One Thing Needful

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Twenty-Sixth Sunday: the Rich Man.

The Gospel for last Sunday related to us the parable about the Merciful Samaritan and finished with these words: "Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise" (Lk. 10:37). And today’s Gospel — how does it end? "But God said unto him... This night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God" (Lk. 12:20)

Here are two different ways. They both bring us to our last moment — to death. But there is no death, but rather eternal life. This means that these different paths bring us to the mysterious passage, to the meeting with eternity. All of us have to meet this "mysterious something." And this meeting will prove to be the most important moment of our entire life on earth, basically what we have lived for. There aren’t even words in our language to express it; but today’s Gospel and also last Sunday’s Gospel give us some indications of this moment, this meeting. At the end of one way will thunder the terrible word, "Fool!" (Lk. 12:20). At the end of the other way, the Gospel does not even give us the word which we will hear, but says only: "Go, and do thou likewise!" This means, only do the same, act in the same way! And you will receive what no words can express.

What determines these two paths? The entire attitude of our life. And this attitude is expressed in our every step, in every action, in every breath. And how strange! Attitude seems to be something unimportant to people, something incidental. But it is not so in God’s eyes. This attitude is just what defines that great mystery which you and I will meet then, at the moment of departure; and that which will determine our lot for ever.

The Merciful Samaritan lived in love for God and neighbor. And every human being was his neighbor. He was as if living in one great family of the Heavenly Father. For him everyone was a brother or sister, and he was a brother to everyone. And the one who fell among robbers was dear to him — he could not pass him by. He stopped, although he too was probably hurrying on some business, like those who did pass by. He helped him, put him on his donkey, brought him to an inn, and entrusted his further care to the innkeeper. He paid for him, and should the innkeeper spend more, he promised to reimburse him when he returned. From all this, it is not difficult for us to determine the attitude of this man’s life: he loved God with all his heart, with all his soul, with all his strength, with all his mind; and his neighbor as himself (Lk. 10:27).

What was the life attitude of the rich man in today’s Gospel? As a manager he apparently was a good one; and as a man he was sensible and practical. See how he reasoned: "I will pull down my barns, and build greater: and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods" (Lk. 12:18). Listen to what he says: my fruits, my goods, not even mentioning God; and yet the harvest came from God! And further: "I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry" (Lk. 12:19). And where was love for neighbor? There was none. Not even a thought for his neighbor. All care was for himself alone: rest, food, drink, merriment — only for himself. Selfishness -- this was the attitude of his life.

Brothers and sisters, what is the spirit of our life, what is its attitude? I think if we honestly answer this question, then we will see in ourselves some of both. We have in us mercy, but not a little egotism. And if this is so, let us think about these words: "This night thy soul shall be required of thee." Indeed, this is so, this is true. "This night" means for us any night, any day or hour; but it will definitely be taken. And then, what will our soul hear? What the rich man, the egotist, heard, "Fool!" or will we see that light which appeared to the Merciful Samaritan? Yes, this will be a sentence for all eternity, and this sentence depends on the whole attitude of our life, its spirit.

Before it is too late, let us choose this wonderful attitude of the Merciful Samaritan and let us fight our selfishness as our enemy. Let us fight until death. And let us always remember, "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy" (Mt. 5:7).

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Twenty-Seventh Sunday: the Holy Forefathers.

Last week’s Gospel about the rich man who had a good harvest was like the finale to the cycle of the Gospel readings of Pentecost. It portrayed a man who had devoted all his concern to one thing: to the care of his temporary, earthly welfare. In order to keep his good harvest he destroyed the old barns, built new, larger ones, and said: "Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee" (Lk. 12:19-20).

What’s the matter? Why such a sentence? The answer to this question is given in the Gospel reading for this Sunday. It tells how the Lord prepared a feast and invited many people, in other words, everyone. And this rich man was one of those invited to the feast of God. However, he was so preoccupied with his living arrangements that he forgot about this "calling," about the feast to which he was invited. Never did he expect that his "calling" would be fulfilled that night. This is why God said he was a fool.

