Recognizing generosity

The amount we give is not judged by the largeness of the gifts but the largeness of our hearts.  The poor woman who shares her meager pot of stew with another poor woman is far more to be praised than the rich man who throws a few gold coins into a collection at church.  But although most Christians acknowledge the truth of this, their words and actions convey a different message.  When a rich man makes a large gift to the church, he is heartily thanked; and although he will not feel the lack of that money himself, he is praised for his generosity.  When a poor man makes a small gift, nothing is said, even though that gift may cause him to go hungry, no one praises him or thanks him.  It would be better to praise no one than to confine our praise to the rich.  Better still, we should take trouble to observe every true act of generosity, whether by the rich or the poor, and then offer our praise.  Indeed let us be as generous with our praise as people are generous with their money. 

 

Our Inheritance



 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy.  As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls.  I Peter 1:3-9

 

 

Personal note:  In the early 1970's I encountered the Gospel of Christ and embraced it with my whole heart.  Even though I had been baptized as an Orthodox Christian when six months old, I had not been raised in the Church.  So, when the Gospel was presented to me by Protestant friends back then I took it to heart and gave my life to Christ.  As a result I started reading the New Testament for the first time ever. When I came to these verses in I Peter, they spoke to me so profoundly, at such a deep level that I remember thinking to myself, "These will be the my life verses."  Between then and now, the Lord guided me through my Protestant understanding to the fullness of faith offered in the Eastern Orthodox Church.  As we read from I Peter during Great Vespers this evening, preparing for the Feast of Ss. Peter & Paul, these verses were read aloud.  I was overcome once more at hearing them and remembering my encounter with this passage many years ago and how it continues to speak to me.  I could not help but share them with you as a blessing for the Feast of the Holy Apostles Peter & Paul.  May their intercessions guide and protect us and bring us to the heavenly inheritance as spoken of above.  Pres. Candace

On those that offend and are offended pt 8

“It is impossible,” you say, “for me to love my enemies, and to do good to them.”  Not true.  It was possible for David, who wept for his enemies, Saul and Abessalom [Absalom] who perished (II Kings [II Samuel] chh. 1 and 18).  For mourning over the destruction of enemies is a manifest sign of love for enemies.  It was possible for St. Stephen, who prayed for his enemies who stoned him, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge, (Acts 7:60).  It was possible for all the saints.  Then it is also possible for you.  You are a man, and they were men.  You are weak, and they had the same weakness. 

When children learn to read books, they first learn the letters, then spelling, and later on they learn to read.  Christians should proceed in the same way in Christian doctrine.  First of all, they should learn to return good for good, which is gratitude; then not to return evil for evil, insult for insult, offense for offense, and not to take revenge either in word or in deed on the offender; and then after this, even to love their enemies and to do good to those that hate them, and to return good for evil. 

This is the ladder by which Christians ascend toward perfection, that is toward love of enemies.  What, then, Christian?  When you are commanded to love your enemies, and to do good to those that hate you—commanded by Him Who created you and redeemed the lost by His blood and death, and Who holds your death and life in His hand—will you consent and forgive him who offended you?  If an earthly king had commanded you not only to forgive your neighbor his offense, but also to serve him, or else be put to death, which had you better choose?  To die or to forgive and serve your neighbor?  I hope that you would rather wish to forgive and serve your neighbor than to die.  The Heavenly King commands you not only to forgive him that offended you, but also to love your enemies, and to do good to those that hate you.  Otherwise eternal death will follow those that do not hear the commandment of the Heavenly King.  Not everyone that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven, (Matthew :21)  THE END

 

 

 

On those that offend and are offended pt 7



 

Beloved Christians!  We speak here of a serious matter, in which consists either eternal salvation or eternal destruction.  We speak of the forgiveness of sins, for which we sigh to God daily.  But sighing, and even tears, are useless to us if we do not forgive our neighbors their transgressions, for therein are hidden the wickedness and unrighteousness of the human heart. 
 

A man wishes to receive mercy of God, but he does not wish to show mercy to someone like himself.  He wishes God to forgive him his sins, but he himself does not wish to forgive.  You see how wicked and unrighteous is such a man’s heart. 
 

Our Lord told us, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you, (Matt 5:44),   
 

It is not enough for a Christian to love those that love him, for even the heathen do this, who do not know the true God, and do not accept Christ.  As the Lord says, For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye?  Do not even the publicans the same?  And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others?  Do not even publicans so? (Matt 5:46-47).  Christians must surpass pagans in love and excellence and show perfection in themselves.  Because Christians are begotten through holy Baptism and renewed unto life eternal and a holy life, they must therefore love not only their friends but also their enemies. 
 

For thereby is a true Christian soul known, and this is also what the Heavenly Father does, for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust, (Matt 5:45).  Christians should imitate Him as children do their father, according to the exhortation of the Apostle, Be ye followers of God, as dear children (Ephesians 5:1).  (to be continued)

 



On those that offend and are offended pt 6

 

True, it is hard to suffer evil for good.  But who does us more good than God?  Nevertheless, disregarding this we continually sin against Him.  Then look at this, cover your face and say from the heart, “I have sinned, O Lord, have mercy on me.  I forgive my neighbor, forgive also me, Thine unworthy servant who have sinned against Thee, my creator and benefactor.”

“I was very patient with him,” you say.  Remember how much you have sinned against God, but the Lord was patient with you.  How would it have been had God dealt with you according to His righteousness?  Your soul would have gone down to hell a long time ago.  Then just as God was long-suffering with you, and dealt with you according to His mercy, so should you do also to your neighbor. 

