Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Congratulations with the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord, with the forefeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God, and with the Sunday before the feast of the Elevation of the Cross!

It’s not by chance that I greet you with the Sunday before the Elevation, because the Church marks this day in a special way. Today a special Gospel excerpt related to this day was read, in which we heard how Christ must suffer on the cross for the sake of the salvation of world. Apart from this special, not regular, reading from the Gospel according to John, the regular excerpt from the Gospel according to Matthew was also read. Today let’s concentrate on this reading, which, although it seems simple and understandable (love God and your neighbour), has much of interest and importance within it. Today’s reading is composed of two separate parts that don’t seem to have too much tying them together. The first part includes the question of a certain lawyer and Christ’s answer. The second includes the riddle from the psalm of David: how is it that the Messiah can be the son of David, but David himself calls him Lord?

Let’s first take note that this reading is a continuation of that conversation which took place between Christ and the Jews in the Temple, several days before His crucifixion, about which we read the past two weeks. Remember how subtly and from how many different angles Jesus tried to convince the Jews to accept Him as their Saviour and to abandon their evil plots to kill Him. We know that these people understood full well all of the Lord’s words, but they would not be softened, they would not repent, and instead continued to plan the murder of the God-Man. With this in mind, a lawyer approaches Christ to tempt Him. This person, knowing that Christ considers Himself God (or if not God, then equal to God) and thinking that this cannot be true, asks a question about which is the greatest of all the commandments. He expects that Christ will answer that it is necessary love God as well as Himself (Christ), or something to that effect. Naturally, Christ does not fall for such a trap and answers correctly, thus giving the Jews no occasion to sentence Him to death.

Although, at this moment, Christ does not preach about His divinity, His goal remains the same – to convince the Jews to accept Him as God and Saviour. For this reason, He adds to His answer the question about David and the Saviour. He asks: "How is it that the Saviour will be the son of David, but David himself calls Him Lord in the 109th (110th) psalm?" (The Jews, as we do, consider that this whole psalm is a prophecy about the Saviour). With this question and the call to remember this psalm, the Lord is as if saying: "You consider me a blasphemer, but look, David himself says that the Saviour is Lord, as is God the Father, and that He sits at the right hand of the Father, that is He is equal to Him. Therefore, don’t judge Me, don’t count me as a blasphemer, don’t kill me, but be convinced that I am that Saviour of whom David writes. In my divine nature I am the Son of God and Lord of David, but in my human nature I am the son of David." The Jews refuse to accept this final attempt to correct their error. In such a way the conversation between them and Christ ends. Christ denounces the Jews and there is nothing left for them to do but to find a fitting time to arrest and crucify Him.

On such a note, the Sunday Gospel readings according to St. Matthew have led us to the central event in our spiritual lives – to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is completely logical and right that in one week we will mark the feast of the Elevation of the Cross and remember this crucifixion.

Daily we strive to live according to the two great commandment on which all of the law hangs, that is to love God as much as this is possible, and one’s neighbour as oneself. It’s good when we are successful, but often we aren’t able to reach our desired goal. At times, we forget God; at others, we annoy our neighbours. Sometimes we fall into a state of melancholy because we can see that our life is so far off the mark. In such instances we can join together these commandments with our Lord’s death on the cross and remember that it is He alone who completely fulfilled them. He loved His Heavenly Father and God to such an extent that, as the Apostle Paul writes: "He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2: 8). Not only for the sake of the Father’s Will did He do this, but out of the most extreme love for us. Let’s also remember the closing words of today’s first Gospel, that He came into the world not to condemn it, but to save it through Himself. Therefore let’s strengthen ourselves with courage and continue our struggle to emulate our Lord and Saviour in the fulfillment of these commandments.

priest Alexis