Today’s parable ends with the words: "For many are called, but few are chosen" (Mt. 22:14). Who are the called ones? Everyone — God calls everyone, everyone without exception. And who are the chosen ones? The chosen ones are those who open their heart to receive the Grace of God. This is the only effort you have to make (and anyone can do it), and you will become a chosen one. To become a chosen one depends on us. We have to choose the Grace of God; and it will accomplish everything.

And so everyone was invited. But then, one after the other, they began refusing: one got married, another bought land, a third one bought oxen. Family, land owning, our social activity — all this is necessary, all this is blessed by God. But only if all of this is on the "Way" which leads to the Feast of the Lord. All reasons which were used by those invited in refusing to come were lawful, and in themselves had nothing sinful in them. But the fact that people converted these ways of life, temporary ways which should be used by us to get to the Feast of the Lord of Eternal Life, converted them into the purpose of life and forgot about the Lord’s Feast — in this is foolishness and sin.

The parable for today is the Lord’s answer to the words of one of the Pharisees who was sitting with Him: "Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God! " (Lk. 14:15). This Pharisee had in mind the Jewish nation as the chosen of God and not our willful effort to love God and our neighbor.

Here Christ answered: No, it is not sufficient to belong to the Jewish nation or to any other nation. Rather, it is necessary to fulfill God’s commandments of love for God and neighbor, and to pray that God help us to live in such a way. Then God will send us His Grace which will bring us to the Lord’s Feast.

From this Sunday of the Holy Forefathers begins a new cycle of preparation for the Birth of Christ. This is the beginning of a new life. From the manger, the light of Christ will shine on us. And in this light will be the warmth of our adoption by God. At the manger we will feel like one family.

It is the same in nature. During the whole winter there was light, but no warmth. But from the moment of Christmas, our earth will turn toward the sun and will begin to experience the life-giving warmth which in the spring will produce greenery, flowers, and fruit. So it is in our spiritual nature. Something wonderful happens every year at the manger of Christ. We all begin to feel like brothers and sisters, children of one Father. And these are not just words, but reality. Love becomes manifest. There is a desire to gladden one another, to help, and to love.

And again this year, from the manger of Christ our new ways will begin: family, monastic, social, domestic, business. But all of them will guide us to one goal — to the Kingdom of God, to communion with God, to the Lord’s Feast.

So let us not forget our dignity, our calling, that we are invited to the Lord’s Feast. And let us spend our temporary life as pilgrims, proceeding on the paths that will bring us to the Heavenly Jerusalem, where there will be "the ceaseless sound of those keeping festival."

And then we will become not only those who are called, but those who are chosen.

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Twenty-Eighth Sunday: the Holy Fathers.

"Adam...where art thou?" (Gen. 3:9). This is the voice of God which resounded in Adam’s conscience after the Fall and tormented him. As long as Adam was in obedience to God — cultivated and kept Paradise, receiving strength for this by eating the fruits of the Tree of Life — he was in ceaseless communion with God. In his heart there was continuous quiet and joy. But after tasting of the forbidden fruits of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the thread of communion with God was broken in Adam’s heart. Sin stood as a wall between God and man.

From this very time began a new history of man’s life on earth. Man now lived under a curse and in the sweat of his face obtained his bread. But in spite of all his labors, he did not obtain a joyful heart. His life went on in sin. This sin was washed away by the Flood, but sin continued to possess man; and the confusion of Babel filled the whole world. But in this darkness, in this inconsolable anguish, we find a man who sought spiritual joy. This is Abraham. To him was given the law of life, and as a promise, the coming to earth of the Savior of the world, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity.

Centuries went by; people impatiently awaited the promised Messiah. People longed to be freed from sin, but without the Tree of Life, the promised Messiah, this was impossible. And finally the fulfillment of times is accomplished. The Savior of the world from sin comes to earth. He fulfills the commandment, given to man, of love for God and neighbor. But above all, He restores that Tree of Life which was in Paradise, which helped Adam to be in communion with God. Here are the words with which the Lord Himself announced this New Testamental communion with God: "He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him" (Jn. 6:56).

Today the holy Church in the Gospel reading lists the names of those men who were the righteous ones and prepared for the appearance of the Savior. We call them the Fathers. By their lives they also give us the hope of receiving that joy of Paradise and peace of heart which Adam possessed in Paradise. And this is why we so reverently and prayerfully ask them today to help us to be partakers of this worldwide joy, the Nativity of Christ.

