God.
Ephesians 6:10-17; John 15:17-16:2.
Read John 15:17-16:2
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
In today’s Gospel reading, which the Church gives us for the feasts of the martyrs, Jesus contrasts the hatred which the world will have for His disciples, with the love that He commands them to have for one another.
We should note that by the world, the Fathers do not mean material creation. Creation comes from the hand of God and remains always good. Rather, the world in this sense, primarily means the fallen world which is under the dominion of sin and Satan. This is not creation per se, but creation suffering the effects of Adams sin and the influence of the evil one. It is in this sense that our Lord calls Satan the “prince of this world”, and those people who allow his influence to reign in their lives, antichrist.
The scriptures also call this condition hardness of heart. Pharaoh rejected Moses’s requests because his heart was hardened, and Jesus says elsewhere that, “out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” (Matthew 15:18–19)
In this sense, the world is fundamentally opposed to Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. We see this dynamic at play when Jesus is criticized for healing on the Sabbath: “He looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. (Mark 3:5)
In contrast, Jesus commands that His disciples should be characterized by love. This love is more than nice sentiment, it is a disposition of self-sacrifice, animated by the fire of the Holy Spirit as St. Paul says, “the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5). The Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us in Holy Baptism and enables us to bear fruits such as “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).
Being Christians in the world, we do not always fall neatly into one category or the other. We often struggle against the dominion of our passions and the suggestions of the evil one. Likewise few of us can claim to always display such characteristics are St. Paul describes above. The Christian life in this world is a constant struggle to be conformed to the likeness of Christ. St. Seraphim of Sarov offers us the following encouragement: “God is a fire that warms and kindles the heart and inward parts. Hence, if we feel in our hearts the cold which comes from the devil—for the devil is cold—let us call on the Lord. He will come to warm our hearts with perfect love, not only for Him but also for our neighbor, and the cold of him who hates the good will flee before the heat of His countenance.”
Bible References