In the Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen, we read of a rich man who plants a vineyard and hires workmen to tend it, then sets forth on an extended journey. When the time comes to gather in the fruits, the lord of the vineyard sends servants to collect that which is due to him as the owner. When these servants are abused and beaten by the workmen, the lord sends his only son, considering that surely the workmen will respect him. But alas, no: the son is brutally beaten and slain, then cast out of the vineyard. At this point, our Lord asks his listeners, "When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?" And "they say unto Him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men...." And we read as well in today's Gospel Jesus' condemnation of the Pharisees: "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the condemnation of hell?"
These clear words of the Gospel contradict the modern sentiment, "God doesn't judge, so we shouldn't judge either." But obviously God does pass judgment on hypocrites and liars, on those who profess to be pious and Godfearing while they willingly transgress against the spirit of the Law. As I have insisted so often in my sermons, God is love, and the law of love is the very essence of our Faith. So then, the question is: how can the God of Love say such mean things? And if He does indeed love us as creatures created in His image, how can He condemn so severely those who have gone astray from the path of salvation?
Take note, however: He is not condemning ordinary sinners such as you and I, who have, due to the weakness of their fallen human nature, fallen into sinfulness and depravity. Rather, His condemnation falls squarely upon those to whom the truth has been revealed, yet they persist in violating that law of love that is the very source and foundation of the created order.
The truth is, however-- our Lord merely confirms that condemnation we ourselves have fallen into as a result of our willful rejection of the love of God revealed through Christ's sacrificial suffering upon the Cross. The Pharisees rejected this unconditional love, being too proud to humble themselves before this perfect love and to bear the fruits of repentance. They preferred instead to seek their own righteousness--which is, in the end, a false righteousness which has been likened to filthy rags. We are, nevertheless, neither punished nor rewarded for our faithfulness (or lack thereof) to His commandments. Heaven or hell, in the end, is merely the natural consequence of the way we have chosen to live our lives in this fallen world.
But the sad part is: the Pharisee that lives within us all fully embraces the lawless rebellion against God, so that we freely chose of our own free will to set ourselves upon that broad path that leads to perdition. In other words, God condemns us only because we have already condemned ourselves. Rather than humbly bending our knees, imploring the boundless mercy of God, we proudly seek to set up for ourselves an impregnable fortress of self-righteousness.
So it is that we are condemned already, you and I. Nevertheless, if we--unlike the Pharisees of old--condemn ourselves here and now, then--and only then--shall we avoid falling into that condemnation that leads to eternal death. And it is through repentance alone that the greatest sinner (even you and I) can hope to be released from the bondage of sin into the eternal light of God's heavenly Kingdom.
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Monday, September 12, 2016
ON THE BEHEADING OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST
"For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and a holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly." And yet... because of a foolish, ill-considered oath uttered in the midst of a drunken feast, while his base passions were inflamed by the lascivious dancing of his stepdaughter, he orders the beheading of the prophet whom our Lord declares to be the greatest of those born of woman. And truly he shall live to regret his moment of weakness for the rest of his ill-fated life.
So then.... Who is ultimately responsible for this atrocity? Who bears the burden of the blame? It was, of course, Herodias' daughter who (after consulting with her mother) requests the head of the Baptist on a platter in fulfillment of Herod's oath. But after all: she is nothing more than a damaged, dysfunctional girl, entangled in an unhealthy relationship with her evil mother. She is, perhaps, worthy of condemnation, but really--given her background and formation-- we could hardly expect her to discern the moral bankruptcy of her request.
And yes, Herodias is indeed an evil woman, consumed by the passion of lust, and burning with hatred toward the prophet who sought to thwart her self-centered desires. But again, one wonders... had she ever, from her earliest childhood, been exposed to a moral and God-centered perspective on life?
And so it was Herod alone who seems, for whatever reason, to possess a conscience, having developed a genuine respect for St. John and to understand, on however rudimentary a level, that the life choices he had made were wrong and morally repugnant to God. And yet it was he himself who actually orders the beheading of the Baptist. And he does so... even though he was "exceedingly sorry!" And so it is that the greatest guilt for this horrendous act falls squarely upon his shoulders.
