Homily on the Sunday Before Theophany
By Archimandrite John Maslov
By Archimandrite John Maslov
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!
The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight" (Mark 1:3). These words of Holy Scripture speak of how the great Prophet and Baptist of the Lord prepared the people to receive Christ the Savior. This great chosen one of God was destined to prepare the way for the Only Begotten Son of God, coming into the world, to dispose and prepare people to accept Jesus Christ through his preaching of repentance. He invited all who came to him in the desert to repent of their sins and to change their way of life. And the Savior Himself, upon entering upon His public ministry to the human race, first addressed the people with a word of repentance. "Repent," He cried, "and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15).
The repentance preached by Saint John the Baptist in the desert and demanded of people by the Savior Himself refers not only to the temporary confession of sins, but to repentance as a virtue, as a constant disposition, a constant effort to acknowledge one's sinfulness, to purify one's heart through contrition and the pursuit of virtue. We must view repentance as our essential duty, which must be a constant and unceasing struggle throughout our earthly life. No one can avoid sin. Such is the lot of fallen man. Saint John the Theologian speaks of this: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). The Apostle Paul said of himself that he was "the chief of sinners" (1 Tim. 1:15) and "accursed" (Rom. 7:24). As for us, it is difficult to express how great and how heavy is the burden of our sins.
We sin every day, every hour, in our thoughts, words, and deeds. Sin pursues us on every path in our lives, accompanying us in every field of our activity. Some of us fearlessly continue to indulge in sin and linger in it, which can lead us to complete spiritual deadness.
A person cannot be completely sinless, but they must cleanse themselves of their sins through sincere repentance and contrition. If a person has fallen into any sin, they must immediately rise from their fall, that is, mobilize all their spiritual strength and, with the help of God's grace, engage in the struggle against sin, which requires great effort. Anyone who desires to fight the good fight, who values salvation, cannot help but consider repentance their duty as a constant struggle. We also often sin because we have a very strong inclination to sin, inherited from our ancestors. This inclination to sin, in all its forms, is called in the word of God "the old man." Our old man is so firmly and deeply rooted within us that we cannot free ourselves from it, uproot it, and mortify it within ourselves. Only our Lord Jesus Christ, coming to earth, showed us all the means and granted us all the powers by which we could free ourselves from the old man, mortify it within ourselves, and clothe ourselves in the new man — that is, adorn our souls with faith, truth, love, and other virtues. After this, the struggle with the old man and victory over it became entirely possible. And the first weapon against the old man is repentance. If we are alien to this saving mystery, if, while committing sins, we do not repent of them, then the old man grows stronger and stronger within us, dominating our entire being, subjugating our mind, heart, and will. Then the saving coming of Jesus Christ to earth will remain fruitless for us. Moreover, we may be deprived of eternal blessedness in the Kingdom of the Heavenly Father.
In His teaching, our Lord Jesus Christ unites the duty of faith with the duty of repentance. "Repent," He calls to us, "and believe the gospel." To receive eternal life, repentance alone is not enough; we also need faith in the One who possesses life and blessedness within Himself. Faith is the greatest spiritual power granted to us by the Lord. It invests us with the merits of Jesus Christ, unites us with Him, and justifies us. Those of us who possess true and strong faith successfully ascend higher and higher on the ladder of Christian virtues. But all these fruits flow from faith only when it is preceded and united with repentance as a spiritual endeavor. Without repentance, there is no proper soil for faith in our souls. Without it, its wondrous effects upon us are unimaginable. Only repentance, which consists of a deep awareness of our sins, heartfelt contrition for them, and a commitment to avoiding them, allows the seeds of faith to take root in our souls, to grow, and to be fragrant with virtues. If we are estranged from the spirit of repentance, then sins multiply, intensify within us, and choke the seeds of faith, just as weeds choke the wheat in a field.
The constant struggle of repentance is so necessary for us. We must constantly watch ourselves, our thoughts, actions, and desires, and by all means avoid anything that offends God and removes Him from our hearts. Our self-love usually whispers to us that we are no worse than others, and tries in various ways to excuse and justify our sinful deeds. Under the influence of self-love, some people, if they notice any good inclinations in themselves, consider themselves pious and virtuous, although various lusts and passions are hidden and active in their souls. For all these reasons, many Christians completely forget about the struggle of repentance.
We, brothers and sisters, must remember that God, being omnipresent, is always with us, looks upon us, sees all our thoughts and deeds, and that He will one day judge us at the Last Judgment, where all our thoughts and deeds will be revealed, for which we will have to give an account. And, as Holy Scripture says, some will go to eternal life, while others will go to eternal torment (Matthew 25:46).
Let us strive, brothers and sisters, to avoid sin in every way, to fight it, and if we do fall under its influence, let us not despair, but rather hasten to rise from our fall and offer true repentance before the priest. And this sincere repentance will help restore peace, tranquility, and unity with God to our souls. Amen.
Source: Almanac "Glinskie Readings" January-June 2009. Translation by John Sanidopoulos.