By Fr. George Dorbarakis
The life of Saint Cornelius is admirable, who belongs to those people who, one might say, are chosen by the Lord from the womb. It is no coincidence that the hymnographer of our Church characterizes him as “the bright dawn of the sun,” “a great river watering the entire face of the earth,” “a shining star,” and does not hesitate to consider him an equal of the Holy Apostles, because he received the same Holy Spirit as they did. “For you were seen as equal in status to the Holy Disciples, having been chosen by the Holy Spirit, like them.” The unique, among other things, element of Saint Cornelius, which the hymnographer repeatedly emphasizes, is that he “became the beginning of nations,” that is, he was the first to convert from the pagans and be baptized and receive the grace of the Holy Spirit like the mouthpieces of God Holy Apostles.
One must insist on this last point. For in Saint Cornelius we see how God acts on those who are well-intentioned people, wherever they are and whatever religion they may have. Cornelius was not a Christian. But God was watching over him, His good Providence was watching over him, His grace was guiding him, so much so that, as we have seen, an angel of the Lord appeared to him to direct him in the further course of his life. What is the reason for this favor of the Lord to the still “idolater” Cornelius? His good intention, his good disposition, even with elements of error and egoism, which was manifested in the prayers he addressed to the God unknown to him, and in his many alms. And this is a certainty, because it is not reported by a human word perhaps imagining the attitude of God, but by the word of God itself. The incident of the conversion of Saint Cornelius and what preceded it is recorded in the book of the Acts of the Apostles by the evangelist Luke. There we have God’s revelation to the Apostle Peter, who hears from God Himself that the prayers and alms of Cornelius ascended to Him as fragrant incense. God, then, as the Apostle Peter will understand from this incident and will later testify as his shocking testimony at the Apostolic Synod (48/49 AD), is not a respecter of persons. He always looks at the heart of man and not at his titles or his origin. Where there is a good disposition, a well-intentioned mind, there He truly offers His grace abundantly.
Thus, with the case of Saint Cornelius, and not only him of course, an answer is given to how God acts towards people who are not Christians. We Christians often rush to “condemn” the believers of other religions. We emphasize that salvation is only for us. And of course this is correct, because according to the Lord: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” Outside the Church as a place of membership in the holy Body of Christ, it is not easy for man to be saved. However, God does not abandon people, His creatures, anywhere on earth. For God, all people are His children and He loves them equally. Thus He oversees Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, and everyone, as well as atheists. But what does He do, as we are taught by Saint Cornelius? He calls every well-intentioned person in the way that He judges. However, He calls him not to “establish” a direct relationship with Him, but to join His holy Church. Cornelius is guided by God through the angel to meet the Apostle Peter, so that he can be baptized and become a member of Christ, a member of the Church. All well-disposed people in the world are therefore in the special grace of God, which acts on them in an external, so to speak, way, which directs their steps in the Church, so that there, this grace becomes an internal matter of their heart. In other words, man can only see the face of God in Christ, and if he has a good disposition, manifested in his good relationship with people, whatever it may be, he will indeed ultimately see it.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
