Homily 41 #

On Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent: A Teaching of Saint Basil and the Message of the Angel to the Faithful

The Angel of the Lord proclaims a message from God to those who suppose themselves to be faithful Christians, but who have not the fear of God, saying thus:

“Woe to the man who harbors anger against anyone, or who has quarreled, or fought with someone, or done evil to another, or who bears malice in his heart toward anyone and has not reconciled with him, yet goes to the Church of God—opposing himself to the faithful and meek, to whom the promised land and rest have been pledged. Or if he brings a candle, or an offering of bread, or any other gift, or eats of the offering, or kisses the Gospel, being yet in malice—such a man is worthy of eternal torment, of the ever-boiling pitch, and of the unquenchable fire.

“Even worse than this—more dreadful than murder, more ruinous than the destruction of souls, worse than heresy, worse than all evils and every calamity—is when someone approaches the Most Pure Body and Blood of Christ while holding anger against another, or having quarreled or fought, or slandered someone, or stirred up conflict between others, or remembering wrongs. Such a person shall face an unmerciful judgment and eternal torment. It would have been better for him never to have been born. He shall be condemned more harshly than the Jews and heretics, for he receives the Most Pure Body and Blood of the Lord unworthily.

“For when one comes to partake of the Most Pure Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who taketh away the sin of the world, and hears the words proclaimed: ‘Let us attend. The Holy Things are for the holy,’—this is said concerning the partaking of the Holy Mysteries, that is, for those who are worthy and faithful—then, if an unworthy one dares to draw near, heaven, and earth, and all things beneath the earth tremble; all the heavenly powers are shaken with fear; and every noetic host is gripped with dread, beholding human nature upon the earth performing all manner of unrighteousness.”

You have heard, beloved, the message of the angel as recorded by Saint Basil. Do you not see how even the holy angels—who have never sinned—tremble and fear? Then how shall we sinners escape eternal torment, if we neither heed such teaching and warning, nor are moved by such fear and trembling?

But let this be known to you, brethren: the word of the Lord says, “Not everyone that saith unto Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father.” And the will of God is this: that we should have the fear of Him in our hearts, and possess what His angels possess—humility, obedience, meekness, freedom from malice, sound understanding, sobriety, attentiveness, and all other good works—for these are the works of angels.

If we, brethren, possessed such works, then eternal torments would be far removed from us, and the Kingdom of Heaven would not be far, and we would rejoice together with the angels.

But these are the works of Satan and of his servants: pride, self-exaltation, scorn, evil disobedience, and impure drunkenness with every form of malice. It is for these that Satan fell from the glory of God, through his accursed folly. The Jews, having taken on that same pride and arrogance, did not believe in the Son of God and became worthy of eternal torment, along with their teacher, the devil.

Let us not receive such teaching, brethren. Rather, let us accept the prophetic, apostolic, and patristic teaching—and through that teaching, inherit eternal life and the Kingdom of Heaven, with all who have done the will of God and walked according to His commandments. Let us also, brethren, strive to follow that teaching.