Homily Two on the Eighth Sunday of Luke (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Two on the Eighth Sunday of Luke  
(25th Sunday After Pentecost)

On the Good Samaritan
Luke 10:25–37

By St. John of Kronstadt

Beloved brethren, in today's Gospel (Luke 10:25–37), we heard about the means and the path by which we must attain eternal life. What are these means? What is this path? Let us hear about them from the Gospel, from the lips of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who calls Himself the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. The Evangelist Luke relates the following: “And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, ‘Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? How do you read it?’ He answered and said, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your understanding; and your neighbor as yourself.’” And here is the Lord's answer: “Jesus said to him, ‘You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live,’” that is, eternally. Thus, in order to inherit eternal life, one must love God with all one's heart and all one's soul, and then one's neighbor as oneself. These are the means; this is the path by which eternal life is attained.

But when it comes to loving one's neighbor as oneself, our deceitful flesh, in which “nothing good dwells” (Romans 7:18), arbitrarily wishes to restrict the circle of those whom we regard as our neighbors and the love we show them. Specifically, it wants us to love only those who love us, only our own people, only friends and acquaintances who are favorably disposed toward us. Those who hate us, our enemies, strangers, unknown people, and those who are unfavorably disposed toward us are often not even regarded as neighbors. We do not want to do good to them, and sometimes we breathe hatred and vengeance toward them. Or we want to love only those who prosper and are healthy and handsome, while turning away from the unfortunate, the poor, the sick, the disabled, and those who are unattractive.

But what does heavenly truth and the one Teacher of truth, Jesus Christ, say? He says that we must love every human being, regardless of differences in faith or religious confession, nationality, or origin; regardless of differences in circumstances, whether a person is rich or poor, healthy or sick, handsome or unattractive. And to illustrate this, He told the story, or parable, of a man who fell among robbers. The unfortunate man whom the Samaritan showed mercy to—the man who had been beaten by the robbers—was neither of the same nation nor of the same faith as the Samaritan; he was neither an acquaintance, nor a relative, nor a friend. Nevertheless, the Samaritan was moved by his misfortune and gave him the most practical assistance simply because he was a human being like himself, and a human being who had fallen into misfortune. Meanwhile, the priest and the Levite, servants of the God of mercy and generosity, gave him no assistance whatsoever, despite the fact that Moses had prescribed in the Law that they should even help lift up another person's donkey or ox that had fallen beneath its load (Deuteronomy 22:4).

Thus, the Lord presents the merciful Samaritan as an example for us all and says: “Go, and you do likewise,” that is, show mercy, as far as you are able, to everyone who truly needs it, without regard to who the person is.

And I ask you, on behalf of the Lord God, beloved brothers and sisters: Are you zealous in fulfilling the commandment of our Lord Jesus Christ concerning mercy toward your neighbor? Have many of you perhaps forgotten this commandment? But who among you would forget or refuse to receive, daily and without ceasing, mercies from the hand of the Lord? Surely you wish the Lord to be merciful to you, not to turn His face away from you or take His Holy Spirit, who gives life, from you. Therefore, do not turn your own face away from anyone in need of help, whether that person is sick, poor and needy, sorrowful and in need of consolation, or generally in difficult circumstances; whether that person needs instruction, correction, moral support, or your patience, forbearance, forgiveness, or protection. Show mercy to your neighbors in various ways, because we are all children of one heavenly Father and must live in brotherly love, “bearing one another's burdens” (Galatians 6:2).

What brother would abandon his own sister when he sees her sick or in need of daily food or clothing, and fail to help her if he is able to do so? And show mercy also because we are “members of one body,” which is called the Church, members of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. When one member of the body suffers, all suffer with it; when one member rejoices, all share in that joy (see 1 Corinthians 12:26). Show mercy for this reason as well: because “only the merciful will be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:7) at the terrible Judgment, whereas for those who have shown no mercy, judgment will be without mercy (James 2:13).

Cast off luxury, my brethren! Love Christian moderation and simplicity in everything, so that you may have something with which to help those in need. Cast off greed, which trembles over God's gifts and steals the property of others. For the abundance we possess has been given to us by the generous God to help the poor, not to satisfy our greed and luxury. Cast these things aside, I say, so that you yourselves may also be at peace, for there is no true peace of soul where God's commandments are being continually transgressed.

There are many poor people in our city. How easy it is for those who wish to provide themselves with oil for the Day of Judgment to do so! Behold, the poor, as though they were sellers, call upon us daily to buy from them the oil that the Master and Judge of our souls requires from us all. If you are wise virgins, prove your wisdom through your actions: buy the oil of mercy. Do not regard what you give to the poor as an empty expense, but believe that these are seeds that will sprout and yield you a hundredfold harvest in the age to come, or even in the present age, for “he who gives to the poor will not lack” (Proverbs 28:27).

But if you are foolish, then abandon your foolishness. Abandon this passion for drunkenness, gluttony, indulgence in delicacies, wastefulness, and the display, elegance, and expense of furnishing your homes—an extravagance that spares no amount of money for the ruin and destruction of the human soul, yet begrudges a few kopecks for the poor. Abandon this passion for expensive clothing, which does not spare tens or hundreds of rubles for the vain adornment of the sinful body, yet begrudges a few kopecks for the poor, regarding as a loss what is in fact a genuine gain, what is truly a sowing.

But am I speaking these words in vain? Will they not be like the sound of a clanging cymbal or the voice of a singer whom you listen to because of his pleasant voice, while taking no care at all to carry out what he sings? Nevertheless, by the grace of God, our city is not among those places where people pay no attention to the word and give no thought to putting it into practice. Here, preachers very often receive the respectful attention of their listeners, although these listeners are more often visitors and ordinary soldiers than the city's native inhabitants, who, even during the Divine Liturgy, give themselves over to worldly concerns and do not come to church to glorify the Lord and receive instruction in the word of God.

May God grant that preachers receive attention, for they preach God's word, not their own. Woe to the city, to the place, where people turn their ears away from the word of God; but blessed is the place whose inhabitants listen to it eagerly. They will not be deprived of any good thing; everything will be added to them by God.

“Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it” (Luke 11:28). And again: “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and do it” (Luke 8:21). That is, blessed are not merely those who hear the word of God, but those who also fulfill it; blessed are not merely those who know the law of God, but those who also put it into practice.

Therefore, strive and make every effort to love the Lord God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Strive to cleave to Him alone with all your heart, as the Source of life and every good thing, and love no one more than Him, and nothing at all more than Him—that is, no material thing—for attachment to material things is idolatry. Indeed, even passionate love for one's own relatives is unrighteous before God, for the Lord says: “Whoever loves father or mother, son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37).

Then strive to love your neighbor as yourself: “Whatever you want people to do to you, do likewise to them. For this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12). Amen.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.