| He Himself was a stranger with “no place to lay His head” ( Mt.8:20 ; Lk.9:58 ), who “came to His own home, and His own people received Him not” ( Jn.1:11 ); who brings all men home to the heavenly house of the Father ( Jn.14:1–2 ). He Himself was naked, in the manger in Bethlehem, in the streams of the Jordan, and on the cross of Golgatha; who clothes all men with Himself ( Gal.3:27 ), and with the “robes of salvation” ( Is.61:10 ; Rev.6:11). He Himself was sick, “wounded for our transgressions” and “bruised for our iniquities,” left alone hanging on the cross ( Is.53:5 ; Mt.26:56 ); who Himself heals all the wounds of men, for “with His wounds we are healed” ( Is.53:5 ). He Himself was in prison, arrested as a criminal and thrown into jail, forsaken by His disciples ( Mt.26:56, 27 ); who Himself proclaims “liberty to the captives” ( Is.61:1 ; Lk.4:18 ), setting men free from everything that binds them, and forgiving their crimes. Since Christ has identified Himself wholly with every man, in every one of his sad and most sorrowful states, the person who “does it to the least of his brethren” does it to Christ Himself – not “as if” to Christ, but to Christ in reality, for Christ is most truly within every man, and every man is the bearer of Christ, the “image of the invisible God” (Col.1:15). Saint Simeon the New Theologian gives the following teaching about the parable of the final judgment: The Son of God has become the Son of Man in order to make us men sons of God, raising our nature by grace to what He is Himself by nature, granting us birth from above through the grace of the Holy Spirit and leading us straightway into the Kingdom of heaven, or rather, granting us the Kingdom of heaven within us ... A man is not saved by having once shown mercy to someone ... for “I was hungry” and “I was thirsty” is said not of one occasion, not of one day, but of the whole of life. In the same way, “you gave me food,” “you gave me drink,” “you clothed me,” and so on, does not merely indicate one incident or action, but a constant attitude to everyone always. Our Lord Jesus Christ said that He Himself accepts such mercy ... in the persons of the needy. |
| Love of neighbor necessarily follows from the love of God, and there can be no true love of God without it. He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in darkness still. He who loves his brother abides in the light and in him there is no cause of stumbling. He who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going for the darkness has blinded his eyes. If any one says “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that he who loves God, should love his brother also ( 1Jn.2:9–11, 4:20–21 ). The love of the neighbor and the brother does not mean the love of only those who love us and are good to us. The neighbor and the brother mean anyone near at hand, everyone made by God, all “for whom Christ has died” ( Rom.14:15 ). The neighbor and the brother include also the enemies. This is the point of Christ’s parable of the Good Samaritan ( Lk.10:29–37 ). It is also the Lord’s specific teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the heathen do the same? You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect ( Mt.5:44–48 ). But I say to you that hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you ... If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and selfish ( Lk.6:27–35 ). |
| The Divine Liturgy of St. Basil is officiated on this day. The readings are: 2 Cor. 11:23-32; Mtt 26-2-28; Jn. 13:3-17; Mtt 26:21-39; Lk. 22:43-44; Mtt 26:40-75; Mtt 27-1-2. During this Liturgy the priest prepares the “Amnos”, the Holy Communion, which is kept throughout the whole year to be given the faithful in times of sickness. The Body and Blood of Christ is present in the Church during the entire year and throughout the ages. On this day, with greater feeling than ever, Christians come for Holy Communion singing: “Receive me Today, O Son of God, as a partaker of Thy Mystic Feast; for I will not speak of the Mystery to Thine enemies, I will not kiss Thee as did Judas, but as the thief I will confess Thee. Lord, remember me when I comest to Thy Kingdom.” “We worship Thy passion, O Christ……” Great Holy Thursday Evening (The service of the HOLY PASSION of our Lord Jesus Christ. The service is Matins of Friday morning sung by anticipation Thursday evening.) Good Friday celebrates the holy, saving and awesome Passion of Christ. To take away our sins, Christ willingly endured the spittings, scourgings, buffetings, scorn, mocking and the purple robe; the reed, sponge, vinegar, nails, spear and, above all, the Cross and Death. The confession from the cross of the penitent thief, crucified with Christ, is celebrated. This service is long, but its content is dramatic and deeply moving for the devout Christian. Participation in the prayers and the historical sequence of the events, as related in the Gospels and hymns, provides a vivid foundation for the great events yet to come. Following are the references of the “Twelve Gospel” readings of this service: 1. St. John 13:31 thru Ch. 18,1 2. St. John 18:1-29 3. St. Matthew 26:57-75 4. St. John 18:28 thru Ch. 19:16 5. St. Matthew 27:3-32 6. St. Mark 15:16-32 7. St. Matthew 27:33-54 8. St. Luke 23:32-49 9. St. John 19:38-42 10. St. Mark 15:43-47 11. St. John 19:38-42 12. St. Matthew 27:62-66 These readings relate the last instructions of Christ to His disciples, the prophecy of the drama of the Cross, the dramatic prayer of Christ and His new commandment. The day should be devoted to reading the “Gospel of the Testament” of Christ which He left for all men. The Church services during Holy Week re-enact the events of this Gospel. |
