October: Day 1: Teaching 4: Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos

October: Day 1: Teaching 4:
Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos
 
(On the necessity of protecting those in need of our help.)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Several centuries ago, on this very day, Blessed Andrew, brethren, was granted a wondrous and at the same time consoling vision. When he was in the Blachernae Church of the Most Holy Theotokos in Constantinople, together with the other inhabitants of Constantinople imploring the Lord to avert the calamity from the Greek capital, which at that time was threatened with an invasion by the terrible Saracens, it appeared to him that the vault of the church was opened, and he saw in the air the Mother of God with a host of Angels, Prophets, Apostles, and other heavenly beings. The Most Holy Virgin knelt in prayer before God and covered the Christian world with Her honorable omophorion. Seeing this, Blessed Andrew said to his disciple Epiphanios: “Do you see, brother, the Queen and Lady of all, praying for the whole world?” “I see Her,” Epiphanios replied, “and I am filled with awe.” This vision was accompanied by the deliverance of Constantinople and all of Greece from the invasion of the barbarians; therefore, the Holy Church established that it be celebrated annually on this day, for the remembrance and edification of the faithful.

II. And we, following the example of the Mother of God, must do all we can to protect those in need of our help; we must help the poor, the orphans, and other unfortunate people.

a) All of us—rich and poor, strong and weak, famous and unknown, wise and foolish—constitute one great family. Who are we by nature? Descendants of one Adam. Who are we by grace? Children of one heavenly Father. Who are we according to our ultimate destiny? Co-heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven. I will say more: we not only constitute one family, but we are members of one body, both the civic body, the state, and the spiritual body, the Church of Christ, which has one “head,” Christ, “and we all” are “members,” as the Apostle says (Ephesians 5:23, 30). See what a close bond, what kinship exists among us! Therefore, judge for yourselves: ought we not earnestly to help one another, and especially those poor and unfortunate brothers of ours who have a great need of our help? Obviously, we ought! Just as in an ordinary body all the members sympathize with and help one another, so we must have compassion for one another and mutually assist one another in our needs. Just as in an ordinary family the older, healthy brothers and sisters watch over the younger and weaker ones, so we must care for our lesser brothers in Christ—the poor and unfortunate. If we do not do this, then by this we will clearly show that we are bad brothers and poor Christians.

b) We should be all the more willing to help those in need of our assistance because, by providing them with the necessary aid, we, through the close bond that exists between them and us, do good not only to them, but also to ourselves. And truly, is it not beneficial to us if these unfortunate people, who now live as a burden and some even to the detriment of our society, and who perhaps will perish without our help—is it not beneficial to us if, through our assistance, they become good citizens and contribute as much as they can to the common good and at the same time to our own good? Is it not beneficial to us if, in return for the good done to them, they thank us, serve us in return, and begin to call down God's blessing upon us?

But it is not only the civic and spiritual union that exists among us, nor only our common and personal temporal good, that urges us to help those in need of our assistance. There are also other—and more important—motives for this.

c) Why has God, our common heavenly Father, not bestowed His gifts upon all of us in equal measure? Why has He given more to some and less to others? So that the former might share with the latter the abundance of the blessings bestowed upon them, and that all might mutually help one another according to their means and abilities. This is evident from various passages of the word of God. Thus, for example, the Apostle says that rulers of peoples are invested by God with authority “for our good,” so that they may restrain us from evil deeds, encourage us to good activity, and protect us from evil people (Romans 13:3–4; 1 Peter 2:13–14). The same Apostle teaches elsewhere that the rich should not keep their wealth for themselves alone, but should use it to assist the poor and for other good works (1 Timothy 6:17–18). Elsewhere he exhorts the strong and wise to help the weak and those of little understanding, to admonish the disorderly, comfort the fainthearted, and support the weak (Romans 15:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:14). Indeed, he commands all of us: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).

From this you see, brethren, that providing the necessary help to those who need it is our sacred duty; this is the will of God, the law of Christ.

d) And so that we may fulfill this sacred duty more zealously, the Lord promises a great reward for fulfilling it and severe punishment for neglecting it. Who are those blessed ones whom the Lord will call blessed at His universal judgment and admit into the Kingdom of Heaven? They are the good and compassionate people who assist the poor and unfortunate; they are those who feed the hungry and thirsty, receive strangers into their homes, clothe the naked, visit the sick, and comfort those imprisoned in dungeons. And who are those unfortunate people whom the Lord will drive away from His presence and cast into the eternal fire prepared for the devil? They are hard-hearted people who have no compassion for those suffering and refuse them the help they need. “These shall go away into everlasting punishment,” says the Savior (Matthew 25:34–46). Behold what a terrible consequence our lack of compassion toward poor brothers who need our help will have.

e) However, even if there were neither a reward for doing good to the poor nor punishment for indifference toward them, nor any other motives for providing them with the necessary help, even in that case we should have compassion on them and do good to them because our heavenly Father Himself has mercy on us and cares for us. He “makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.” And, more importantly still, for our salvation He did not spare His Only-Begotten Son, but “delivered Him up for us,” “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16; Romans 8:32). What, then? Should we not imitate such love and beneficence of His? Should we not, in gratitude for them, ourselves do good to poor people, the lesser brothers of Christ? We certainly should! The Savior Himself also impresses this upon us, saying: “Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful” (Luke 6:36).

If, then, someone does not have compassion on the unfortunate and refuses them the help they need, he is not only unworthy of the love of God and grievously sins before the Lord, but also is falsely called a Christian and a human being. “He who sows sparingly,” says the Apostle, “will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” “Do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (2 Corinthians 9:6; Hebrews 13:16). If someone “has this world’s goods,” says another Apostle, “and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart” against him, “how does the love of God abide in him?”—“Judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not shown mercy” (1 John 3:17; James 2:13).

III. And You, O Mother of God, “unashamed intercessor of Christians, unfailing advocate before the Creator,” pray to the Lord, the all-good and merciful One, that He may strengthen in us mutual love and compassion for our poor brothers, so that we may be true followers of His not in name only, but also in our deeds, and that we may one day be deemed worthy to enter “the eternal dwellings” prepared in heaven for those who do good (Luke 16:1–9). Amen.

(Compiled from the “Words and Conversations” of Platon, Metropolitan of Kiev.)

 

Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.