There is, in this episode, a lesson to be gleaned concerning our everyday lives as Orthodox Christians: it is so easy to point the finger at others, to decry all the evil at work in the world today, while we--who have been enlightened in the waters of Baptism and sanctified by the grace of the Holy Spirit-- fall short time and again from fulfilling the commandment of love Christ has so clearly enjoined upon us. Those who have been nurtured in our pagan, post Christian society do not know any better (though perhaps, to some extent, they should), but we have seen the true light, we have received the heavenly Spirit--as we sing at every Divine Liturgy. We surely know the difference between good and evil, and yet--like Herod--we continually give in to the temptation to do those things we know in our hearts to be contrary to the Law of God. The fact is, we know better, but still we do not cease to willingly offend God in thought, word and deed.
Fortunately, Christ has given us through His Church the medicine of repentance as our means of redemption--the very means through which Herod himself might have been saved, had he so desired. So let us sincerely repent of our evil deeds, imploring our merciful God that He grant unto us forgiveness of sins and eternal life in His heavenly Kingdom.
So then.... Who is ultimately responsible for this atrocity? Who bears the burden of the blame? It was, of course, Herodias' daughter who (after consulting with her mother) requests the head of the Baptist on a platter in fulfillment of Herod's oath. But after all: she is nothing more than a damaged, dysfunctional girl, entangled in an unhealthy relationship with her evil mother. She is, perhaps, worthy of condemnation, but really--given her background and formation-- we could hardly expect her to discern the moral bankruptcy of her request.
And yes, Herodias is indeed an evil woman, consumed by the passion of lust, and burning with hatred toward the prophet who sought to thwart her self-centered desires. But again, one wonders... had she ever, from her earliest childhood, been exposed to a moral and God-centered perspective on life?
And so it was Herod alone who seems, for whatever reason, to possess a conscience, having developed a genuine respect for St. John and to understand, on however rudimentary a level, that the life choices he had made were wrong and morally repugnant to God. And yet it was he himself who actually orders the beheading of the Baptist. And he does so... even though he was "exceedingly sorry!" And so it is that the greatest guilt for this horrendous act falls squarely upon his shoulders.
There is, in this episode, a lesson to be gleaned concerning our everyday lives as Orthodox Christians: it is so easy to point the finger at others, to decry all the evil at work in the world today, while we--who have been enlightened in the waters of Baptism and sanctified by the grace of the Holy Spirit-- fall short time and again from fulfilling the commandment of love Christ has so clearly enjoined upon us. Those who have been nurtured in our pagan, post Christian society do not know any better (though perhaps, to some extent, they should), but we have seen the true light, we have received the heavenly Spirit--as we sing at every Divine Liturgy. We surely know the difference between good and evil, and yet--like Herod--we continually give in to the temptation to do those things we know in our hearts to be contrary to the Law of God. The fact is, we know better, but still we do not cease to willingly offend God in thought, word and deed.
Fortunately, Christ has given us through His Church the medicine of repentance as our means of redemption--the very means through which Herod himself might have been saved, had he so desired. So let us sincerely repent of our evil deeds, imploring our merciful God that He grant unto us forgiveness of sins and eternal life in His heavenly Kingdom.
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS
In that prayer which our Lord taught His disciples, we beseech God that He "forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." Because (as the beloved disciple, St. John the Theologian, assures us), "God is love," and the very essence of love is forgiveness. If we claim to love God but refuse to forgive those who offend us, we are liars. And so we are commanded to love our enemies, and to do good to those who persecute. (And it should be mentioned, parenthetically, that it is impossible to love God and our neighbor if we do not first love ourselves, as God loves us, having created us out of love and placed within us his own image).
And so we know that we are at all times and in all places the object of God's unconditional love, but the fact is... it is simply impossible for God's grace to penetrate a heart hardened by bitterness and resentment. So how could we possibly have fellowship with an all-loving God while we set ourselves apart from a brother or sister who is, like us, created in the image of God, presuming to pass judgment upon one who shares with us the fallen human nature?
In today's Gospel, we read of a servant who owes his master an incredibly vast sum of money. When, however, he prostrates himself before his master and pleads for mercy, he is frankly forgiven the entire debt and his slate is wiped clean. So what does this wretched servant do immediately afterwards?.... He goes forth at once and demands of a fellow servant the immediate repayment of a paltry sum. Shameful, we say--and rightfully so--that having been forgiven so much by his compassionate master, he should insist that his fellow servant should be cast into jail until his debt is repaid. Surely the ungrateful servant deserves the just punishment he receives at the hands of his master. Yet all the while we ourselves so often take for granted the unconditional love and forgiveness our all-merciful God has so abundantly poured out upon us, while we stubbornly seek to justify our total failure of love towards our neighbor, all the while refusing to cast aside our petty grudges and resentments.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not die, but have eternal life," while we are unwilling to offer up upon the altar of sacrificial love, for the sake of the other, our pathetic, self-centered egos. Only when we can say with St. Paul:"it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me," that the gates of Paradise are opened and we can begin to tread the straight and narrow path of salvation, putting to death within ourselves those egotistical thoughts and desires that separate us from the love of God.
