Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Congratulations with the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord, the after-feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos, as well as the day of St. Alexander Nevsky, the holy hierarch Mitrophan of Voronezh and the holy hierarch Amphilochius of Iconium (a fourth-century saint who was ordained to the episcopacy not by other bishops, as is the usual practice, but by angels).

In today’s Gospel reading we heard the parable about the rich fool. Although we didn’t hear about this today, it’s good to note that this parable was said in response to a request from a person asking Christ to help settle a dispute regarding an inheritance. It’s clear that this person was very much engrossed in this problem. He was so consumed by the question of his inheritance that he felt no shame in interrupting Christ’s preaching, hoping that He would help him with his purely earthly cares. This person is thinking only of this and is as if completely deaf to Christ’s great and lofty message. We can characterize this person with one phrase: he was greedy.

In answer to this purely material desire to have more, the Lord Jesus Christ says today’s short but very clear parable, in which He highlights that earthly riches will not bring us peace or comfort. Let’s note that the rich man did not create the good and plentiful harvest, but the ground itself brought it forth. Of course the rich man worked, but the fact remains that without good weather, without the right amount of rain, etc., there would not have been such an extraordinarily plenteous harvest. In other words, God sent those favourable conditions that made such a harvest possible. Let’s also note with what perplexity and greed the rich man looks at his good fortune. He says, “Woe is me! What am I to do? I have nowhere to collect all of my bread!” St. Cyril of Alexandria notes that he laments with the same words that the poor and hungry use. They say, “What shall I do, for I and my children are hungry and there is nothing for us to eat!?” while the rich man says, “What shall I do, for I have so much bread that I don’t know what to do with it and where I should put it!?”

Dear brothers and sisters, today let’s remember how generous our Creator has been and is to us. He has created for us favourable conditions to live a calm and comfortable life. Just like the rich man was blessed with a plentiful harvest, so have we been blessed with many good things. Therefore let’s take today’s lesson to heart and not repeat thе mistakes of the rich man. Let’s not worry and lament about trifles. When God blesses us especially generously, let’s not forget our neighbours, let’s share what we receive, let’s not be greedy, let’s not live as if there is only this earthly material world. In such a way, let’s become rich toward God, as it was said at the end of today’s reading.

priest Alexis