In the Special Ways of God's Providence in our Lives, We Must See a Call to Repentance and Correction
September 22
(From the Words of Saint John the Merciful about Saint Peter the Tax Collector)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
September 22
(From the Words of Saint John the Merciful about Saint Peter the Tax Collector)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
It happens, brethren, that we are guilty of many deeds for which, it would seem, we should pay dearly in this life, both before God and before men. Sometimes a person has sinned and thinks that inevitable disaster awaits him for his sin and that the consequences of his sin must be terrible for him. Meanwhile, you see, everything somehow passes without a hitch, and there are no dire consequences. And this happens not once or twice, but, one might say, a thousand times in our lives. What is this, if not an act of God's special mercy and indulgence toward us sinners, so as to turn us to repentance and the correction of our lives? But is this how we view it? Do we care for the riches of God's goodness, meekness, and longsuffering? Do we strive to grasp the fact that they lead us to repentance (Rom. 2:4)? Alas, brethren, in reality it turns out quite differently! Having been delivered from misfortune for one sin, we begin to think that God is merciful, that another sin will pass just as unpunished, and a third, and so on — and so we continue to sin. Wise people, however, act differently: seeing God's special indulgence and mercy toward them, they immediately repent and begin to correct their lives. Let us learn from one of them in this regard.
In the land of Phrygia lived a man named Peter the Tax Collector, unmerciful and cruel. One of the beggars in the town where he lived, while discussing Peter's cruelty with his companions, began boasting, as if it were a heroic deed, that he would beg alms from him. An argument ensued, and the beggar offered to prove the truth of his words with action. He stood outside Peter's house, and when Peter led a donkey laden with bread out of the gate, the beggar persistently begged him for alms. Peter, who knew no compassion, became enraged by the beggar's pestering and, unable to find the stone he wanted to throw at him, instead seized one of the loaves of bread and threw it at the beggar. The beggar, taking the bread, departed. Two days later, Peter fell gravely ill, and during his illness, he had a vision: he saw himself standing before God's judgment seat and heard angels, judging his deeds, say that the only good deed he could count was the bread he had given, albeit unwillingly, to a beggar. Then the angels turned to him and said, "Go, Peter, and add to this bread. Otherwise, the demons will take you, and you will not escape eternal torment." The vision so astonished Peter that he completely changed his life. Recovering from his illness, he immediately distributed all his possessions to the poor, freed his slaves, and finally sold himself into slavery. Living with a pious man, he tormented his body for a long time with hard labor and other privations, and for his piety, even during his lifetime, he was granted the gift of miracles. One day, some travelers who had previously known Peter came to his master and began praising the virtues for which he had recently distinguished himself. Unable to tolerate human glory, Peter resolved to withdraw from the world altogether and immediately carried out his intention. Approaching the deaf-mute gatekeeper, he commanded him in the name of God to open the gates. The deaf-mute immediately began to speak and, having fulfilled Peter's command, came to his master and said, "A great servant of God has left us! For when your servant Peter said to me, 'In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, open the gates,' I saw a flame proceed from his mouth, which touched my ears and tongue, and I immediately felt that I could hear and speak." Peter's former master and his guests then hastily left the house and began to search for him, but not finding him, they returned home and glorified God, who glorifies His saints.
Be attentive, brethren, to the ways of God's Providence in your lives and do not abuse God's mercy and condescension from now on. Otherwise, it will be bad for us when the day of God's wrath and righteous judgment is revealed and He repays us according to our deeds (Rom. 2:5-6). Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
