Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Congratulations with the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord as well as the after-feast of the Theophany of our Lord!

In today’s Gospel reading we heard how Jesus Christ, after the imprisonment of John the Baptist, left Judea (the southern part of the Holy Land, where the most pious and observant Jews lived). He made His way to Galilee, the northern part of that country, where along with the Jews, who in that region were not as stringent in following the Law, gentiles lived impiously.  He decided to settle not in Nazareth, where He grew up, but in Capernaum, a small fishing town, on the northwest banks of the Sea of Galilee.  He did this so as to draw into His net the simple fishermen Peter, Andrew, John, and James, and to make out of them fishers of souls, i. e. His apostles.  

Today let’s think about why Christ left Judea.  Many consider that after the arrest of John the Baptist it became dangerous for the Saviour to stay in those places and therefore He left.  It became dangerous because the Jews began to envy Christ, and could have slandered and accused Him before Herod, as they most likely did with John the Baptist.  Chrysostom says: [He departed] “instructing us not to go to meet temptations, but to give place and withdraw ourselves.  For it is no reproach, the not casting one’s self into danger, but the failing to stand manfully when fallen into it.”

Dear Brothers and Sisters, let’s make a concerted effort to remember these wise words of St. John Chrysostom.  Unlike Christ, we don’t know what will take place in the future, what type of temptations might befall us, and, most importantly, how we will deal with them.  It’s unclear whether we will have the courage in that hour of trials to remain faithful to Christ and His Church.  These temptations or trials can be very varied and may include persecution, imprisonment, and death for the sake of Christ and truth, sickness or physical suffering, or simple everyday situations that push us towards sin, such as senseless talk or idle use of the internet, etc.  Therefore, let’s always try to avoid those situations that could become dangerous for our spiritual lives.  At the same time, let’s pray that our Lord gives us the courage to be steadfast in those moments when we can’t avoid dangers.  

priest Alexis