"Adam...where art thou?" So even now this eternal question resounds in our conscience. Of course, not in a geographical sense: God knows where each of us is. But in relation to Him — to God. O, let us not leave this question unanswered! Let us be able to say: I am here, Lord, at Thy manger, in Thy Church, before Thy Chalice — "I believe, O Lord, and I confess that Thou art truly the Christ, the Son of the Living God, Who came into the world to save sinners.

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The 30th Sunday after Pentecost.

The Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Ephesians says: "unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.... And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:7, 11-13). And the Gospel reading for this Sunday ends with these words: "From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" (Mt. 4:17).

At Christmas we received the gift of adoption; on the Day of the Lord’s Circumcision we received the beginning

of a new year; on the Day of the Lord’s Baptism we were shown the goal of our whole life and were given Grace, helping us to proceed toward this goal: "And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased" (Mt. 3:17). And the Apostle summarizes all this: "unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ... for the edifying of the Body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ/’ The Apostle also shows us where we should search for support and strengthening — in the Church of Christ. "And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets... and some, pastors and teachers."

"This truth," says Bishop Theophan the Recluse, "is known by those who selflessly go the way of the Lord and, without pitying themselves, fight the enemies of salvation. In their pastors they will always find help and good advice, while looking from the outside you wouldn’t even expect it; because they do not come to men, but to the Lord, Who through these men is always ready to guide and advise all those who sincerely and with faith are seeking from Him help for themselves. The final radiant goal ‘is the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.’"

Look here how much we are given. And what is expected from us? Only one effort of our will — Repent! But even in this the Holy Church will help us, starting with the preparatory weeks for Great Lent. Let us be attentive and apply our will.

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The Nativity of Christ.

"Prepare, O Bethlehem ... for the Tree of Life will blossom forth from the Virgin in the cave. Her womb appeared as a spiritual paradise, in which was the divine garden. Eating of it, we will live... Christ shall be born to raise the image that fell of old" (Troparion (hymn) of Preparation for the Nativity of Christ). This is how the Holy Church prepares us for the Feast of the Nativity. Here, brothers and sisters, while we were dashing in cars from one store to another, when we were preparing a feast in our homes, the Holy Church, still in a whisper, was revealing the mystery: "Prepare, O Bethlehem…"

How did Bethlehem prepare? With a cave — with the kind of cave into which cattle were driven. "Prepare, O Bethlehem..." and Bethlehem prepared. What did it prepare for? What was happening there in Bethlehem? In Bethlehem, in a stable for cattle, a great world-wide mystery was being performed. Here, as the Holy Church has told us, in this cave appeared a paradise in which grew the New Testament Tree of Life. Adam had life, because in paradise stood the Tree of Life, the Old Testament one from which he was nourished. And from the strength given in this nourishment, Adam had communion with God. This was an unspeakable joy which Adam lost when the gates of paradise were closed and the Tree of Life was lost. But God the Creator, pitying Adam, granted a prophecy that the Tree of Life would be restored. And this Tree is restored.

As I was saying, the Holy Church whispers, "Prepare, O Bethlehem..." Here our attention is not directed towards whether there will be palaces, whether everything will be flooded with electric lights, or draped in velvet or silk. Bethlehem, the cave, a cow’s manger, the elderly Joseph, and at the same time the shepherds who were carrying out such a sincere watch; they were true Jews who awaited the True Messiah. And for them the heavens opened and in their ears resounded the angelic singing, "Glory to God in the highest, Glory to God, Glory to God in the highest!" (Lk. 2:14). And after them came the true searchers for Truth — the Magi following the Star. They were searching and searching. The Star led them on. They knew from the constellation that something great, something worldwide had happened. They proceeded. And here the Holy Church says to us: Look, who was the cave of Bethlehem calling? The shepherds, truly searching; and the Magi, truly searching.

And so it is with you, brothers and sisters. We are calling you to the Truth. But to what Truth? To what Tree of Life? What kind of Tree grew in the cave in Bethlehem? Christ reveals to us this understanding of the Tree of Life. He says, "I am that bread of life...I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eats of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is My Flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (Jn. 6:48,51).