| En efecto, esto era lo que el Señor no quería, enseñando que Él no había venido a gobernar en apariencia, no para ser servido como un gobernante terrenal ( Mt. 20:28 ), y que Su Reino no es de este mundo (Ju. 18:36), Su Reino es puramente espiritual . Por ello el Señor rechaza al demonio: «¡Apártate Satanás!» ( Mt. 4:10 ), citando las palabras del Deuteronomio (6:13): «Adoraras al Señor tu Dios, y a Él solo rendirás culto.» Con esto Jesús muestra que Él no acepta la autoridad del demonio sobre el mundo, pues el universo pertenece al Señor Dios, y Él es el Único que será adorado. Según el Evangelio de Lucas el demonio se alejo de Jesucristo «hasta el momento oportuno» ( Lk. 4:13 ), porque pronto comenzará a tentar al Señor a través de la gente, creando todo tipo de intrigas. El Evangelista Marcos hace una importante referencia al hecho de que, en el desierto, Jesús «vivía entre las fieras» ( Mk. 1:13 ). Como el Nuevo Adán, las bestias salvajes no se atrevían a atacarlo reconociendo en Él a su Soberano. Los primeros discípulos de Cristo. ( Jn. 1:35–51 ). Luego de las tentaciones del demonio Nuestro Señor Jesucristo se dirigió una vez mas hacia el Jordán al encuentro de Juan. Entretanto, en la víspera de su retorno, el Bautista dio un nuevo y triunfal testimonio de Cristo ante los fariseos – pero esta vez no de la venida del Mesías como promesa, sino como una realidad. Sólo el Evangelio de Juan narra este suceso ( Jn. 1:19–34 ). Sacerdotes y levitas fueron enviados por los judíos desde Jerusalén para interrogar a Juan. Ellos querían saber si acaso él no era el Cristo, pues según sus creencias era sólo el Mesías-Cristo quien podía bautizar. «Él [el Bautista] confesó y no lo ocultó, sino que dijo claramente: Yo no soy el Cristo» (Ju. 1:20). Luego le preguntaron si acaso no era un profeta, a lo que Juan contestó: «Yo soy la voz que grita en el desierto» ( Jn. 1:23 ), enfatizando que su bautismo con agua tal como su ministerio todo es solo preparatorio , y para evitar otras preguntas, concluye su respuesta con una declaración triunfante: «Entre ustedes hay Uno a quien ustedes no conocen; es Él Quien, viniendo después de mí, me precede» (Ju. 1:26–27). Él comienza su ministerio después de mí pero tiene existencia eterna y dignidad Divina, «y yo no soy digno de desatar la correa de Su sandalia» (Ju. 1:27). Este testimonio fue dado en Betabara donde las multitudes acostumbraban a acudir a Juan. Al día siguiente, Juan vio acercarse a Jesús y dijo: «Este es el Cordero de Dios, que quita el pecado del mundo»; confirmando que Aquel que bautiza con el Espíritu Santo, es el Hijo de Dios , pues: " yo vi al Espíritu descender del cielo en forma de paloma y posarse sobre Él» (Ju. 1:29–34). |
| For the inward mind and the heart of man are deep ( Ps.64:6 ). The good man out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil man, out of the evil treasure of his heart produces evil; for out of the abundance of his heart, his mouth speaks ( Lk.6:45 , Mt.12:34–35 ). For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these things come from within, and they defile a man ( Mk.7:21–23 ). My son, says the Lord, give me your heart, and let your eyes delight in my ways ( Prov.23:26 ). According to the scriptures and the saints, man’s heart grows hard, fat, cold and corrupt when it is stubborn and rebellious against God, depriving itself of His Holy Spirit. Many times and in many different ways this is said in the holy writings ( Deut.6:7 ; Is.6:10 ; Jer.5:23 ; Zechariah.7:12: Mk.8:17 ; Mt.19:8 , et al.). But when man sins, the Lord still loves him faithfully and purifies his heart by grace in order that he might be saved for everlasting life. I will give them a new heart, and put a new spirit within them; I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my ordinances and obey them; and they shall be my people, and I shall be their God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. Cast away from you all transgressions which you have committed against me and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord God; so turn, and live. A new heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you ... I will put my Spirit within you and you shall live ... ( Ezek.11:19–20, 18:30–32, 36:26–27, 37:14 ; cf. Ps.51:10 ; Jer.31:31–34 ; Is.57:15–18 ; Joel.2:28–29 ). God gives a clean heart and a new and right Spirit to man that he might love Him in return with all of his heart. This is given in Christ, in the Holy Spirit, in the Church of the new and everlasting covenant. It is given that man might fulfill the first and greatest commandment of God (cf. 2Cor.3–5 ). |
