Reflection on the Ninth Sunday of Luke (St. Theophan the Recluse)

 

 Reflection on the Ninth Sunday of Luke

Luke 12:16-21

 

By St. Theophan the Recluse

Having spoken the parable about the man who became rich and planned to just eat, drink and be merry, and for this was struck with death, not remaining alive for the supposed pleasures, the Lord concluded: "So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." 

 

“So”—that is, such occurs, or such a lot befalls both these and others. Those who become rich and forget about God only think about pleasures of the flesh. Let those who desire to avoid this bitter lot “lay up” not “unto themselves, but be rich only toward God.” Since riches come from God, then devote them to God when they flow, and holy riches will come of it. 

 

Divide all surplus with the needy: this will be the same as returning to God what was given by God. He who gives to a poor person gives to God. Seemingly exhausting his riches, such a person becomes truly rich—rich through good deeds, rich for God. In pleasing Him he becomes rich in God, and by attracting His good will, he becomes rich from God, Who makes one who is faithful over a few things, ruler over many things. He becomes rich toward God, and not toward himself, for he does not consider himself to be master of the house, but only a steward and accountant, whose entire concern consists of satisfying all who come to him in need. But he fears spending anything in particular on himself, considering it to be an improper usage of property entrusted to him. 

Reflection on the Third Sunday of Luke (St. Theophan the Recluse)

Third Sunday of Luke

 
Luke 7:11-16

By St. Theophan the Recluse 

 

The Lord sees a mother weeping over the death of her son and has compassion on her; another time he was called to a marriage, and rejoiced together with the family. By this He showed that to share ordinary everyday joys and sorrows is not contrary to His spirit. 

 

This is what true, reverent Christians do, who live their life in fear [of God]. However, they distinguish some everyday life routines from others; for much has entered into these routines which cannot be God’s good will. There are customs that come from passions, which arise for their indulgence; others are kept alive by vanity and busyness. He who has the spirit of Christ, will be able to distinguish the good from the bad: he adheres to the one and rejects the other. 

 

Reflection on the First Sunday of Luke (St. Theophan the Recluse)

First Sunday of Luke

 
Luke 5:1-11

By St. Theophan the Recluse 

 

The fishermen toiled for an entire night and took nothing; but when the Lord entered their ship, and, after preaching commanded them to cast their net, they took so many that they could not pull them out and the net broke. 

 

This is an image for all work without God’s help, and for work with God’s help. When one person works, wanting to achieve something through his strength alone—he is all thumbs. When the Lord draws near to him, then one good thing after another flows in from somewhere. 

 

In the spiritual-moral sense the impossibility of success without the Lord is tangibly visible: "Without Me ye can do nothing," said the Lord. And this law acts in all things. Just as a branch not grown onto a tree not only does not bear fruit, but dries up and loses its life as well, neither can people bring forth fruits of truth valuable for eternal life if they are not in living communion with the Lord. Any good that they might have is only an appearance of good, but in essence it is faulty—like a forest apple that appears red but if you taste it, it is sour. 

 

It is also tangibly clear in an external, worldly sense: one struggles and struggles, and all in vain. When God’s blessing descends, all comes out well. Those who are attentive toward themselves and the paths of life know these truths through experience.

 

 

Reflection on the Sunday After the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (St. Theophan the Recluse)

Sunday After the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Mark 8:34-38; 9:1

By St. Theophan the Recluse  

“Whoever wants to follow Me, deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Me” (Mark 8:34) .

It is impossible to follow the Crucified Lord without a cross; and all who follow Him certainly follow with the cross.

What is this cross? All sorts of inconveniences, hardships and sorrows, both from the outside and from within, on the path of conscientious fulfillment of the commandments of the Lord in life in the spirit of His precepts and requirements. Such a cross is so fused with a Christian that where there is a Christian, there is this cross, and where there is no such cross, there is no Christian.

Reflection on the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (St. Theophan the Recluse)

 

By St. Theophan the Recluse

The honourable cross is brought out for veneration in the middle of Great Lent in order to inspire those who toil in fasting to patiently bear the yoke they have taken to the end. Why is this done in September? Is it accidental? But there are no accidents for the Providential Wisdom that arranges all things.

