24th Sunday after Pentecost

(Luke 10:25-37)

The Gospel reading appointed for this Sunday is the familiar tale of the Good Samaritan. A certain lawyer was testing Christ, saying: ‘Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Our Lord responded to him: ‘What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?’ The young man replied: ‘You shall love the Lord your God will all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.’ To this, our Lord said: ‘You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.’

But the young man wished to justify himself, and said to Jesus: ‘And who is my neighbor?’ To this question, our Lord responds with the parable of the Good Samaritan, wherein a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho fell among thieves who robbed him, stripped him of his clothing, beat him, and left him for dead. First a priest comes along but passes by him on the other side of the road. Then a Levite comes by, but he does the same. Finally, a Samaritan (one who was an outcast in society) came by and when he saw the beaten man, he had compassion on him. He bandaged his wounds, poured oil and wine upon him, and set him upon his animal and brought him to an inn. He gave the innkeeper some money to take care of him until he was well, promising to repay anything additional required for the man’s recuperation.

Which of these, Christ asks, was a neighbor to the one who fell among thieves? And the young man replied: ‘He who showed mercy on him.’ Then Jesus said to him: ‘Go and do likewise.’

Elsewhere in the Gospels, our Lord repeats this quote from Deuteronomy - ‘You shall love the Lord your God will all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind.’ – saying this is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Christ then proclaims that ‘on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

It is abundantly evident throughout the Gospels that Christ’s greatest sorrow and greatest frustration was the disconnect demonstrated by the most religious people: the priests, the Levites, the Pharisees and the Sadducees… who over and over again missed the forest for the trees. They were so scrupulous about the laws of Moses and yet they lost the point of what these laws were given them for. The laws were given to bring the remembrance and the presence of God into every action of the people: from the way they washed their hands, to the way they dressed, to the things they could and could not eat. All of this was to bring the remembrance and reverence for God into the details of their lives. But rather than softening their hearts toward God and their neighbor, too often their scrupulousness about the law hardened their hearts and inflated their pride.

I sometimes hear the same complaints from Orthodox Christians (and, to be honest, sometimes from within my own head) about all the rules the Church places upon us. This is most often in reference to the rules of fasting prescribed by the Church. These spiritual disciplines that are prescribed by the Church must be seen for what they are… they are prescriptions for our spiritual infirmities. They are a form of spiritual therapy prescribed to make us healthier, to build our spiritual strength.

This Friday we will enter into the Nativity Fast which prepares us for the blessed feast of the Nativity of our Lord. We will get out of the period of fasting whatever we put into the period of fasting. If we are lax and indifferent to the calls of the Church to be conscious of what and how much we eat, to draw closer to Christ through prayer, to extend our hand of generosity to the needy… if we are indifferent to these things, we will miss this period of preparation for the Nativity and will miss the grace that God bestows upon those who are more faithful.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, it all comes back to love. Our Lord Jesus Christ said: ‘If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.’ Making our best effort to follow the fast – and again, I am not just talking about our diet, but making this a special time to draw closer to God – making our best efforts during the fast is an act of love for God. It is a way to love Him with all of our heart and mind and soul and strength.

When we love someone, it is not hard to always think about them… to long to be with them, to always be looking for ways in which we can express our love. Shouldn’t it be the same with our love for God?

I will conclude with the well-known story of our dear St Herman of Alaska’s conversation with a group of sailors. St. Herman posed one common question to all of them: ‘What do you, gentlemen, love more than anything else, and what would each of you wish for your happiness?’ Various responses began to pour out. Some wished for riches, others glory, others a beautiful wife, others a beautiful ship that he would command, and so on in the same vein. ‘Isn’t it true,’ said Fr. Herman to them, ‘that all your various wishes could be summed up in one—that each of you wishes that which, according to his understanding, he considers the best and most worthy of love?’ ‘Yes, that is true!’ they all replied. ‘Tell me,’ he continued, ‘what could be better, higher than all, more superlative and most worthy of love if not the Lord, our Jesus Christ Himself, Who created us, adorned us with such good qualities, gave life to all, maintains and nourishes everything, loves everyone, Who is Himself love, and is more wonderful than all people? Shouldn’t one therefore love God far more than all things, and desire and seek Him more than anything?’ All began to speak: ‘Well, yes! That is self-evident! That is true in itself!’ ‘But do you love God?’ the Elder then asked. All replied: ‘Of course we love God. How can one not love God?’ And then St Herman replied with these words: ‘And I, a sinner, have been trying to love God for more than forty years, and cannot say that I perfectly love Him,’ And he began to demonstrate how one must love God. ‘If we love someone,’ he said, ‘we always remember him and try to please him; day and night our heart is occupied with that object. Is that how you, gentlemen, love God? Do you often turn to Him, do you always remember Him, do you always pray to Him and fulfill His holy commandments?’ They had to admit that they did not. ‘For our good, for our happiness,’ concluded the Elder, ‘at least let us make a vow that from this day, from this hour, from this minute we shall strive to love God above all else and to fulfill His holy will!’