Homily for the 19th Sunday after Pentecost. -Met. Korniliy (Titov)
Dear brothers and sisters!
Today’s Gospel from Luke gives us a vivid and clear picture of what a Christian should be, and it is beneficial for us to reflect often on this teaching. If we wish to be children of the living God, whom we call Our Father in prayer, meaning our Father, then we must learn from Him, perhaps, the most difficult thing—to love and do good to our neighbors without expecting kindness in return.
Who among us can boast that they turn to God selflessly, without asking for something for themselves? Who can say they wholeheartedly give to those in need without expecting anything in return? Let us remember, brothers, that God gives us everything generously and freely, expecting nothing in return except that we use these gifts for our own good and share them freely with our neighbor.
The Lord, in His mercy, gives us a simple and wise rule in today’s Gospel: “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. Love your enemies, be merciful, as your Father also is merciful” (Lk. 6, 31). These words of Christ, in their simplicity, provide a lofty moral teaching on how to live according to God’s law. Our Lord Jesus Christ, instructing His disciples as He sent them to preach—where they often faced hostility, persecution, and suffering—told them not to take revenge on those who insulted or tormented them.
“And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” This teaching of the Lord needs no special explanation. Whatever you wish for yourself, wish the same for others; and conversely, whatever you do not wish for yourself, do not wish or do to others. Even in the Old Testament, a wise man says: “Whoso diggeth a pit for another shall fall therein: and he that setteth a trap shall be taken therein” (Sir. 27, 29). If you want others to treat you well, treat everyone the same way. If you wish that others not offend you, do not offend anyone. If you want others to help you, help others.
Often in life, we forget these simple and important truths that the Lord teaches us: “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: give, and it shall be given unto you; with the same measure that ye mete, it shall be measured to you again” (Lk. 6, 37). All this is so clear and entirely possible to fulfill with God’s help.
If we strive to do good to our neighbors, we must understand that not everyone will respond in kind, as not everyone follows this rule. But if we aim to attain the Heavenly Kingdom, we must always act this way, or else we will sin, that is, violate God’s will. Many say, “I am a good person and never do harm to anyone, but those who do evil to me, I despise or ignore.” Yet this is not yet Christian behavior, for the Lord says that if you want to be a Christian, you must do good not only to those who do good to you. We must do good to everyone, expecting nothing in return, and be merciful to all, just as our Heavenly Father, who endures us sinners who break His commandments and still grants us many blessings. We, too, must act as God does toward us, by His good will. Whether someone treats us well or poorly, we must not deny them love and mercy. The Evangelist Luke conveys Christ’s words: “And 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. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? For sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again” (Lk. 6, 32).
If a person strives in life not to do to their neighbor what they would not want done to them, and tries, however difficult it may be, to please God by living according to His commandments rather than their own whims or ideas; if they strive to overcome the evil that sometimes dwells in our soul—such as the desire to take revenge or irritation—then their soul gradually becomes free from evil will, grows purer, aligns with God’s will, receives heavenly grace, and thus can attain the Heavenly Kingdom, for “the kingdom of God is within you” (Lk. 17, 21).
The Lord, in His love for mankind and mercy, has placed in human nature an understanding of how to act to save one’s soul. Saint Gregory Palamas writes: “The desire to be loved by all and to receive good from all, just as we ourselves give the same, naturally arises in us all; therefore, to desire to do good and to have goodwill toward all, as we wish to receive the same, is an innate feeling in us, for we are all created in the image of the good God.” But sin has diminished and corrupted our love for our neighbors. Therefore, the Lord, renewing our nature, calls us again to grace and love, so that we may be like Him, and thus He speaks His prophetic word: “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.”
Above all, we, as members of Christ’s Church, must strive to show love and mercy to one another. All of us Christians are one body of Christ, and if the members of our body refused to help one another, it would surely perish. Likewise, our mutual relationships can be called Christian only when they are based on love and mutual help. Christian love must be incomparably higher than ordinary, worldly, human love. We are all children of the Heavenly Father, redeemed by the priceless blood of the Savior, endowed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, all members of one family—the Church of Christ, which leads to the Heavenly Kingdom. In this family, there should be no place for enmity, hatred, envy, quarrels, or even mere unfriendliness. We must emulate the Christians of the early centuries, when, as the Apostle says, all Christians had “one heart and one soul” (Acts 4, 32).