This is why: in September the harvest is taken from the field, at least with us. And so that some of the Christians might not feel too satisfied and say: “Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry!” and so that others might not fall in spirit because of scarcity, the elevated cross is brought before all. It reminds the former that the support of well being is not possessions, but their bearing of the cross in a Christian, inner way, should God’s goodness bring external plenitude; it inspires the latter to acquire patience in their souls, through the certainty that they will go from the cross directly to paradise. Therefore, may some endure, knowing, that they are travelling a smooth path to the heavenly kingdom; and may the others enjoy external comforts with fear, not sealing the entrance to paradise against themselves.

 

 

Reflection on the Twelfth Sunday of Matthew (St. Theophan the Recluse)

 Twelfth Sunday of Matthew

Matthew 19:16-26

By St. Theophan the Recluse 

"It is hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matt. 19:26). Here is meant a rich man who sees in his own self many methods and many powers unto his own prosperity. But as soon as one who has many possessions cuts off all attachment to them, extinguishes within himself all reliance on them, and ceases to see them as his substantial support, then in his heart he is the same as one who possesses nothing — for in this way is the road to the kingdom open. Riches are then not only a hindrance, but a help, for they provide the means for charitable works. Riches are not the misfortune, but rather reliance upon them and attachment to them. This thought can be generalized in this way: whoever relies on something and is attached to something is rich in that thing. Whoever relies on God alone and cleaves to Him with all his heart is rich in God. Whoever relies on something else turns his heart to it instead of God — such a person is rich in this other thing, but not in God. From this it follows that he who is not rich in God has no entrance into the kingdom of God. Here are meant such things as birth, connections, mind, rank, circle of activities and so forth. 

 

 

Reflection on the Ecclesiastical New Year (St. Theophan the Recluse)

 By St. Theophan the Recluse

The Lord did not only come to preach the acceptable year, but He brought it as well. Where is it? In the souls of believers. The earth will never become paradise under the current state of affairs; but it is and will be an arena of preparation for the heavenly life. The rudiments of heavenly life are placed in the soul, the possibility for it lies in God’s grace, while grace was brought by our Lord Jesus Christ — who brought, consequently, the acceptable year for souls. He who listens to the Lord and fulfils all that is commanded by Him, receives grace, and with its power enjoys the acceptable year within himself. This truly occurs in all who sincerely believe and act according to faith. You will not fill your soul with this acceptableness by thinking; you must act, and it will enter in on its own. There might not be any outer peace, just inner, and yet it cannot be separated from Christ. But it always happens that as soon as inner peace is established, outer disturbances are neither bitter nor heavy. Thus, this aspect is also acceptable — it only seem like a cold winter on the outside.

 

 

Reflection on the Tenth Sunday of Matthew (St. Theophan the Recluse)

Tenth Sunday of Matthew

Matthew 17:14-23

By St. Theophan the Recluse 

 

"This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." If this kind goes out by the prayer and fasting of another person, then it is even less able to enter one who fasts and prays. What protection! Although there are a slew of demons and all the air is packed with them, they cannot do anything to one who is protected by prayer and fasting. 

 

On the Dormition of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary (St. Theophan the Recluse)

By St. Theophan the Recluse

After the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross, His Most Pure Mother lived for about fifteen years in Jerusalem, in the house of the holy Apostle John the Theologian, to whom the Lord Himself entrusted her from the Cross. The time came for her to move on to the heavenly abode of her Son. When the Mother of God was praying on the Mount of Olives, the legend tells, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her, bringing a date branch, and announced her death would take place in three days.

The Most Pure One was overjoyed to hear such news, and began to prepare. By the day of her repose, by the command of God, there appeared miraculously in Jerusalem, except for the Apostle Thomas, all the apostles who had been scattered for preaching throughout the world. They were witnesses of Her peaceful, quiet, holy and blessed death. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself, in heavenly glory, surrounded by an innumerable multitude of angels and righteous spirits, appeared to receive the soul of His Most Pure Mother and with glory ascended her to heaven.

Reflection on the Eighth Sunday of Matthew (St. Theophan the Recluse)

 

Eighth Sunday of Matthew

Matthew 14:14-22

By St. Theophan the Recluse

 

Before the miraculous feeding of the five thousand people, the disciples of the Lord wanted the people to be sent away; but the Lord said to them: "They need not depart; you give them something to eat." 

 

Let us learn this word, and each time the enemy suggests to us to refuse someone who asks for something, let us say from the person of the Lord: "They need not depart; you give them something to eat"—and let us give whatever we find at hand. 

 

Reflection on the Seventh Sunday of Matthew (St. Theophan the Recluse)

 Seventh Sunday of Matthew

Matthew 9:27-35

By St. Theophan the Recluse

"According to your faith be it unto you," said the Lord to the two blind men, and immediately their eyes were opened. 

