Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Congratulations with the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord, as well as the feastday of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke!

Today in church a very interesting Epistle lesson was read, in which we heard St. Paul’s defense against his opponents among the Corinthian Christians. Paul intended to speak about wonderful, very personal, and miraculous events in his own life and therefore he begins with the assurance that what he is about to say is the truth. Then he begins, in a very modest manner, to explain what happened to him fourteen years earlier, when he was caught up to the third heaven, to paradise, where he heard such remarkable words that it was impossible to pass them on to others. Although it is obvious enough that he is writing about himself, he says that this happened not with him, but with someone else. He adds that he doesn’t know if this took place in the body or out of the body. He continues that he does not glory in this divine revelation, but only in his infirmities. He had his own particular difficulties, a ‘thorn in the flesh,’ a ‘messenger of Satan,’ which tormented and mortified him. Although Paul prayed three times for God to free him from these difficulties, the Lord answered him: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore Paul glories in his infirmities, because through them God Himself is glorified.

Today there is so much of interest that we could discuss (What is the third heaven? How many of these heavens are there? What did Paul hear there? What is the ‘thorn in the flesh?’), but let’s concentrate on that which is directly important for our own personal salvation. If you are interested in answers to these questions, you can independently look for answers in the works of St. John Chrysostom, Blessed Theophylact, and St. Theophan the Recluse. (All of their explanations can be found in Russian on this site: azbyka.ru. A digital copy of St. John’s writings in English translation can be bought for less than three dollars on Amazon, but the other fathers have not yet been translated.)

Let’s take note of the Apostle’s modesty. For fourteen years he hid his wonderful vision from everyone. Who out of us could keep such a wonderful secret from absolutely everyone for even fourteen days, let alone years? When it became necessary to expose this secret (for the sake of protecting his authority, so that he could continue to preach Christ), Paul did everything to downplay his own role. Notice that he doesn’t say that this really took place with him. He also says that there was much he didn’t understand (whether he was in or out of the body). To explain to others what was said there was impossible. It is as if Paul is saying, “Yes, such a miraculous thing did happen to me, but the Lord God is so wonderful and great that I didn’t understand a thing, I can’t explain anything, I only know that it happened!”

We can also take note of the long-suffering patience of the apostle. As we said earlier, he suffered from some kind of infirmity, from a ‘thorn in his flesh.’ He prayed that God would rid him of this, but only three times. Afterwards the Lord let him know that he will not be freed from this iniquity, and that he has been granted grace to patiently bear it. Therefore he endured, and not only endured, but gloried in his infirmities.

Let’s try to take Apostle Paul as an example for ourselves. Let’s learn from him modesty and long-suffering patience. Let’s not set up our spiritual successes for everyone to see, but instead, let’s hide them away from sight, always giving glory to God for all. Let’s also learn to endure without complaining all our infirmities and temptations, be they physical or spiritual, so that through our endurance God will be glorified.

priest Alexis