| It means to do everything to please Him, with all of one’s energy and power, to serve Him faithfully and patiently in all things until death. It is to struggle to resist sin and every evil “to the point of shedding your blood” (cf. Heb.12:4). It is to have, once again, the attitude and virtue of Saint Paul. We have this treasure in earthen vessels to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. ... but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way through great endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, tumults, labors, watchings, hunger; by purity, knowledge, forbearance, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true, as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing and yet possessing everything ( 2Cor.4:7–11, 6:4–10 ). The one who loves God perfectly is the one who loves Him with the power of Christ and the Holy Spirit, the “power ... made perfect in weakness” ( 1Cor.12:9 ). Love of Neighbor After the love of God, the greatest commandment is the love of one’s neighbor. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your strength. This is the first and great commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets ( Mt.22:37–40 ; Mk.12:30–31 ; Lk.10:27 ; Lev.19:18 ). There is no commandment greater than these ( Mk.12:31 ). |
| No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it ( 1Cor.10:13 ). Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved ( Ps.55:22 ; cf. 1Pet.5:7 ). Courage The virtue of courage and strength must accompany patience. Only the one who has courage can truly be patient in all things. To be courageous means simply not to be afraid. Many times in the Gospels, Christ speaks of this virtue and commands it to His disciples, In so doing, He follows the Old Testament example. The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yea, wait for the Lord! (Pss.27:1, 14, 31:24). Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear; fear Him who, after He has killed, has the power to cast into bell, yes, I tell you, fear Him! ( Lk.12:32, 4–5 ). In the world you will have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world ( Jn.16:33 ). The apostles were utterly courageous, and counseled all men to follow their example. Be vigilant, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong ( 1Cor.16:13 ). Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you will be able to stand ... ( Eph.6:10 ). You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus ... Take your share of sufferings as a good soldier of Christ Jesus ( 2Tim.2:1–3 ; cf. Heb.11:32–38). The virtue of courage is expressed not only in times of persecution and suffering, but also in the face of ridicule and disdain. It is expressed as well simply, in the, smallest, most common things of everyday life. In Christ’s parable of the talents, the man with little lost even the little that he had and was cast into out darkness because he failed to use his small gift through lack of courage: “and I was afraid and hid your talent in the ground” ( Mt.25:25–30 ). The person with courage faces all things with strength and lives ever day, in every little thing, with the power of Christ. To be “faithful in little” is a sign of great courage. The saints were eminently courageous in their lives and considered this virtue to be central in the spiritual life. |
| 26. We deplore the hostility in Ukraine that has already caused many victims, inflicted innumerable wounds on peaceful inhabitants and thrown society into a deep economic and humanitarian crisis. We invite all the parts involved in the conflict to prudence, to social solidarity and to action aimed at constructing peace. We invite our Churches in Ukraine to work towards social harmony, to refrain from taking part in the confrontation, and to not support any further development of the conflict. 27. It is our hope that the schism between the Orthodox faithful in Ukraine may be overcome through existing canonical norms, that all the Orthodox Christians of Ukraine may live in peace and harmony, and that the Catholic communities in the country may contribute to this, in such a way that our Christian brotherhood may become increasingly evident. 28. In the contemporary world, which is both multiform yet united by a shared destiny, Catholics and Orthodox are called to work together fraternally in proclaiming the Good News of salvation, to testify together to the moral dignity and authentic freedom of the person, so that the world may believe (Jn. 17:21). This world, in which the spiritual pillars of human existence are progressively disappearing, awaits from us a compelling Christian witness in all spheres of personal and social life. Much of the future of humanity will depend on our capacity to give shared witness to the Spirit of truth in these difficult times. 