 

The greater the faith is, the greater is the influx of Divine power. Faith is the receiver, lips, and receptacle of grace. Just as one person’s lungs are large while another person’s are small, and the large take in more air, while the small take in less, so one person has a large degree of faith, and another a small degree, and one person’s faith receives more gifts from the Lord, and another person’s fewer. 

 

Reflection on the Sixth Sunday of Matthew (St. Theophan the Recluse)

 Sixth Sunday of Matthew

Matthew 9:1-8

By St. Theophan the Recluse

The Lord forgives the sins of the paralytic man. One should rejoice; but the evil mind of the learned scribes says: “This man blasphemes.” Even after the miracle of the healing of the paralytic man—a confirmation of the comforting truth that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins—the people glorified God; but nothing is said about the scribes, probably because they continued to weave their deceitful questions even after such a miracle. The mind without faith is a schemer; it constantly hammers out its evil suspicions and weaves blasphemy against the whole realm of faith. As for miracles—it either doesn’t believe in them, or it demands a tangible one. But when a miracle is given that would obligate one to submit to the faith, this mind is not ashamed to turn away from it, distorting or slandering the miraculous works of God. It treats irrefutable evidence of God’s truth in the same way. It is sufficiently and cogently presented with both experiential and intellectual proof, but it covers even this with doubt. Sort out all that it produces and you will see that in this there is only deceit, although its own language calls it cleverness, and you are unwillingly led to the conclusion that cleverness and deceit are one and the same. In the realm of faith the Apostle says, "We have the mind of Christ." Whose mind is outside of the realm of faith? The evil one’s. That is why deceit has become its distinguishing characteristic.

 

 

Reflection on the Fourth Sunday of Matthew (St. Theophan the Recluse)

 

Fourth Sunday of Matthew

Matthew 8:5-13

By St. Theophan the Recluse

What faith the centurion has! The Lord Himself marvelled. The essence of this faith is that he confessed the Lord to be the God of all things, an all-powerful sovereign and master of all that exists; for this reason he beseeched, "Speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. I believe that everything is under Your authority and everything obeys Your slightest beckoning."

Reflection on the Third Sunday of Matthew (St. Theophan the Recluse)

 

Third Sunday of Matthew
 
Matthew 6:22-33
 
By St. Theophan the Recluse

"If therefore thine eye be pure thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness." Here the mind is called the eye, and the entire composition of the soul is called the body. Thus, when the mind is simple then it is light in the soul; when the mind is evil, then it is dark in the soul.

Reflection on the Second Sunday of Matthew (St. Theophan the Recluse)

Second Sunday of Matthew
 
Matthew 4:18-23
 
By St. Theophan the Recluse

The Lord called Peter and Andrew, and immediately, leaving all, they followed Him. He called James and John, and they also immediately left all and followed the Lord. Why did they follow Him so quickly and willingly? Because they saw something better. Such is the law that we have in our soul, that once it has tasted and known what is better, it is repulsed by what is worse and abandons it. Here is accomplished the same thing that later the Lord described in His parable about the treasure hid in a field, and about the pearl of great price. The treasure and the pearl are faith in the Lord and communion with Him according to the strength of faith. We have already been declared possessors of this in baptism. Why do we value this treasure so little, and so exchange it for barren insignificance? Because we were not brought up to cultivate a taste for this treasure, and it becomes foreign to our heart. Our heart does not know this better thing. It only knows that there is the bad, the very bad, and the not so bad, and bases its outlook upon this assessment. Here is the entire reason why the Lord calls some and they come; but we, the chosen ones, run from Him.

 

 

Reflection for the Monday of the Holy Spirit (St. Theophan the Recluse)

 By St. Theophan the Recluse

Comforting His disciples, the Lord said that it will be better for them if He rises to heaven, for upon rising, in place of Himself He will send the Comforter — the Spirit. The Holy Spirit has descended and abides in the Church, accomplishing in each believer the work of Christ. Each Christian is a communicant of the Spirit. This is something so necessary, that in fact whoever does not have the Spirit is not of Christ. Look closely at yourself — is the Spirit of grace within you? For it does not remain in everyone; it can depart. Here are the signs of His presence: first He finds a spirit of repentance and teaches a Christian to turn to God and correct his life; the spirit of repentance, accomplishing its work, passes the Christian on to a spirit of holiness and purity, which is succeeded, at last, by a spirit of adoption. The characteristic of the first is a work-loving zeal; the characteristic of the second is warmth and a sweet burning of the heart; the characteristic of the third is a feeling of adoption whereby the heart sighs to God: "Abba, Father!" (Mk. 14:36). Examine which of these levels you are on. If you are not on any of them, take care for yourself. 