“I know,” you say, “that God deals mercifully with us.  I am a weak man, and I cannot do likewise.”  It is not that you cannot, but that you will not. You cannot walk on water, but what is the difficulty of forgiving?  What then do you wish?  To execute your wrath and get revenge on your neighbor?  That is not weakness, but malice.  But remember that it is commanded of Christians, Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children, (Ephesians 5:1).  “If,” you say, “I forgive him, then he will do me more evil.”  You do not know this.  But even if he does you evil, let him do what he will.  You should do what is yours, what is commanded of you and necessary for your salvation.  If he will not correct himself, he shall receive according to his deeds.  He that is unjust, let him be unjust still (Apocalypse 22:11).  “He,” you say, “has grievously offended me.”   There can be no more grievous an offense than that done to Christ your Savior, Whom they not only blasphemed, reviled, mocked, spat upon, derided, struck, and bound, but they even crowned Him with a crown of thorns, and nailed Him to the Cross, and as they passed by they cursed Him Who was nailed, and they put Him to death.  Whom?  The Son of God and the Lord of Glory.  What are you next to so great a Person, and what is your offense next to His?  As nothing. 

 

 

No one spits on you, no one even strikes you, no one crowns you with thorns, and the rest.  Christ the Lord endured all these things with great meekness and long-suffering.  For whom?  For me and for you, His unworthy servants.  And not only did He endure all this, but He also prayed for His enemies, Father, forgive them, (Luke 23:34).  Look on this patience as in a mirror and consider, and you will no doubt forgive your neighbor.  “If,” you say, “I should forgive, then people will mock me.” 

To the impious and lovers of this world the Christian life and the morality of the Gospel is a scandal and foolishness, but it is wisdom before God.  You should do what the Gospel teaches and not as people say.  Let the mockers mock, but afterward they will weep bitterly, and already too late, for their conscience itself will reprove them.  (to be continued)

On those that offend and are offended pt 5

Do we forgive our neighbors their trespasses?  God also forgives us in His mercy.  Do we refuse to forgive?  God, too, will refuse to forgive us.  As we treat our neighbors, so also does God treat us.  The forgiveness, then, of your sins or un-forgiveness, and hence also your salvation or destruction, depend on you yourself, man.  For without forgiveness of sins there is no salvation.  You can see for yourself how terrible it is. 

“Should I forgive him,” you say, “since he knows who I am and who he is?”  Both he and you, poor man, the exalted and the lowly, are all equally sinners.  But do you yourself know who you are, and Who God is against Whom you have sinned and yet sin still?  All the world is as nothing before God (cf. Isaiah chapter 40), before Whom you have sinned and yet sin still.  If all the world is as nothing before God what, then, are you alone, however great and high you may be before men?  So great and infinite is God, against Whom you have sinned and yet sin still.  What, then, are your sins, O man, before God?  And what is the sin of your neighbor who offended you?  It is as a farthing against many thousands of pieces of gold, it is as a penny against ten thousand talents.  Or, even better, say, it is as nothing against your sins toward God. 

Painting by Harold Copping

You do not wish to forgive a small, even a very small, thing.  Do you yet hope to receive forgiveness for a great thing?  You, a man, do not forgive a man, nor do you, a sinner, forgive a sinner.  Will you be forgiven by God, Who is eternal justice and incomprehensible majesty?  You, a like man, do not have mercy on a like man.  Yet what mercy do you expect of God?  See how dangerous it is not to forgive your neighbor his transgressions!  “I am in no way at fault before him,” you say.  “He offended me without cause.”   

It genuinely happens that people offend us for no reason, but wherein is God at fault with us?  God is just and there is no injustice in Him.  To Thee belongeth truth, O Lord, but to us belongeth confusion of face, (cf. Daniel 9:8).  Nevertheless we sin against Him irrationally and without shame, and so we offend Him, and we repent and beg mercy and receive mercy.  Glory to His love for man!  Glory to His immeasurable graciousness. 

Then as you wish to obtain forgiveness of God, you yourself should also forgive him who has sinned against you.  You are blameless before him of nothing, as you say; nevertheless perhaps you are also at fault; for it is difficult for those living in society not to offend each other somehow.  We sin against one another; we should also forgive one another.  “I did him good,” you say, “but he returned me evil for good.”  (to be continued) 

On those that offend and are offended pt 4

He that is offended must forgive the offender, so that he himself may be forgiven by God and that he may pray with hope, Father, forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors…For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matt 6:12, 14-15), says the Lord. 

You see, Christian, how terrible it is not to forgive your neighbor’s trespasses!  If you forgive a man his trespasses, then God will also forgive you.  If you do not forgive, then God will also not forgive you.  How, then do you stand before God? And how much, then is your prayer worth?  Almost nothing.  When you become angry with your neighbor, you yourself will also be found in wrath before God.  But this great calamity of yours comes from you yourself, since you are angry and will not forgive your neighbor his transgressions. 

True, he has sinned against you, but you have sinned and yet still sin against God.  He is your debtor, but you are God’s debtor.  He begs forgiveness of you, but you beg forgiveness of God, you pray to God, Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors (Matt 6:12).  If you forgive your neighbor from your heart, then you will pray from the heart and you will say these words to God truly and un-hypocritically.  If you do not forgive your neighbor from your heart, then you will pray only with words and with your lips, and therefore hypocritically, and so your prayer will not only not benefit you, but it becomes sin.  Do you see where wrath and enmity lead a man?  Then conquer yourself, beloved, set aside your anger and forgive your neighbor everything, then you will pray sincerely and un-hypocritically, Father, forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors (Matt 6:12), and you will be granted forgiveness of your debts.  For the word of God is faithful, true and not false; whatever it says, it is just as it says, and what it promises it fulfils, and what it threatens us comes to pass if we do not repent.  (to be continued)