29. May our bold witness to God’s truth and to the Good News of salvation be sustained by the God-Man Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, who strengthens us with the unfailing promise: Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom (Lk. 12:32)! Christ is the well–spring of joy and hope. Faith in Him transfigures human life, fills it with meaning. This is the conviction borne of the experience of all those to whom Peter refers in his words: Once you were ‘no people’ but now you are God’s people; you ‘had not received mercy’ but now you have received mercy (1 Pet. 2:10). |
| 26. We deplore the hostility in Ukraine that has already caused many victims, inflicted innumerable wounds on peaceful inhabitants and thrown society into a deep economic and humanitarian crisis. We invite all the parts involved in the conflict to prudence, to social solidarity and to action aimed at constructing peace. We invite our Churches in Ukraine to work towards social harmony, to refrain from taking part in the confrontation, and to not support any further development of the conflict. 27. It is our hope that the schism between the Orthodox faithful in Ukraine may be overcome through existing canonical norms, that all the Orthodox Christians of Ukraine may live in peace and harmony, and that the Catholic communities in the country may contribute to this, in such a way that our Christian brotherhood may become increasingly evident. 28. In the contemporary world, which is both multiform yet united by a shared destiny, Catholics and Orthodox are called to work together fraternally in proclaiming the Good News of salvation, to testify together to the moral dignity and authentic freedom of the person, “so that the world may believe” ( Jn 17:21). This world, in which the spiritual pillars of human existence are progressively disappearing, awaits from us a compelling Christian witness in all spheres of personal and social life. Much of the future of humanity will depend on our capacity to give shared witness to the Spirit of truth in these difficult times. 29. May our bold witness to God’s truth and to the Good News of salvation be sustained by the Man–God Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, who strengthens us with the unfailing promise: “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom” ( Lk 12:32)! Christ is the well–spring of joy and hope. Faith in Him transfigures human life, fills it with meaning. This is the conviction borne of the experience of all those to whom Peter refers in his words: “Once you were ‘no people’ but now you are God’s people; you ‘had not received mercy’ but now you have received mercy” (1 Pet 2:10). |
| Fiery is the indignation which will devour the adversaries (Heb 10:27). These are not my words, not my threats, but those of the holy Apostle Paul. And the prophet says, “God is jealous, and the Lord avenges” (Nahum 1:2). But when you see the sad confusion in the Church community, which results from worshiping other gods, you really want to cry from the bottom of your grieving heart, “Let there be lightning and thunder, let there be again the voice of God, saying ‘I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt have no other gods before me! Put away the foreign gods from among you (1 Ki 7:3; 4 Ki 17:35, 37, 38), make no mention of their names (Josh 23:7). But on this our feast day may the voice of the Lord first of all and louder than all sound out for us, my brothers, my dear sons of the same alma mater, the Moscow Theological Academy. Surely we hear how the first words of the Ten Commandments of Sinai ring out for us especially? Surely it is not hard to know the thoughts that it calls forth within us? First of all, it forces us to think about our present. Thanks to the Lord God, we are in a theological school. Our very field of study does not attract our minds to what is below and only below; no, it speaks of what is above, it beckons us above. As you know, nowadays there are very many fields of study which fill people with much knowledge, but of these studies it is always possible to ask: are they necessary for the salvation of the soul and eternal life? And if they are unnecessary, then what is their use? True, such knowledge may be very convenient for everyday life: we can no longer live without them. We need railways, steamships, the telegraph and the telephone, electric light and much else besides. This is all true. It would be absurd to deny all this. But to judge from the point of view of everyday usefulness is not the highest form of judgment for humanity, especially for Christians, because they hear the word of Christ: For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself? (Lk 9:25). |
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