Sunday Θ’ Luke
(Luke: 12, 13-21)
To be and rejoice in God
After the fall of Adam and Eve every man is a fool. The centre of his being is himself, all he cares about is himself and in his lifetime he doesn’t get ready to meet God. Still, not only is it absolutely certain that we are going to die, but also the time of our death is uncertain. Yet, as somebody says, everybody lives as if they are never going to die!
It’s not accidental that man is selfish and greedy. God made him want to be and rejoice, but to be and rejoice in God, not with himself in the centre of his being. Every violation happens in man’s soul: man gets distorted, cuts God out of his life, stops moving towards God, stops loving God. He deifies himself.
We should feel now, right this time, that we are in misery, as we are captives to sin and ourselves –we casue the greatest harm to ourselves on our own; it’s nobody else’s fault– and we should ask from the Lord to save us, mainly from our own self. We should start going on this path and live in this new way: put aside our selfishness, our self-interest, our self-pride and head towards God. It’s insensible to remain captive to our own self. What first happpens to a Christian is that he stops being a fool; he becomes sensible straight away.
Transcribed talks by Archimandrite Symeon Kragiopoulos
From: Holy Hesychasterion “The Nativity of Theotokos” Publications.