And so we know that we are at all times and in all places the object of God's unconditional love, but the fact is... it is simply impossible for God's grace to penetrate a heart hardened by bitterness and resentment. So how could we possibly have fellowship with an all-loving God while we set ourselves apart from a brother or sister who is, like us, created in the image of God, presuming to pass judgment upon one who shares with us the fallen human nature?
In today's Gospel, we read of a servant who owes his master an incredibly vast sum of money. When, however, he prostrates himself before his master and pleads for mercy, he is frankly forgiven the entire debt and his slate is wiped clean. So what does this wretched servant do immediately afterwards?.... He goes forth at once and demands of a fellow servant the immediate repayment of a paltry sum. Shameful, we say--and rightfully so--that having been forgiven so much by his compassionate master, he should insist that his fellow servant should be cast into jail until his debt is repaid. Surely the ungrateful servant deserves the just punishment he receives at the hands of his master. Yet all the while we ourselves so often take for granted the unconditional love and forgiveness our all-merciful God has so abundantly poured out upon us, while we stubbornly seek to justify our total failure of love towards our neighbor, all the while refusing to cast aside our petty grudges and resentments.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not die, but have eternal life," while we are unwilling to offer up upon the altar of sacrificial love, for the sake of the other, our pathetic, self-centered egos. Only when we can say with St. Paul:"it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me," that the gates of Paradise are opened and we can begin to tread the straight and narrow path of salvation, putting to death within ourselves those egotistical thoughts and desires that separate us from the love of God.
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
"LORD, SAVE ME!"
After the miraculous feeding of the five thousand from two fish and five loaves of bread, Jesus ascends a mountain that He might pray in solitude. Meanwhile, He has commanded His disciples to get into a ship and to cross over to the other side of the sea. But (to use a common phrase) as luck would have it (of course there is no such thing as "luck"--only divine providence), they found themselves "in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves." And it was at this moment of seeming crisis that "Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea."
And so is was that those very disciples who would later on hide behind closed doors "for fear of the Jews" cry out in abject terror "It is a spirit!" The ever impulsive Peter, however--who recently blurted out the silly suggestion that they might build three tabernacles on the Mount of Transfiguration--cries out to the Lord, "if it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water." And so it was in that instant that the Pre-eminent Apostle is granted the faith and the courage to do just that... but only for so long as he can keep his gaze focused on Jesus, setting aside his natural, self-centered fear.
But alas! Like most of us modern day, lukewarm Christians, he is soon enough overwhelmed by worldly distractions. As soon as he takes his eyes off Jesus, his faith wavers, and he is overcome by fear of the wind and the waves. But even then, he possesses the presence of mind to cry out in desperation, "Lord, save me!" And so he is delivered at once from the seemingly inescapable peril set before him: Jesus reaches out His hand and pulls him to safety.
"O ye of little faith!" our Lord scolds--and this accusation is directed not just to Peter, but to you and I as well. Like Peter, our faith is weak, and ineffectual to deliver us from the inevitable trials and tribulations of this world, and we find ourselves set adrift without the anchor of hope upon the turbulent sea of life, having lost our way upon the path of salvation and wandered--like the Prodigal Son--into a far country, where we must endure for a time a famine of the life-giving Word of God.
But as St. Paul reminds us--if God is for us, who (or what) can be against us? The love of God casts out all fear, and if this love abides within our heart, nothing whatsoever can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. If only we keep our spiritual eyes focused on Him--the Author and Finisher of our faith--we shall surely be delivered from every apparent danger in this storm-tossed life and be guided into the safe harbor of salvation.
And so is was that those very disciples who would later on hide behind closed doors "for fear of the Jews" cry out in abject terror "It is a spirit!" The ever impulsive Peter, however--who recently blurted out the silly suggestion that they might build three tabernacles on the Mount of Transfiguration--cries out to the Lord, "if it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water." And so it was in that instant that the Pre-eminent Apostle is granted the faith and the courage to do just that... but only for so long as he can keep his gaze focused on Jesus, setting aside his natural, self-centered fear.