Don’t you see, Christ is the Tree of Life, that Bread which we eat. And He says here definitely in the sixth chapter of John: "Whoso eateth My Flesh, and drinketh My Blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him at the last day. For My Flesh is food indeed, and My Blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My Flesh, and drinketh My Blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him" (Jn. 6:54-56). This is what kind of Tree.

And this is the kind of Holy Day to which the Church has been calling us, whispering to us during the whole week this Troparion: "Prepare, O Bethlehem, for Eden has been opened for all. Ephratha show thy beauty, because the Tree of Life is coming — is coming to give us Life."

But there is a first step toward this life. I say this every year, otherwise it wouldn’t be so convincing. What is happening in nature? Right now the earth is turning toward the sun and life-giving force is flowing into the earth. And in a little while our earth will begin to show its beauty; there will be flowers, followed by fruits. This happens every year.

So it happens in spiritual life. Just now, when you and I are making the first step toward the cave of Bethlehem, the Holy Church says to us through the Apostle’s reading to the Galatians (Gal. 4:4-5): When the time of Christ’s coming approached, the spirit of adoption (sonship) is poured into our soul. And this happens regardless. The same as in nature: regardless of whether or not the earth wants it, the life-giving force will be poured into it anyway. Only where there are weeds, there will be an offensive odor, decay. But where everything is ready to receive the seed, there will be joy and fragrance.

It is the same with us. Where our soul has prepared itself to receive the cave of Bethlehem, there will be adoption. What does this mean? This means that, inexplicably, as in nature, into our soul will be poured the power of Divine Grace, which will make us sense our nearness to the Creator, as to a Father. In this way, you have, he has, I have — we all have the same feeling toward one Father. In other words, one family is created. Brothers, if such a family is going to exist (and it will exist, it does exist already — such is the will of God), then in this family will be performed this mystery of Christ — the Tree of Life. In this Christian family the Mystical Supper, the Divine Eucharist, can be performed. In it the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ will be performed, the Sacrament of the Tree of Life, which is beyond all explanation.

People do not understand. Maybe they don’t even think about it, and maybe they don’t want to express it; but just the same, it expresses itself in spite of them. Look at the people of other confessions. In their desire to meet Christ, you also sense their desire to do something good to each other. It is expressed in trifles: ties, stockings, flowers, a watch, and so on. Everyone wants to give something to one another, not understanding the main thing that must be given. It is necessary to give something which will make a person feel that he is a son of our Lord Jesus Christ, to make him feel part of a family. In order to do this, we have to look into a person’s heart, we have to be patient and maybe sometimes, lowering our head, just say: "God be merciful to me a sinner, because I have nothing more to give." And so it is for each of us.

Let this Holy Day become the Holy Day of the consecration of our heart, of the acceptance of adoption, in order to perform for us this spiritual endeavor: the beginning of that which Christ gives. "Prepare, O Bethlehem...Christ shall be born to raise the image that fell of old."

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The Week after Nativity.

"And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying: Abba, Father!" (Gal. 4:6). So, brothers, those who were here at the Christmas Liturgy heard that on this great day, when we all gathered together at the manger in the cave of Bethlehem, God also in this year performed for us the mystery of renewing the spirit of adoption (sonship) in our hearts. Christ our Lord said: when you pray, say in such a way: "Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name..." (Mt. 6:9). This mystery of renewing our adoption to God was performed on the day of the Nativity of Christ.

Now there is nothing accidental in the Church. And it is not without reason that just on the day of the Nativity of Christ, the Church tells us through the mouth of the Apostle Paul: But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son... that we might receive the adoption of sons (Gal. 4:4-5). It is in this that the mystery consists, the mystery which singles out these days of the Christmas Season from all other days of the year. In these great days the Family of Christ will be formed, and we are becoming members of this family, brothers and sisters of each other, children of one Heavenly Father. And only in such a great family can the restoration of the Tree of Life be performed, the Eucharist, the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ.

This is what the day of Christmas should have given us. And when we relived the angelic praise: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace" (Lk. 2:14), then involuntarily we turned to the Mother of God and said to her, "More honorable than the Cherubim and incomparably more glorious than the Seraphim..." (From the hymn to the Mother of God, "It is meet..."). For this reason, the Holy Church dedicated to her the second day of Christmas, calling it "The Gatheringin Honor of the Most Holy Mother of God," that is, the day of the meeting of believers to glorify the Mother of God.

