The Word of the Savior Has a Gracious and Powerful Effect on the Human Heart
October 14*
(Sermon on the Two Monks Who Saved the Harlot)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
October 14*
(Sermon on the Two Monks Who Saved the Harlot)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
The Lord said, "It is the Spirit who gives life... The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63). What do these words of the Savior mean? By them He points to the gracious, extraordinary, and powerful effect of His word on the human heart when these words are heard with humility, reverence, deep attention, and a willingness to follow them. This truth, in our opinion, can best be demonstrated by the examples of sinners who, solely through such listening to the word of Christ, turned to Christ, abandoned their sinful lives, became righteous from sinners, and now rejoice there — in the mansions of the Heavenly Father. Let us therefore turn to the matter itself for proof.
Two monks once journeyed from the desert to the city of Tarsus and stopped for the night at an inn. There they encountered a woman, a great sinner, and upon seeing her, they awkwardly sat down. Then one of them took a Gospel from his travel bag and began to read. The sinner, hearing the reading, approached the reader, sat down beside him, and began to listen attentively. However, after a while, the reader pushed her away and said angrily, "What could be worse than this, shameless sinner, that you were not ashamed to come here and sit near us?" But the monk was too late with his reproach. Before him, as will be shown later, was no longer an unrepentant great sinner, but a woman who had sincerely repented and wholeheartedly turned to Christ. And she had been transformed into such by nothing less than, perhaps for the briefest moment, her humility and reverence for the divine word of Christ the Savior! And to the monk's reproach, she replied, "Do not disdain me, Father, for although I am a great sinner, I believe that the Lord God of all will not reject me, just as He did not reject the harlot who came to Him." "But she did not return to sin from Christ," the monk said. "And I will not return to sin," the woman replied. "And you can guide me to repentance." Then both monks said, "We will guide you, if you listen to us." After this, the woman abandoned everything and followed the elders. They brought her to a convent and tonsured her as a nun. And then, the story concludes, the woman remained in repentance until old age and acquired great wisdom.
Therefore, brethren, we rightly said that the word of Christ the Savior truly exerts a gracious, extraordinary, and powerful effect on the human heart when these words are heard with humility, reverence, deep attention, and a willingness to follow them. And, as you see, we also rightly said that this truth can best be demonstrated by the examples of sinners who, solely through such listening to the word of God, turned to Christ, abandoned their sinful lives, became righteous from sinners, and now rejoice there, in the abodes of the Heavenly Father. But if all this is so, then, in order that the word of the Savior may have the same effect on us, let us also approach the reading of these words with the aforementioned feelings and disposition. Let us read or listen to the words of the Lord with reverence; Let us, when reading or listening to them, nourish sincere humility in our souls and read or listen to them with a true desire to receive from them instruction in faith and encouragement to a pious and virtuous life. Finally, with gratitude to our Redeemer, let us accept them for our edification, correction of life, and salvation. Then, beyond all doubt, we too will sense the beneficial and powerful effect of the Lord's words on our hearts and through them, the Spirit who gives life will dwell within us (John 6:63). Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
Notes:
* In the original text, there is no entry for October 14th. There this is the first entry for September 14th.
