Sermon for November 1st, 2009
21st Sunday After Pentecost
St. John of Kronstadt & St. John of Rila
Gospel: Luke 8:5-15(§35)
& Luke 6:31-36(§26)
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Today the Church celebrates the memory of St. John of Kronstadt as well as the translation of the relics of St. John of Rila, for whom St. John of Kronstadt is named. The second Gospel reading is read on the feast of St. John of Kronstadt because through it we can see him as a beacon of Christ’ light in an early 20thcentury Russia which was about to plunge itself into darkness.
The Gospel reading begins with the Lord stating the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. However, the depth of this is revealed in the verses which follow, as Christ asks, “For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.”
It is clear, is it not? When we love and do good things to those who answer in kind, we are not necessarily followers of Christ for sinners do the same. We are following Christ – we practice true Christianity – when we love those who hate us and do good to those who do us evil. Now, Christ is not telling us to follow those who are evil or to be a wet rag and by our silence endorse the evil. God forbid! But we must not let it enter into our own hearts because by this evil triumphs.
When Christ next tells us, “Love your enemies,” it is with a very specific understanding of what that means. Blessed Augustine writes, “We are also prohibited both from loving that world and, if we understand rightly, are commanded to love it. We are prohibited, of course, where it is said to us, “Do not love the world.” But we are commanded when it is said to us, “Love your enemies.” They are the world, which hates us. Therefore we are both prohibited from loving in it what the world itself loves, and we are commanded to love in it what the world hates, namely, the handiwork of God and […] His goodness. We are prohibited from loving the fault in it and are commanded to love its nature. The world loves the fault in itself and hates its nature. So we rightly love and hate it, although it perversely loves and hates itself.”
My brothers and sisters, consider carefully Blessed Augustine’s words. We live at a time where the world is slowly triumphing over Christianity. In the West, if we do not accept the common perversions that surround us from abortion to homosexuality to pedophilia, then we are accused of being hateful. In the so-called Orthodox East, if we do not accept the growing list of compromises which are said to be necessary in order to save the Church, we are condemned as lacking love and forgiveness. However, let us take heart by what our Savior and the fathers tell us because the love that we are called to always met with anger and condemnation.
St. Cyprian of Carthage writes, “How will you love your enemies and pray for your adversaries and persecutors? We see what happened to Stephen. When he was being killed by the violence and stones of the Jews, he did not ask for vengeance but forgiveness for his murderers, saying: “O Lord, do not lay this sin against them.” So it was most fitting that the first martyr for Christ who, in preceding by his glorious death the martyrs that were to come, was not only a preacher of the Lord’s suffering but also an imitator of his most patient gentleness.”
This same patient gentleness that St. Cyprian speaks of can be seen in St. John of Kronstadt. The story of his life well worth reading and would be of great spiritual benefit to us. St. John stood against the world as he spoke out against the nihilist and revolutionary movements, yet at the same time, he loved all of those who he encountered be they Moslems, Jews or atheists. His kindness brought many thousands to Christ. He is, my brothers and sisters, truly a model for us to follow. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us. Amen.