But alas! Like most of us modern day, lukewarm Christians, he is soon enough overwhelmed by worldly distractions. As soon as he takes his eyes off Jesus, his faith wavers, and he is overcome by fear of the wind and the waves. But even then, he possesses the presence of mind to cry out in desperation, "Lord, save me!" And so he is delivered at once from the seemingly inescapable peril set before him: Jesus reaches out His hand and pulls him to safety.
"O ye of little faith!" our Lord scolds--and this accusation is directed not just to Peter, but to you and I as well. Like Peter, our faith is weak, and ineffectual to deliver us from the inevitable trials and tribulations of this world, and we find ourselves set adrift without the anchor of hope upon the turbulent sea of life, having lost our way upon the path of salvation and wandered--like the Prodigal Son--into a far country, where we must endure for a time a famine of the life-giving Word of God.
But as St. Paul reminds us--if God is for us, who (or what) can be against us? The love of God casts out all fear, and if this love abides within our heart, nothing whatsoever can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. If only we keep our spiritual eyes focused on Him--the Author and Finisher of our faith--we shall surely be delivered from every apparent danger in this storm-tossed life and be guided into the safe harbor of salvation.
Saturday, August 20, 2016
THE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD
When Jesus ascended Mount Tabor with His chosen disciples Peter, James and John, He "was transfigured before them: and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was bright as the light." It was in the midst of this epiphany that Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus. "Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if Thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for Thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah." But even while the pre-eminent apostle spoke, the glory of God overshadowed the mount in the form of a luminous cloud, and the voice of the Father was heard, proclaiming Jesus as the only-begotten Son, in Whom He was well pleased.
This was, for the three disciples, the prototype of the so-called "mountaintop experience": a direct and first-hand encounter with the numinous and ineffable presence of God. As such, it was a transcendent moment outside the bounds of space and time, an experiential foretaste of eternity. It was this overwhelming and sublime experience that the ever-impulsive Peter desired to enshrine within the bounds of this temporal world, suggesting that they should build concrete and material tabernacles to contain that which is in its essence uncontainable.
It seems to me that this particular temptation is one that we all face. Rather than striving to ascend with Christ into the heavenly realm wherein He dwells, that we might become (in the words of St. Peter) partakers of the divine nature, we desire instead to drag Christ down to our own level, to confine within the bounds of time and space that which transcends the limits of all things conceivable to the human mind. Thus, our Lord becomes "Jesus, meek and mild," our bosom pal and buddy, rather than the Pantocrator--the supreme Creator and Ruler of the universe!
Our earthly temples do indeed reflect the glory of God and His heavenly Kingdom, and our churches are in a very real sense houses of God, while the sacraments are true channels of divine grace. Nevertheless, all such earthy rites and structures are but the material means through which the glory and presence of God is revealed. If we focus on these outward conduits of grace rather than on the Grace of God itself, our Faith is in danger of becoming idolatrous. By the same token, the Bible itself can easily become an idol if we forget that Christ Himself is the Word of God, while the words of Scripture are nothing more than symbols and tokens of that ultimate reality we seek.
Truly there is no temple on earth that can adequately contain the essence of the divine nature. Rather, it is we ourselves who are called to become living temples of God, to be transformed and transfigured by the uncreated light of God revealed in Christ Jesus. And so may we keep our eyes focused on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our Faith, as we tread the path of salvation--disregarding the tumults and temptations of this fallen world.
This was, for the three disciples, the prototype of the so-called "mountaintop experience": a direct and first-hand encounter with the numinous and ineffable presence of God. As such, it was a transcendent moment outside the bounds of space and time, an experiential foretaste of eternity. It was this overwhelming and sublime experience that the ever-impulsive Peter desired to enshrine within the bounds of this temporal world, suggesting that they should build concrete and material tabernacles to contain that which is in its essence uncontainable.
It seems to me that this particular temptation is one that we all face. Rather than striving to ascend with Christ into the heavenly realm wherein He dwells, that we might become (in the words of St. Peter) partakers of the divine nature, we desire instead to drag Christ down to our own level, to confine within the bounds of time and space that which transcends the limits of all things conceivable to the human mind. Thus, our Lord becomes "Jesus, meek and mild," our bosom pal and buddy, rather than the Pantocrator--the supreme Creator and Ruler of the universe!
Our earthly temples do indeed reflect the glory of God and His heavenly Kingdom, and our churches are in a very real sense houses of God, while the sacraments are true channels of divine grace. Nevertheless, all such earthy rites and structures are but the material means through which the glory and presence of God is revealed. If we focus on these outward conduits of grace rather than on the Grace of God itself, our Faith is in danger of becoming idolatrous. By the same token, the Bible itself can easily become an idol if we forget that Christ Himself is the Word of God, while the words of Scripture are nothing more than symbols and tokens of that ultimate reality we seek.
