Homily Two for the Twelfth Sunday of Matthew (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Two for the Twelfth Sunday of Matthew
(12th Sunday of Pentecost)

By St. John of Kronstadt

In today’s Gospel, our Lord Jesus Christ addresses an important question put to Him by a rich young man: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” The Lord directs him to the commandments given by God to mankind through Moses, specifically to the commandments concerning love of one’s neighbor, passing over the commandments concerning the Lord God Himself, undoubtedly because love for one’s neighbor is also the foundation of love for God, and without love for one’s neighbor it is impossible to love God. “For he who does not love his brother whom he sees, how can he love God whom he does not see?” (1 John 4:20), says the Holy Apostle John the Theologian. Thus the Lord says to the rich young man: “If you want to enter into eternal life, keep the commandments,” namely: “Do not kill; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; honor your father and mother; and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Yes, the Lord resolves an important question for us in today’s Gospel: the question of how, and by what paths, we may attain eternal life. There is nothing more certain than death: we will all die, and our bodies will return to dust, to the earth from which they were originally created, while our immortal souls, created in the image and likeness of God, will be taken up to God for judgment. For “it is appointed for men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27), says the Apostle — the particular judgment of the soul of each person departing from this life. At this judgment a person’s fate is determined until the final universal judgment of the whole world following the resurrection of all the dead. Therefore, in view of the inevitability of bodily death for each one of us, it is exceedingly important and necessary for every one of us to resolve satisfactorily the question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

April: Day 12: Venerable Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto

April: Day 12:
Venerable Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto
 
(God Exposes and Shames Unrighteous Covetous People)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Venerable Isaac, whose memory is celebrated today, was a native of Syria, but led an ascetic life in Italy, near the city of Spoleto. Here he first built a small cell for himself, but soon many disciples gathered around him, wishing to be saved under his guidance in the monastic life. Thus a monastery was established, where the brethren combined prayerful feats with physical labor, cultivating the land in the vineyard they had planted.

The Venerable One especially tried to instill in the brethren non-acquisitiveness and diligence, forbidding them to enjoy the fruits of others' labor. He said: "I know a brother who, when he was reaping in the field and wanted to eat an ear of wheat, asked the owner: 'Will you allow me to eat an ear of wheat?' Thus the brother was careful about unrighteous acquisition, which usually begins small and imperceptibly leads a person to great evil."