Every good deed will be rewarded, the Lord promises us. Saint Gregory Palamas writes: “When you do good to those who do evil to you and give to those who do not repay their debts, do not think that your possessions are wasted: for now is the time to sow good deeds, and the time of harvest belongs to the age to come. Thus, whoever sows here will reap there, with the greatest increase.” But when we do good deeds only for show and not to please the Lord, they bring no spiritual benefit, for those who receive their reward for good deeds here in this life deprive themselves of the eternal heavenly reward from God in His Kingdom. The Gospel also says that if someone gives alms, prays, or fasts for show, they already receive their reward from people in the form of approval or admiration and will have no reward from the Lord. But if you want all this to be for God, then, when you give alms, “let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth” (Mt. 6, 6). Let us recall the life of Saint Nicholas, who, not wishing to receive praise from people but only from God, crept through the streets at night to slip a bag of gold through the window of those in need.
Let us turn, brothers and sisters, our attention to the commandment to love our enemies. First, we must know who our true enemies are. The holy fathers teach that our enemies are spiritual, not physical. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6, 12). We must boldly go forth into spiritual battle against our enemies—the demonic forces—strengthened by the thought of God’s powerful help, turning to His might against the devil’s schemes. The Prophet David says: “Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt” (Ps. 34).
But sometimes we consider as enemies those who have caused us worldly troubles, who have offended us in some way, or with whom we quarrel and argue. From such people, we often turn away with contempt, refuse to do them good, and respond to offense with offense. But if we do not do good to all and are not merciful to all, we cannot call ourselves disciples of the Lord, who is “kind to the unthankful and to the evil” (Lk. 6, 35).
Brothers and sisters! If we look to the historical path of the Old Orthodox Church after the schism, we can see that the Old Believers, persecuted for over three hundred years, fulfilled the commandment of Jesus Christ. They did not repay evil and vengeance for the evil done to them and bore heavy persecutions from those in power with humility. How many humiliations and abuses the Old Believers endured to preserve the ancient, true Orthodox faith! How many prayer houses were destroyed by persecutors, how many old printed books and ancient icons were demolished! Yet, despite all the persecutions, the Old Believers did not prove their righteousness by force but only offered prayers for those who hated and offended them. Strengthened by God’s help, they built new prayer houses in place of those destroyed. Speaking of Christian endurance, we can recall the words of A.I. Solzhenitsyn, who described the persecutions of the Old Believers as “the oppression and destruction of established ancient piety, suppression and reprisals, cruel tortures, and exile for thousands of miles of those who never rebelled, never raised weapons in response, steadfast, faithful, Old Orthodox Christians…”
Our Lord Jesus Christ, even on the Cross, prayed in meekness for those who crucified Him: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Therefore, brothers, let us hate and despise only sin and its instigator—the devil—but let us correct our offenders with a spirit of gentleness, humility, patience, and mercy, for the Lord has promised: “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy” (Mt. 5, 7). The holy fathers regarded patience and humility toward offenders as a great spiritual treasure. In calmness and humility, they strove to respond to evil with good during offenses and reproaches, knowing that this would end evil. They taught that we should not fear evil from those to whom we respond to evil with good and for whom we pray, for God turns their evil into good. But we should fear those whom we ourselves do not love, for their evil may bring us harm!
The Venerable Ephrem the Syrian teaches: “He who drives away the spirit of anger and irritation is far from strife and turmoil, always calm in spirit, cheerful in countenance, sound in mind, and a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. The meek, though offended, rejoices; though insulted, gives thanks; he tames the angry with love; when struck, he is not troubled; when quarreled with, he remains calm; he is not wounded by another’s pride; in humiliations, he rejoices; he is at peace with all, submissive to authority, ready for every good deed, free from deceit, and knows no envy… He who has found the path of patience and meekness has found the path of life.”
In essence, our Christian life on earth is a school of love and mercy, preparing us for eternal life. It is impossible to live in such a way that everyone loves us, for not all can love those who strive to live by God’s commandments, but we must strive to love everyone. Some may say that there are people who cannot be loved, but then neither can one enter paradise, for there is no place for enmity there. It is a great thing, brothers and sisters, not to give room in our hearts to evil and enmity, to constantly overcome evil with good, for it is foolish and destructive to amplify evil with evil, as it were, pouring oil on the fire. Evil and enmity are the greatest calamity and misfortune of the human race, which we must lament and eradicate with good, love, beneficence, and prayer for our offenders.
We, Christians, as children of God, have the invaluable advantage of the grace and strength given to us by Christ for every good deed, but we are rightly required to perform good works worthy of God’s children. As the Apostle says, we must be “holy, as our Lord God is holy” (1 Pet. 1, 16). Let us pray earnestly that the Lord may help us fulfill the great commandment to love those who hate and offend us, and let us make constant efforts to be worthy, at least in part, of Christ’s mutual love!