THE SEVENTY APOSTLES.
“The virtues build a new person radiating love to the world.”
(Metropolitan Paul (Yazigi) of Aleppo who consecrated our temple.”
“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
(Hebrews 4:15-16)
SUNDAY 18TH OCTOBER. Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke (1st). St. Julian Sabas (Syria 4th). St. Peter of Cetinje, Metropolitan of Montenegro (1830).
“If young people would taste the grace of God just once, it would take a crane to pull them out of His Church.”
(St. Paisios the Athonite)
“The saints submitted to whatever God sent them, with childlike simplicity, “That’s the way You want it. Let Your will be done.”
(Elder Amphilocios Makris)
Saint Seraphim of Sarov loved children, often referring to them as “flowers of paradise.”
TODAY’S GOSPEL. Luke10:16-21. “”He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.” Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.”””
To be as a young child is what God wants us to be. We are told that Jesus was ecstatic at His Father’s choice of revelations to the simple and innocent and not the clever or learned. It is astonishing that devout Christians spend hours and sometimes lifetimes interpreting the Gospels debating this or that point. We do not know what writings have been lost to history, and what we have are the Gospels that are our revelation of the life of Christ. We are always too fond of proving things. Why can’t we just accept the word as revealed to us and rejoice?
There is nothing wrong in learning more about our faith as Orthodox Christians and about the saintly men and women who, down the generations, have been examples of what it is to follow in His footsteps. They sometimes were highly educated but always kept a childlike innocence. More often than not they were ordinary folk, some barely able to read or write and from humble backgrounds that brought them nearer to God and, as Jesus said of the Seventy Apostles, their names are written in heaven.
When we see the children in our church, remember they are an example to us all and should never be taken out of the services, however noisy or boisterous they are. They are our joy and when the protective disciples tried to keep them away from Jesus, His response of “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” , is a message to us all. So let us see learning, wisdom and debate for what it is and not as a vehicle to bring us closer to God. It may inform us it may instruct us but it in no way can it reclaim the innocence of a child within us that is the joy of heaven.
Much Love,
Father George.