Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Congratulations with the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord, as well as with the day of all the Fathers of the first six Ecumenical Councils and one of everyone’s favourite saints, the Russian monk and miracle-worker Seraphim of Sarov!

Today for the penultimate time we heard an excerpt from the Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Romans. Unlike in the excerpts from the previous weeks, today we read nothing about Paul’s teaching on the theological questions that were preoccupying the Christians of the first century, but instead heard his pastoral and moral admonishments. This excerpt can be divided into two parts: the first, about the different grace-filled gifts that we are vouchsafed at our baptism and anointing, and the second, about the frame of mind and actions of every Christian.

About the first part it’s important to note that not every person is given all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Not every person can be a spiritual ruler, teacher, minister, or benefactor. Although there is no person who has all of these gifts, each member of the Church has at least one grace-filled gift which he or she received when entering the Church. It’s very important to notice that there is no gradation between important and less important gifts, but only different gifts – they are all similarly important. Since this is so, it behooves us to fervently work with those gifts that have been sent down on us for the good of the Church, and not be disconcerted or regretful that we may lack one or another of these gifts.

If in the first part we heard about those special characteristics that the faithful may possess, in the second section of the epistle reading we are instructed in that which each of us must do. Of course, much could be said about these character traits of a Christian heart and the interplay and connection between them, but probably they are understandable enough without any special explanations. Let’s focus our attention only on the final point: “Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.” From a worldly human perspective this is practically impossible. It’s hard enough to silently endure attacks from enemies, but here we’re instructed to also bless them. St. Theophan the Recluse says that this is in fact possible, but only with the help of the Grace of the Holy Spirit. According to his instructions, to acquire such help one must live not by worldly, but by heavenly cares, to perceive worldly and temporal things as having little value and spiritual and eternal things as having the most value. In such a way, our regular worldly way of thinking stops operating in us and instead, we begin to think only of the heavenly. Then we can begin to accept in our hearts the words of John Chrysostom that “Persecutors are the attendants that hand out rewards.” He continues that, when we endure persecution, the persecutor ensures that we receive future rewards in the Kingdom of Heaven, but when we not only endure, but also begin to bless them, we ourselves acquire still other rewards.

Today let’s analyze our life and check if we fulfill those Christian actions about which we heard today. Let’s also remember that each of us has received particular grace-filled gifts, and that we are obliged to used them for the good of the Church.

priest Alexis