And the Gospel for this Sunday, "the Sunday after Nativity," relates to us again what the Mother of God experienced after the Nativity of Christ, stressing her greatness in her sufferings and her participation in our salvation. She became the ladder which united Heaven and earth. She became the high point of the Old Testament through whom was incarnate the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. Like a white lily, she will never cease to captivate human hearts with her unearthly beauty. And the human race will never forget her, will never stop to wing before her dove-like purity and her infinite holiness. Read today’s Gospel carefully; actually, it is like the first page of the book of her life, her sufferings. Look, Christ had just been born and her mother’s heart already began to suffer*. Herod was scheming, there was weeping, fighting, the murder of the babes — fourteen thousand of them. The flight into Egypt — emigration. We have all experienced emigration. Except our emigration occurred under the conditions of modern technology. And back then?

As Tradition tells us: there was a donkey, the Mother of God with the Babe, the eighty-year old Joseph, and the son of Joseph, James, in the wilderness, into Egypt. And then in Egypt. There was heat, worry about food. No place, no shelter. The old Joseph was a carpenter. What kind of earnings could he have in a foreign country? What kind of comfort? Then again a revelation: they must return. But again the Mother of God had to hide, because at this time Herod the Younger was ruling. Again fear that Christ would be found. Nazareth. The labors of the elderly Joseph and his death. And Christ grew up. The preaching began. Here the Mother of God saw malice in those around Him. The Pharisees and Sadducees were troubled. It seemed to them that the preaching of Christ might disturb the apparent balance which resulted from the Jewish leadership making all concessions required by Roman law. The Mother of God saw all this. And further on, the betrayal of Christ, the judgment by Pilate, the malice of the Pharisees. Crucifixion. The Mother of God at the Cross. The death of Christ This shows us the life of the Mother of God.

And at the same time, in these two thousand years, it is she who has become the Mother of all generations. Just think about it. Millions of people walked through our Cathedral of the Assumption in Moscow, bowing down before her first-painted image, which we call the Vladimir icon. And the Iverskaya Chapel and our Lavra (Lavra — Ancient monastery in the caves on the shore of the Dnieper River in Kiev) in Kiev where our forefathers, grandfathers, fathers, and grandchildren passed through. When their heart was breaking from loneliness, from despair, they all sensed and felt a wonderful consolation when their lips whispered, "Save me." Whoever sat in prison, he knows that in the moments when his last name was being shouted through the little window, in his inner feeling he was calling to the Mother. This is that Mother. She is before us today. The Church gives her to us as a model for our Christian living.

But there is another step still before us. This is the first of January — the Circumcision of Christ. And for us this should be the day of confessing our feeling: "Yes, I am a Christian; and in the spirit of my life I will strive so that the Beatitudes given to us by the Lord will become, as it were, the beating of my heart." And then, with such a resolve, for us it will become a New Year indeed.

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New Year’s Eve.

(Molieben at New Year’s Eve — a service of thanksgiving for the past year and prayer for blessing of the coming year).

A new year! These first minutes of the coming New Year, tonight’s Molieben which we have just performed — these are really sacred minutes.

But also every night at twelve o’clock the Holy Church puts before us a cloud of light. This is the midnight service. At this service the 17th Kathisma (17th Kathisma — a Kathisma is one of the 20 divisions of the Psalter. The 17th Kathisma is comprised solely of Psalm 118 (Psalm 119 in the King James Version), the longest psalm in the Psalter) is read, which reveals to us the condition of our heart, and like a magnet draws out of it everything passionate and sinful which prevents us from approaching the Lord. In fact, it is our desire to approach, to come closer to the Lord that makes up the mystery of this moment through which you and I are now living.

And tonight, it is not a Kathisma which is put before us; rather the Holy Church gives us a special rite of the New Year Molieben, namely: "for those who are in night." This night’s prayer reveals to us the sinful state of our unworthiness. But the Lord, merciful as a father, will accept us and embrace us. And in the moments when we have grief, the grief will pass. And when joy comes, the Lord will caress us with this joy.

Congratulations on this mercy of God of which we, along with the entire Holy Church, partake today in the New Year. May the Lord keep you!