Truly there is no temple on earth that can adequately contain the essence of the divine nature. Rather, it is we ourselves who are called to become living temples of God, to be transformed and transfigured by the uncreated light of God revealed in Christ Jesus. And so may we keep our eyes focused on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our Faith, as we tread the path of salvation--disregarding the tumults and temptations of this fallen world.
Monday, August 15, 2016
THE POWER OF THE CROSS
"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.... For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness." The Cross is, indeed, the power of God, because God is love--and therefore it is obvious that love is the most powerful force in the entire created order. For it is by means of the Cross that the love of God is expressed most fully and completely.
This world, however (submerged in the darkness of sin and despair) cannot endure the light of such a pure and unadulterated love--a love that offers itself unconditionally as an unblemished sacrifice for the sake of us men and our salvation, on behalf of all, and for all. Herein lies the very essence of our Faith: that we might proclaim with the Holy Apostle Paul, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." In other words, our false ego must be put to death that we might rise with Christ into a life eternal and incorruptible.
It is, nevertheless, much easier by far to seek after signs and miracles, while regarding the truly radical message of the Cross to be sheer folly. In a society that encourages us in every way to strive above all else for an elusive "happiness," for so-called "self-fulfillment," the continuous acquisition of material possessions, and deliverance at any cost from all manner of pain and suffering... why should anyone in his right mind voluntarily choose the path of martyrdom? Yet it is precisely martyrdom (bearing bold witness to Christ) that our Lord demands of his true disciples: that we deny ourselves, take up our cross... and follow Him.
Consider the holy martyrs of old, who made wise commerce, trading their own blood in exchange for the eternal good things God has in store for those who love Him: most of us nowadays can barely conceive of how they were able endure the cruel tortures and deprivations we read about in the lives of the saints... while we ourselves are likely to scream bloody murder of we so much as stub our little toe!
What we perhaps fail to understand is that it was through the grace of God--that is, His abundant love poured into the hearts of the faithful believers--that they could consider their temporal sufferings to be of no consequence compared to the heavenly rewards that awaited them. Besides... a person consumed by the fire of divine love no longer counts the cost, but would rather die a thousand deaths for Christ than to forsake Him.
It would, of course, be presumptuous to think that we feeble Christians of these latter days might be capable of enduring the same degree of pain and suffering as did the martyrs of old. Nevertheless, through the power of the Cross and the love that God bestows into our hearts, we might indeed endure unto the end whatever measure of martyrdom God has appointed us for the sake of our salvation. Nor will God ever require us to take upon ourselves a burden greater than we can endure.
This world, however (submerged in the darkness of sin and despair) cannot endure the light of such a pure and unadulterated love--a love that offers itself unconditionally as an unblemished sacrifice for the sake of us men and our salvation, on behalf of all, and for all. Herein lies the very essence of our Faith: that we might proclaim with the Holy Apostle Paul, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." In other words, our false ego must be put to death that we might rise with Christ into a life eternal and incorruptible.
It is, nevertheless, much easier by far to seek after signs and miracles, while regarding the truly radical message of the Cross to be sheer folly. In a society that encourages us in every way to strive above all else for an elusive "happiness," for so-called "self-fulfillment," the continuous acquisition of material possessions, and deliverance at any cost from all manner of pain and suffering... why should anyone in his right mind voluntarily choose the path of martyrdom? Yet it is precisely martyrdom (bearing bold witness to Christ) that our Lord demands of his true disciples: that we deny ourselves, take up our cross... and follow Him.
Consider the holy martyrs of old, who made wise commerce, trading their own blood in exchange for the eternal good things God has in store for those who love Him: most of us nowadays can barely conceive of how they were able endure the cruel tortures and deprivations we read about in the lives of the saints... while we ourselves are likely to scream bloody murder of we so much as stub our little toe!
What we perhaps fail to understand is that it was through the grace of God--that is, His abundant love poured into the hearts of the faithful believers--that they could consider their temporal sufferings to be of no consequence compared to the heavenly rewards that awaited them. Besides... a person consumed by the fire of divine love no longer counts the cost, but would rather die a thousand deaths for Christ than to forsake Him.
It would, of course, be presumptuous to think that we feeble Christians of these latter days might be capable of enduring the same degree of pain and suffering as did the martyrs of old. Nevertheless, through the power of the Cross and the love that God bestows into our hearts, we might indeed endure unto the end whatever measure of martyrdom God has appointed us for the sake of our salvation. Nor will God ever require us to take upon ourselves a burden greater than we can endure.
