Greetings to all the communicants on accepting God!
A very important period is coming to an end: Christmas, the holy days, and soon the Theophany (Epiphany). It is all very nourishing for the soul. We experience a new life, a life in God, as long as we engage in the services, and not just stand and watch. In this life that we are living now, we have learned and come across many things, enough to have a sense of accomplishment and full knowledge. But when one encounters a new life, in God, one must remember to stay humble, and not rely on experience where completely different laws are at work. Be like children, as the Bible teaches (Matthew 18:3).
People nowadays are struggling with many things - families, children, and much else. And many of the faithful look to psychotherapists, psychoanalysts and various "psycho" methods for solutions. Yet we neglect to benefit from the grace of God that we already have. We do not use the medicine with which the Lord cures our sick souls, the medicine of Love. But as Christians, we should know that our lives are in God's hands and lay our trust in Him.
Somehow, we deviate from the normal course of things by not following Christ and heeding the call of the flesh instead. We have grown used to luxury, comfort, and having everything brought to us, done for us, and explained in primitive terms. And people cease to dream, to think, to search, to believe in creativity. But creativity is what life is all about. Do you remember the Indian films of old, where the plot and script were always the same, with slight variations? Some people’s lives resemble these films because they are happy to watch and consume things that this world is offering us to taste, chew upon and swallow.
All these things are marvelously delicious. Eerily delicious, I would say. That is because not everything that glitters is gold, and not everything that tastes good is beneficial. Occasionally, we must exert ourselves and choose what genuinely benefits us and brings us grace.
We have holy water, but we cling tenaciously to pills, shots, and immunisations. The world declares, "We've already won! Medical advances promise us immortality. Soon, people will stop dying and will live forever – or so we are made to believe.
It is all nonsense, of course. In my experience, I have also lived through some desperate periods, and consenting to use some sacred oil without really believing that it would help. “I’ll use it, Okay, it will not make me any worse. But when I recovered, I speculated, “Oh, maybe it was just a coincidence?”
Can you realize that? There is such a wealth of cures available to us! The Church is a hospital where we find healing to our souls and bodies. It is the place with the best air. As the nuns of the Puhtitsa Convent used to say in the old times, "Why are you going to the forest to have fresh air? Go to the Church, where the air is saturated by grace, where one breathes genuine air because it is full of prayer and love." Ah, but we are too afraid, afraid of everything.
We have been so intimidated by this world that we even fear our very selves! We are too scared to examine ourselves; we feel too vulnerable to reveal who we are and understand our true nature. We wish to see a beautiful picture, but what we find inside is far from it; in fact, there is a lot we would rather not see or talk about. But whoever wants to be cured should begin by understanding the truth about their condition. Without this step, one might just say, "Oh, it's nothing, only a small cold, a very minor problem," when in fact they may already have metastases all over their body. People can find many ways to deceive themselves.
But one needs to shake oneself up and say, "You know what? This is not a joke. My position is so serious that nobody else can help me but God himself, and I must turn to Him now.” We cannot know which is better for a person, to live or to die, or depart to eternity, that is. Only God knows. And we trust that our life is in God's hands, that the day and hour of our end are known to God, and we do not know them. But we are given time to repent. The Lord says: 'Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand' (Matthew 3:2). What is repentance? How does it happen? That is still a mystery. It is not something abstract or speculative, nor is it a logical analysis of one's life. Rather, it occurs by a touch of God's grace that suddenly returns our vision and makes us see light. And in this light, our sins and wrongs become apparent. Our soul is pained and tormented by sin. And this marks the beginning of a new life.
We need to make radical changes to our lives. The change begins in our minds. No sinful thought should linger in the mind. There may be many thoughts; they encircle us, and they stick like flies. But we must not let the thought of sin enter, because it will reach our hearts and poison our very lives once we let it in. And that will be a disaster. Therefore, we really must heed the call to repentance, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand...
After several weeks, we will begin to prepare for the Great Lent. God willing, we will meet on Forgiveness Sunday, which will be a spiritual springboard for us. Soon, we will enter the Great Lent, which will lead us to Pascha, the Resurrection, the life that has conquered death. And in this lies our strength. The most important event is the meeting of the soul with God. I think for a believer, there is nothing higher, greater, or more important than this. Therefore, you see how happy we are, you and I, that we have met God, that He has knocked on our hearts, that we have entered the church, that today we have partaken of eternal life, a new life that should begin here, in this temporary world, and continue after we depart from this temporary earth. Let us never cease giving our thanks to God.
Once again, congratulations, and I wish you to immerse yourself into the font at our Monastic farmstead after the Great Blessing of water. You will see — whatever ailments you might have will likely recede. I know this for sure because it happens to me all the time. But I forget about it. Now one plunges into the font, and now one comes out of it fully rejuvenated.
Archpriest Andrey Lemeshonok
Preached after the Divine Liturgy on 17.01.2022, Forefeast of Theophany
