Homily Two on the Third Sunday of Luke
(20th Sunday After Pentecost)
By St. John of Kronstadt
(20th Sunday After Pentecost)
By St. John of Kronstadt
“The Lord said, ‘Young man, I say to you, arise.’ And the dead man sat up and began to speak” (Luke 7:14–15).
In today's Gospel, we see our Lord Jesus Christ in His Divine majesty, raising with a word a dead man being carried to burial. This took place at the entry of the Lord and His disciples with a great multitude into the city of Nain. They were carrying out the dead man, the only son of his mother, who was a widow; and a large crowd was traveling with her. "When the Lord saw her, He was moved with compassion for her and said to her, 'Weep not.' And He came and touched the bier. And those who bore Him stood still; and He said, 'Young man, I say to you, arise!' And the dead man sat up and began to speak. Jesus then gave him back to his mother. And fear came upon them all, and they glorified God, saying, 'A great prophet has arisen among us, and God has visited His people'" (Luke 7:11-16).
In what simplicity and accessibility, and at the same time in what Divinity majesty, we see the Lord Jesus Christ here! What meekness and humility! The Almighty Creator of the world and King of all ages walks in the form of a man, surrounded by His disciples and pressed by vast crowds of people, speaking of the Kingdom of God, healing various illnesses, and performing countless miracles. Inaccessible to angels, He became, through His love for mankind, accessible to all. At a single word from Him, even at the touch of His garment, the sick are healed; at a single word from Him, the dead are raised; all His deeds and words reveal Him to be the Almighty God and Creator of all creation. Only some people, blinded by pride, malice, and envy, refuse to recognize Him as the Creator and Redeemer of mankind.
But I hear many Christians sometimes say: Ah! How we would like to see the Lord, to touch Him, to hear Him, to receive healing from Him! But we, they say, are deprived of His sight! He does not now perform among us the miracles He performed then! To this I will answer them and I will say to you: be at peace. The Lord is now with us and works great miracles, although not in the visible form as with the Apostles, but in another — in the form of His Most Pure Body and Blood, or in the mystical bread and wine, also in His holy icons and the holy cross, or invisibly through prayer and faith. However, the Lord Himself blesses those who have not seen Him and yet have believed (John 20:29). Truly, what a wondrous miracle! In the Mystery of Communion, the Lord is essentially and personally present in His entirety, both in His divinity and humanity, and continually works wondrous miracles with all who truly partake: He resurrects souls deadened by sin, creates peace in souls, heals, cleanses, and sanctifies souls and bodies. It consoles, strengthens, renews, and generally brings about wondrous changes in a person, not dreamily, not illusorily, but truly, really, tangibly! What blessedness for those who believe in the Lord!
Sons of men! Why do you die spiritually from sins, when the Source of life is so close to you? Why do we languish in sins? Behold, each of us, like that mother mentioned in the Gospel, of whom we have just heard — we, I say, are like an only child — our soul, which perishes in sins, whether in drunkenness and foul language, or in unbelief, frivolity and vanity, or in anger, envy, hostility, or in covetousness and extravagance, in sloth or in a dissolute life. Why then should we die? Behold, our Lord and Savior Himself is always with us. And here, and in every temple, flows an abundant, pure, and bright source of living water, His life-giving word and the source of eternal life, His most pure blood, sanctified on His holy and terrible throne: "here is the bread which comes down from heaven, and gives life unto the world" (John 6:38). Here you hear daily the sweetest voice of your Lord, calling you to the Secret Supper. The exclamations at the Liturgy are: "Take, eat, this is My Body;" and "Drink from it, all of you: this is My blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:26-28). Eat, drink from the source of immortality; live and do not die, that is, spiritually.
"Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light" (Eph. 5:14). Hasten immediately, beloved brother and sister, to repentance — to inner, secret repentance before God, and in due time to open repentance before the liturgist of the altar, and you will be resurrected in soul. The Holy Angels mourn for us, the Church of God grieves for you, that your precious souls, created in the image and likeness of God, redeemed by the blood of the Son of God, are perishing and becoming the devil's prey, and you care not. Rise, turn to God, and you will be saved. His fatherly embrace is always open to you. Remember the Savior's parable of the Prodigal Son. So, I repeat, awake, sleeping sinner, through repentance, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light and revive you. Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
