Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Heartfelt congratulations to all of you with the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord, as well as the memory of the apostles Peter and Paul and the completion of the fast!

In today’s Gospel reading we see that the demons who tortured the unfortunate people (not only the two demoniacs, but all the citizens of that place), like the centurion from last week, recognized in Jesus not a simple person but the God-man, who had full authority and control over them. They understood perfectly well that they will be punished and suffer eternal damnation because of their misdeeds, but they hoped that this could be put off for some time.

This Gospel passage is especially interesting and has a wealth of material that could be discussed, but today let’s focus our attention not on any one particular verse but on the whole picture. Despite a great miracle taking place, despite the fact that the demons (who were torturing the two unfortunate men and terrorizing the remaining people) were cast out, despite the appearance of the Saviour of the whole world, the God-man Jesus Christ and His great disciples in the land of the Gergesenes to preach the Kingdom of God, they (that is, the inhabitants of that land) were left with a feeling not so much of joy, but of melancholy, and if not of melancholy, then a feeling of confusion. How is it that, concurrently with such a great miracle, so much evil was also taking place (the herd of swine was wiped out and thus the livelihood of those people was lost)? We ourselves can ask the same question: why are some of the most joyful, bright and wonderful moments in our lives, when without a doubt Christ is present, sometimes tainted with melancholy or sadness?

We won’t find a simple answer to such a complex question, but we can make certain observations. First, the Gergesenes became accustomed to their life. They were accustomed to steer clear of the cemetery to avoid being accosted by the demoniacs. They knew that raising swine was prohibited by the Jewish Law, but were so accustomed to doing this that their conscience was completely calmed. Secondly, these people thought only of themselves. Their brothers, fellow citizens, were freed from the awful control of the demons, but they think only of their profits. They see only their own misfortune and are oblivious to the joy of their neighbours. Finally, they react too quickly to what happened and ask Christ to leave, thus depriving themselves of comfort from the wellspring of Peace. Habitual sins and passions, a singular focus on oneself and an impulsive reaction lead to the unsatisfying conclusion of today’s Gospel reading – Christ leaves.

Today it is proper to also say some words about the leaders of the apostles, Sts. Peter and Paul. They are the leaders because the former was the head of all the others and the latter because he, more than the others, laboured to spread the Gospel. The apostles are sometimes called spirit-bearers, because they always had the Holy Spirit within them. Despite having God with them at all times, their lives were constantly filled with misfortunes, sorrows, harassment and so on. Today we heard about all of this straight from the mouth of Paul in the Epistle reading. Notwithstanding this, they didn’t pay much attention to these unpleasant aspects of life and continued to dedicate all their energy to preaching Christ. They adapted to any situation that came their way so long as they could say a word about Christ. In such a way they truly became, as Christ said, fishers of men, and up to our own time continue to bring souls into the ship of the Church through their Epistles, which make up a large portion of the New Testament. Therefore it is not surprising that the church service to Sts. Peter and Paul starts with the words: “With what wreaths of praise shall we crown Peter and Paul…?” Without a doubt it’s impossible to find fitting words to rightly and honourably praise these greatest of men!

Dear Brothers and Sisters, once again congratulations with today’s feastday! Today let’s remember the Gergesenes and examine our own souls and ask: Am I tied to my own sins and passions? Am I the centre of my own life? Am I too quick to act on my sinful, self-centred impulses? If yes, let’s change so as not to inadvertently ask Christ to leave us. Instead, may we become spirit-bearers like the great Peter and marvelous Paul.

priest Alexis