Homily on the Eleventh Sunday of Pentecost*
By Righteous Alexei Mechev
(Delivered on August 10, 1914)
By Righteous Alexei Mechev
(Delivered on August 10, 1914)
One slave owed the king 10 thousand talents (about 26 million rubles). The king forgave the slave this debt. But the slave turned out to be extremely angry and ungrateful: one of his companions owed him a hundred denarii (21 rubles 50 kopecks), and he did not want to forgive him or wait for the debt to be paid, and for this he was forever imprisoned.
Friends! The Heavenly Father acts with us, sinners, in the same way as this generous and merciful King. But we often, like this evil slave, do not want to forgive anything to our neighbor, and for that we will be severely punished.
Forgiving others for their guilt is necessary for our salvation. After all, we are all sinners without exception. Each of us has offended God many thousands of times. We are consoled by the paternal indulgence and mercy of God and hope for forgiveness. And it is truly given to us. God Himself offers it to us. But He set conditions, and if we do not fulfill these conditions, then, despite God's mercy, we die in sin.
What are these conditions? First, faith in Jesus Christ. Christ suffered for us, died for our sins, tore up the handwriting of our sins. Every sin had to be punished, the punishment for sin, which we, despite all repentance, could not avoid, but Christ bore on Himself. We must believe this, and only with such faith can we hope for the remission of sins.
Secondly, repentance. If people do not feel deep and sincere repentance, if disgust for sin does not lead them to firm determination, if in confession they do not humble themselves and do not reveal their sins, then they die in their sins.
Finally, the third condition. It is forgiveness, an apology. The current reading of the Gospel clearly states that God forgives only those who, in turn, forgive their offenders. By not forgiving our offenders their transgressions, we, despite our faith and repentance, die in sin. Just as one cannot reap without sowing, one cannot receive forgiveness from God without forgiving others.
There was once a nobleman in Alexandria who, despite all the exhortations of God's servant Saint John the Merciful, refused to even consider reconciliation with his enemy. Once, the Saint invited him to his private church for the Divine Liturgy. The nobleman attended. There were no worshippers in the church, the Patriarch himself was serving, and in the choir, there was only one singer, whom the nobleman began to assist in singing. When they began to sing the Lord's Prayer "Our Father," the Saint also sang it, but at the words: "Give us this day our daily bread," Saint John suddenly fell silent and halted the singer, so that the nobleman alone sang the words of the prayer "and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." At this moment, the Saint turned to the unyielding nobleman and, with gentle reproach, said: "Look, my son, at what a dreadful hour you speak to God: 'forgive me, as I forgive.' Are you telling the truth? Do you forgive?" These words struck the nobleman so profoundly that he, in tears, threw himself at the feet of the Archshepherd and exclaimed: "Whatever you command, O Lord, your servant will fulfill it all." And he did: that very day he reconciled with his enemy and wholeheartedly forgave him all offenses ("Life of John the Merciful").
Friends! A good gardener not only pulls out the weeds, but pulls them out "by the roots." Let us also pull out hatred and enmity by the roots, and not only forgive our neighbors, but also forget the offenses.
Notes:
* Published for the first time from the “Speech Plans” from the archive of E. V. Apushkina.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
