Homily on the Sunday Before Theophany*
By Righteous Alexei Mechev
(Delivered on January 4, 1914)
By Righteous Alexei Mechev
(Delivered on January 4, 1914)
“John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (Mark 1:4).
All of you, dear ones, undoubtedly reverently revere John, the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord. But have you truly delved into his preaching, which once moved the entire land of Judea to the banks of the Jordan and prepared the people to receive the Savior? He is a great teacher of repentance not only for his time, but for all times. His words have great power to humble hearts and dispose them to accept saving grace. "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:2) – this is the beginning of the Forerunner's preaching.
The Kingdom of God is near us all, but it depends on our own will for it to come to us, for it to truly come into our lives. The first condition for accepting the grace of salvation is repentance. Laying aside pride, forgetting all worldly honors and privileges, each of us must acknowledge that we have gravely sinned before God, that unless the Lord extends a helping hand, as He once did to Peter when he was drowning, we will perish in the abyss of sin. With this awareness, we must direct all our hearts to Him, the only Intercessor for our salvation, with the hope of mercy and deliverance.
"For the axe is already laid to the root of the tree. Every tree therefore that brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire" (Matthew 3:10). These words are terrible: ah, if only we would remember them more often! Remember, every man, that the axe of God's wrath lies at the root of your life... One word, one wave of the Master — and life shall be smitten with the scythe of death. And then it is all over: after death there is no repentance! An impassable abyss will be established between the saved and the lost, and whole centuries of useless repentance and excruciating suffering will ensue for those who refused to humble themselves and repent in time.
"His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:12). Now the Lord tolerates both the wicked and the good, and will continue to do so until the Second Coming. But then He will cleanse His Kingdom of all wickedness. No impurity will be tolerated. Only those blessed by the Father will remain in His Kingdom, while those who did not heed the voice of grace calling them to salvation, but rather wasted their lives in vanity, in service to the passions, will be cast into the terrible fire of Gehenna.
But repentance, according to the great teacher, must consist of more than just words and sighs. "Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of repentance" (Matthew 3:8). Sincerely, with all your heart, desire to abandon those iniquities that your conscience has recognized. Without a doubt, it is difficult to abandon bad habits: passions entangle the soul of those who are given to them, as if in a net. But make an effort, work hard, and compel yourself to deeds of goodness and truth.
Every task requires labor; can such a great blessing as the salvation of our soul be acquired without effort? "From the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force" (Matthew 11:12), said our Savior. Everyone can show the Lord the correction of their life within the limits of the rank to which Providence has placed them. The Baptist does not condemn the office of publicans, which was despised by the Jews, but demands only that they not take more than is due (Luke 3:12-13). He admonishes soldiers not to offend anyone, not to slander, and to be content with their pay (Luke 3:14). In any social rank, a Christian, by honestly fulfilling his duties, can attract God's blessing and save his soul. But there are deeds accessible to every rank that are especially valuable in the eyes of God's Truth: these are deeds of mercy. “He who has two coats,” says the Baptist, “let him give to him who has none, and he who has food, let him do the same” (Luke 3:11).
Dear ones! We have recently entered the gates of a new year. In these moments, which we greet with such trepidation, hasn't our conscience told us: we need to renew our souls, we need to leave behind or change so much in our lives thus far?
May the preaching of the Forerunner, through which the Kingdom of saving grace was revealed on earth, touch our hearts! Amen.
Notes:
* Published from the "Typescript" from the archive of E. V. Apushkina. First published by Father Alexei Mechev.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.