Archbishop Andrei
(Rymarenko, 1893-1978)
Moreover, brethren, I
declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have
received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in
memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I
delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ
died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that
He rose again the third day according to the scriptures: and that He was seen
of Cephas [that is, Peter], then of the twelve: after that, He was seen of
above five hundred brethren at once…. After that, He was seen of James; then of
all the apostles. And last of all, He was seen of me also, as to one born out
of due time,” said the Apostle Paul. “For I am the least of the apostles, that
am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am” (I Cor. 15:1-11).
See what kind of reading from the Apostle Paul the Holy
Church has selected for us today, in order to strengthen us in a definite state
of mind. Along with the Sunday Gospel reading, which serves as a support, it
strengthens in us the understanding that we live here temporarily. However, we
fight against such an understanding; we don’t even want to think about it. But
it’s a fact. Yes, our life is seventy years, and if by reason of strength,
eighty years; but beyond this is hardship and disease. And how many tragic
cases there are when God cuts off our earthly life in the years of youth, and
even in childhood.
What have the Sunday Gospel readings been saying to us
during the last few weeks? They have been saying that we must be perfect, that
we must be Christians, because at any time the moment may come when Christ will
call us and say: “Follow Me!” (Mt. 19:21). But how are we going to follow Him
if we are spiritually paralyzed, if we are spiritually blind and do not see His
abodes on high?
Christ saves us from these dispositions. He gives us His
Church. And the Orthodox Church is always reminding us of what the Bible says:
how the world of God was created, how the first people lived, how the Fall
occurred. Adam did not want to go from strength to strength, from grace to
grace in communion with God, but wanted to have this strength within himself.
And he went away, went away into the byways of human life, and therefore lost
the Tree of Life. But God the Merciful One, God the Father gives us His Son Who
was incarnate of the Most Holy Virgin, Who lived the Good News of the Gospel
and showed us how to fulfill the commandment: Love for God and neighbor.
In today’s Epistle the Apostle Paul shows us the true Risen
Christ, Who brings us to Eternal Life. Paul himself, while still Saul, was also
wandering in search of truth. He too in the beginning was searching for the
earthly Christ who would free the Jews from the power of Rome. But when he was
on the way to persecute the Church of God, he met Christ Himself, already after
the Ascension; and here Saul became Paul. And as we heard in today’s reading,
he became the preacher of the Risen Christ. He became a New Testament man, who
(if one can say so) brought about a great revolution in the world and
transformed the whole world into the search for Christ and the striving for
Life in Christ. With the name of the Apostle Paul is connected all the
preaching of Christ in the entire world.
So when the Holy Church has strengthened us in the
understanding that we are going toward Eternal Existence through our earthly
wandering to Christ, then the Holy Church addresses us and points out: do not
be mistaken. A certain lawyer came to Christ and asked: What shall I do in
order to inherit the Kingdom of God? (Today’s Gospel). And Christ said, Fulfill
the commandments. And when this lawyer said, From my childhood I have fulfilled
the commandments, Christ saw his lack of understanding of the truth and said:
Then give away everything that you have and follow Me (Mt. 19:16-21). But this
man had much and trusted in this “much.” Everything around him was real to him,
and this reality gave him security in life. And this, what Christ was saying
about future life, was not real to him. Therefore, when Christ said to him,
Follow me and give away everything; he thought: how do I give it away? What
will I have then? And what did he want to have? Power, strength, to be a
possessor of earthly things.
The Apostle says today: what is earth? Christ leads us into
Eternal Life. He saves us in an earthly way. God gives people abilities and knowledge;
these are the various ways in which people pass their earthly life. But laid
before them as a foundation are the Beatitudes: blessed are the poor in spirit,
blessed are those who weep, blessed are the meek, blessed are those who hunger
and thirst for righteousness, blessed are the peacemakers, those who are
persecuted (Mt. 5:3-11). See, these are all the heavenly ways. This is what the
Holy Church sets before us. Speaking to us about life beyond the grave, about
resurrection (not as an idea, but as real life), about the Apostle Paul and all
our saints, she shows us the truth and shows us that mirage which appears to be
real. But if we start to live for this reality in order to acquire earthly
goods, we will find ourselves in an abyss, and everything we possess will
remain here. There will be nothing that belongs to Christ.
So let us arise, brothers, answering the calls of the Holy
Church today: do not abandon prayer, do not abandon fasting which gives us
concentration and attention, do not neglect also your good heart which will
obtain for you a revelation from God and the joy of spiritual spring which will
strengthen you in Eternal Life.