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
TO WHOEVER HATH, TO HIM SHALL BE GIVEN....
"To whoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have" (Luke 8:18). Recall the parable of the talents: the servant to whom his master had entrusted one talent buries it in the ground, so that when the master returns from his journey, he hands over intact the one talent he had been given. And so, the master is wroth. The servant might, after all, had at least deposited the money in the bank, in order to gain a bit of interest. But apparently he was just too lazy and didn't care that much. And so, the master takes that one talent and hands it over to the servant who had converted the five talents he had been given into ten. Meanwhile, the hapless servant who had been entrusted with the single talent is seized and thrust into that place of outer darkness, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth!
To the modern, secularized, egalitarian mind, perhaps this turn of events just doesn't seem fair. Is it just that he who has the least should hand over what little he has to he who has the most? Yet one might consider that he who had received the five talents no doubt worked hard to make such a profit, while it takes no initiative at all to bury one's treasure in the ground (or to hide one's light under a bushel, where it cannot be seen). In order to "get ahead" in this fallen world, it is necessary first of all to take risks, while applying whatever natural intelligence we have been given to the task at hand. It is true that the saying "God helps those who help themselves" is found nowhere in the Scriptures...but it is a true saying nevertheless.
Of course, on a personal level, he who has been blessed by God with abundance is obliged to show compassion on those less fortunate. Almsgiving is a cardinal virtue of the Christian faith, being a natural expression of that unconditional love God has vouchsafed to all who strive to fulfill his commandments. In fact, he who gives is more blessed than he who receives: a beggar may be given a gold coin, while the benefactor receives treasure in heaven. Nevertheless, the passage under consideration should be understood above all in spiritual sense.
For if a Christian possesses even a grain of faith and trust in God and strives however feebly to do His will, then surely God's grace will strengthen him, fulfilling within him whatever may be lacking. If, on the other hand, our hearts are hardened and turned away from God, we shall in the end discover that whatever shred of goodness and virtue we may think we possess shall slip through our fingers as dust and ashes. God can indeed transform even sinners such as you and I into his sons and daughters: but only if he has the material at hand. And the material required is nothing less than heartfelt humility, a desire to repent, and a contrite heart that is open at least a crack to the grace of God.
If, on the contrary, we are found to be full of pride and self-love, believing ourselves to be "good enough" already, and if we lack a genuine desire to live a life of sacrificial love centered on Christ, then whatever good we think we have shall surely be taken away, and we shall find ourselves cast into that place of outer darkness--where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
To the modern, secularized, egalitarian mind, perhaps this turn of events just doesn't seem fair. Is it just that he who has the least should hand over what little he has to he who has the most? Yet one might consider that he who had received the five talents no doubt worked hard to make such a profit, while it takes no initiative at all to bury one's treasure in the ground (or to hide one's light under a bushel, where it cannot be seen). In order to "get ahead" in this fallen world, it is necessary first of all to take risks, while applying whatever natural intelligence we have been given to the task at hand. It is true that the saying "God helps those who help themselves" is found nowhere in the Scriptures...but it is a true saying nevertheless.
Of course, on a personal level, he who has been blessed by God with abundance is obliged to show compassion on those less fortunate. Almsgiving is a cardinal virtue of the Christian faith, being a natural expression of that unconditional love God has vouchsafed to all who strive to fulfill his commandments. In fact, he who gives is more blessed than he who receives: a beggar may be given a gold coin, while the benefactor receives treasure in heaven. Nevertheless, the passage under consideration should be understood above all in spiritual sense.
For if a Christian possesses even a grain of faith and trust in God and strives however feebly to do His will, then surely God's grace will strengthen him, fulfilling within him whatever may be lacking. If, on the other hand, our hearts are hardened and turned away from God, we shall in the end discover that whatever shred of goodness and virtue we may think we possess shall slip through our fingers as dust and ashes. God can indeed transform even sinners such as you and I into his sons and daughters: but only if he has the material at hand. And the material required is nothing less than heartfelt humility, a desire to repent, and a contrite heart that is open at least a crack to the grace of God.
If, on the contrary, we are found to be full of pride and self-love, believing ourselves to be "good enough" already, and if we lack a genuine desire to live a life of sacrificial love centered on Christ, then whatever good we think we have shall surely be taken away, and we shall find ourselves cast into that place of outer darkness--where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
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