Rejoice in the Lord Always...

7th Sunday after Pentecost

Romans 15:1–7; Matthew 9:27–35

In today’s Epistle, Saint Paul notes that we Christians are to be patient with each other. Patience is one of the great virtues which the All-Holy Trinity has taught us. If we look at the history of our salvation, it is evident that throughout the history of the Old Covenant, God was patient with His people. So too, we are called to be patient with others, even if they drive us to distraction with annoyance. If we do this and are charitable towards others, we become more aligned with God's ways and become more like His hands and feet in the world.

How can a person show others the wonders of God’s love if they have never truly opened themselves to knowing God?

Saint Basil the Great puts it this way in his Conversations on Psalm 29 when he says:

“As it is impossible to verbally describe the sweetness of honey to one who has never tasted honey, so the goodness of God cannot be clearly communicated by way of teaching if we ourselves are not able to penetrate into the goodness of the Lord by our own experience.”

What this means is that if we do not truly allow ourselves to have a deep relationship with God, how can we communicate the wonder of God to others? This is not to say that we do not have a relationship with God, but rather to point out that God desires a deep and quality relationship with each one of us.

How then do we deepen our relationship with God? Firstly, we must be open to being led by Him and open to the graces He gives us through the Holy Mysteries of the Holy Church, such as the Eucharist. Also, we must be prepared to be humble and get our hands dirty in the vineyard of the Lord. This is exactly what the Holy Apostles did throughout their ministry to the Jews and Gentiles. Moreover, they were humble and showed the unbelievers that God is good through their love.

Saint Silouan the Athonite puts it this way:

“Pride does not allow the soul to set out on the path of faith. Here is my advice to the unbeliever: let him say, "Lord, if you exist, then illumine me, and I will serve you with all my heart and soul." And for this humble thought and readiness to serve God, the Lord will immediately illumine him... and then your soul will sense the Lord; she will sense that the Lord has forgiven her, and loves her, and you will know this from experience, and the grace of the Holy Spirit will be a witness in your soul of your salvation, and you will want to cry out to the whole world: "The Lord loves us so much!"”

What this highlights is that the way to the Lord is through humility and the willingness to be vulnerable before others, enough to show them that our strength is God and God alone.

Saint Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12:9:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”

What this shows is that our Lord wills that we embrace our humanity and not deride it, but let Him be the potter who shapes us and turns us into new creations, fashioned in His ways and brought closer to Him through the Holy Mysteries of His Church. This is the wonder of our God—He has chosen us, yet He, who is all-powerful, does not lord that power over us but calls us to be part of His salvific work in the world! What a wonderful gift that God, the Lover of Mankind, or Philanthropos in ancient Greek, wants us imperfect humans to help bring others to Him!

This is the beauty of our faith—we have been made His children through Holy Baptism so that, if we live a faith-centred life and do what He wills, we will eventually be moulded by Him and welcomed into the bridal feast of heaven.

We get a hint of this in the parable of the Prodigal Son, for at the end, when the son returns, what does the father do? He kills the fatted calf and then invites everyone to a feast, and so it will be with us. Yes, we sin, but if we are truly repentant, then God will forgive us and embrace us with His love. This is why it is never healthy to dwell on past mistakes and sins—once they are forgiven, they are wiped from the slate, and we can start again. Therefore, we are called to work on our salvation in faith, hope, and charity.

Saint Philaret of Moscow puts it this way in a homily delivered in 1847:

“Every Christian should find for himself the imperative and incentive to become holy. If you live without struggle and without hope of becoming holy, then you are Christians only in name and not in essence. But without holiness, no one shall see the Lord, that is to say they will not attain eternal blessedness. It is a trustworthy saying that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners (I Tim. 1:15). But we deceive ourselves if we think that we are saved while remaining sinners. Christ saves those sinners by giving them the means to become saints.”

In essence, the purpose of our lives is to become spiritually healthy, and that is where holiness begins. A soul that is in communion with God cannot help but radiate His love and grace to others. That is what we are called to do: slowly conform ourselves to the ways of God.

Mind you, never forget that as Christians we are called to be people of joy. The saints, even through the worst trials, were people of joy, and they found every way to revel in that joy. This is what holy ecstasy is: the saints experiencing the joy of heaven on earth, but also the joy of being connected, or in communion, with the All-Holy Trinity.

Saint Silouan the Athonite puts it this way:

“When the soul knows the love of God by the Holy Spirit, then he clearly feels that the Lord is our own Father, the closest, dearest Father, the best. And there is not greater happiness than to love God with all the mind and heart, and our neighbor as ourself. And when this love is in the soul, then all things bring joy to the soul.”

Saint Paul also puts it this way in Philippians 4:4–7:

“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

What both of these writings show us is that, at the heart of all things, we are called to be people of joy, and a soul that is truly connected to its God cannot help but show that joy to others, for it is through this joy that others see that God is truly good.

Therefore, this week be thankful for all the gifts God has given you, and pray for those who need His grace, for the world is hungry and thirsty for God. There are many people who have lost hope, and they desperately need to encounter the hope that is found in Christ.

Also, spend time in silent prayer this week, asking that you be guided by the All-Holy Trinity on the correct path, for He will guide you if you let Him.