Reflection for Thomas Sunday (St. Theophan the Recluse)

 

 By St. Theophan the Recluse

"My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28) cried the holy apostle Thomas. Do you feel the strength with which he has grasped the Lord, and how tightly he is holding onto Him? A drowning man grasps the plank on which he hopes to be saved in the same way. We will add that whoever does not have the Lord like this for himself and does not keep himself this way in relation to the Lord, does not yet believe in the Lord as he should. We say: “Savior and Lord,” meaning that He is the Savior of all; but Thomas says: “My Lord and my God.” He who says: “my Savior,” feels his own salvation proceeding from Him. The feeling of salvation lies adjacent to the feeling of perishing, out of which the Savior pulls whomever He saves. The feeling of perishing, for a man who is life-loving by nature and who knows that he cannot save himself, forces him to seek the Savior. When he finds Him and feels the power of salvation proceeding from Him, he grasps Him tightly and does not want to be torn from Him, though he be deprived for this of life itself. Such a nature of events in the spiritual life of a Christian are not only imagined in the mind, but are experienced in deed. Then, both his faith and his union with Christ become firm, like life and death. Only such a person can sincerely cry: "Who shall separate me!" (cf. Rom. 8:35).

 

 

Homily on the Reception of the Lord (and How to Attain the Blessing of the Reception of the Lord) - by St. Theophan the Recluse

By St. Theophan the Recluse

(Delivered on February 2, 1861)

What a touching picture the Reception of the Lord presents us! The aged elder Symeon holding the infant God in his arms, on both sides of him is Joseph the Righteous and the Most Holy Virgin Theotokos; not far away - Anna the Prophetess, an eighty-four-year-old woman of fasting and prayer. All eyes are fixed on the Savior. In it they disappear with attention, and from it they drink the spiritual sweetness that nourishes their souls. You can judge how great was the blessing of these souls!

Reflection on the Feast of the Reception of the Lord (St. Theophan the Recluse)

 

 By St. Theophan the Recluse

At this reception the Lord is surrounded on the one side by Symeon — righteousness which awaits salvation, but not in righteousness itself -, and Anna — a life of strict fasting and prayer, made alive by faith -; and on the other side by substantial, comprehensive and steadfast purity — the Virgin Mother of God -, and by humble, silent submission and devotion to the will of God — Joseph the Betrothed. Transfer all of these spiritual attitudes to your heart and you will receive the Lord; not carried to you, but coming to you Himself. You will take Him into the embrace of your heart, and you will sing a hymn which will pass throughout the heavens and gladden all the angels and saints. 

 

Reflection for the Sunday After Theophany (St. Theophan the Recluse)

By St. Theophan the Recluse

Yesterday the Apostle armed the Christian who sets out upon the path of salvation with the whole spiritual armor. Now he shows who the leaders are in this battle procession, and what is the final bright goal of all for our inspiration in times of hardship. The leaders are pastors and teachers, whom the Lord gave to the Church and through whose mouth He Himself utters guiding direction needful for all, as soon as one turns to such leaders with faith and prayerful appeal to the Lord. Those who selflessly walk the Lord’s path know this truth, as do those who lead a struggle with the enemies of salvation without pity for themselves. In their pastors they always find help and are brought to understanding, when, looking from the outside, such help could not be anticipated. For they do not come to men, but to the Lord, who is always prepared to direct and give understanding through such men, to anyone who sincerely and with faith seeks help from Him. The final bright goal is the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ—the stature of a perfect man (Eph. 4:13). We all know what a perfect man is in the usual order of things, and we could hardly find a person who would not wish to attain such perfection. But the meaning of a perfect man in the Lord is something not known to anyone other than those who have entered into that stature. This, however, should not cool one’s fervor for the attainment of such a stature, but on the contrary should kindle it even more; for this lack of knowledge is due to the height of that spiritual perfection which is called a manly stature in a life according to God. The Apostle defined this as the taking on of the fullness of perfections revealed in the Lord and Savior. Anyone can see that there is reason for us to apply all diligence (II Pet. 1:5) toward our calling.