Thoughts for every day of the year
Week of Epiphany (32nd)
(Eph. 4:7-13; Matt. 4:12–17)
Yesterday, the apostle armed the Christian who has entered the path of salvation with spiritual armor, and now he points out the leaders in this battle procession and the last bright goal of everything for inspiration in the face of difficulties. Leaders are shepherds and teachers whom the Lord gave to the Church and through whose mouth He Himself utters guidance that is beneficial to everyone, as long as someone turns to them with faith and prayerful appeal to the Lord. This truth is known to those who selflessly follow the path of the Lord and fight without self-pity against the enemies of salvation. They always find help and admonition in their shepherds, when, looking from the outside, one would not expect it. For they do not come to people, but to the Lord, who is always ready to guide and admonish through these people everyone who sincerely and with faith seeks His help. The latter’s bright goal is “to the measure of the full stature of Christ”—the age “to become a perfect man.” That there is a perfect husband in the usual way is known to everyone, and it is impossible to find a person for whom it would not be desirable to achieve such perfection; but that there is a man perfect in the Lord is unknown to anyone except those who have entered this age. This, however, should not cool anyone’s jealousy for achieving such an age, but, on the contrary, warm it up even more; because the unknown depends on the height of that spiritual perfection, which is called manhood in life according to God. The Apostle defined it by the perception of the fullness of perfections revealed in the Lord the Savior. Everyone sees that there is something to put “every effort” into our title.
Monday (33rd) (1 Pet. 2:21–39; Mark 12:13–17).
Now the apostle points us to the “hidden heart of man” as the subject of our most careful care and concern. We must beautify ourselves with His education. What kind of “hidden man” is this? The person who is imagined in the heart when all good dispositions and feelings are established in it. Review these dispositions and feelings and you will see the face of what is hidden in a person’s heart. These are the locations! “From His Divine power we have been given everything we need for life and piety,” and for our part, “applying every effort to this,” writes St. Peter, “show in your faith virtue, in virtue, prudence, in prudence, self-control, in self-control, patience, in patience, godliness, in godliness, brotherly kindness, in brotherly kindness, love” (2 Pet. 1:5-7). Similarly, he lists the internal good dispositions of the Christian and St. hearts. Paul: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23). And again: “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, put on mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering... and most of all put on love, which is the sum of perfection, and let the peace of God rule in your hearts” (Col. 3). , 12–15). Fold all these good things, like members, into one spiritual body, and you will have the magnificent face of the “hidden heart of man,” the like of which you will be zealous to install in your heart.
Tuesday (1 Pet. 3:10–22; Mark 12:18–27).
“Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts.” The sanctification of the Lord in the heart is the soul and spirit of the person depicted above the innermost heart. Just as initially God, having created the human body from particles of dust, breathed into it the breath of life, and man began to be as he should be; so the “hidden man of the heart”, created inside from the demonstrated virtues, will only appear as a real spiritual man when this heart sanctifies the Lord God, as in the Lord’s Prayer we read: “Hallowed be Thy name.” If this does not happen, then the person molded from the above-mentioned virtues will emerge as a stillborn child without the spirit of life. Let those who think of getting by with just certain virtues, without any relation to God, know this! What does it mean to sanctify God in the heart? To unceasingly be at peace before Him, always bearing in mind the thought of His omnipresence, to be jealous with all zeal, to be pleasing to Him at every moment and with all fear to beware of everything that is displeasing to Him, especially by committing your entire life - both temporary and eternal - to His fatherly care, - accept everything that happens humbly, humbly and gratefully, as coming directly from His hand.
Wednesday (1 Pet. 4:1-11; Mark 12:28-37).
One lawyer asked the Lord: “What is the first of all commandments?” The Lord answered: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. The second is similar to it: love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” And this goes to complement the image of a person’s innermost heart. The holiness of the Lord is his spirit, and love is his soul, and all the other virtues are his various members - now the hand, now the leg, now the eye, now the ear, now the tongue. A reminder of this is very useful, because sometimes it happens that, considering good deeds to be the final virtues, they think to get along with it alone, not thinking about the Lord, and forgetting about love. Such good deeds, without faith and the desire to please God, are not holy, like an unconsecrated house or a room without an icon; without love, it is like a building filled with lifeless statues and, in addition, smacks of mustiness and mold. Everyone pay attention to this and, having undertaken to create a new person within yourself, try to place him before the Lord, who has no blemish.
Thursday (1 Pet. 4:12-5, 5; Mark 12:38-44).
The widow put two mites (half a mite, approximately) into the treasure vault (in the church mug); and the Lord said that she put in more than everyone else, although others then put in rubles and tens of rubles. What gave the upper hand to her contribution? The location with which the offering is made. Do you see what is the difference between doing good that is soulless, according to custom, and doing good with soul and heart? It is not the external setting of the case that gives it its value, but the internal location. This is why it happens that a deed that is outstanding in all respects has no value before God, but a deed that is insignificant in appearance is valued at a high price. What follows from this is self-evident. But don’t you think of neglecting the external, planning to limit yourself to the internal. The widow would not have received approval if she had said to herself: “I also have a desire to contribute, but what should I do? All I have is two mites. Give them back and I’ll be left with nothing.” But as she had a desire, she did so, giving her life into the hands of God. And if she hadn’t put in anything, no one would have condemned her, neither people nor God. But then she would not have shown such a disposition that distinguished her from others and made her famous throughout the Christian world.
Friday (2 Pet. 1:1-10; Mark 13:1-8).
Having enumerated the virtues about which one should take every effort, after receiving the powers of grace, the apostle, as an encouragement to this, said: “If this is in you and multiplies, then you will not remain without success and fruit in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
What these virtues are are given above on Monday.
Now let us only add that these virtues only need to be demonstrated repeatedly, but to do so so that they always remain in us, exist in us, rooted and, being such, do not stand at one level, but multiply more and more and increase in strength and fertility. Only in this case will you not be idle and unfruitful “in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” He who believes in Him and confesses Him enters into the knowledge of the Lord. Do you believe?! Be careful not to make this faith idle and fruitless. What should I do so that my faith is not like this? Excel in every virtue. Where are those who repeat: believe and have enough - nothing more is needed?! Whoever thinks like that is blind.
Sabbath (2 Tim. 2:11–19; Luke 18:2–8).
To make the truth more impressive, “that one must always pray and not lose heart,” if the prayer is not soon heard, but continues to pray, the Lord told a parable of how a judge, who did not fear God and was not ashamed of people, finally granted the request of a widow, not because so that he would fear God and be ashamed of people, and only because that widow did not give him peace. So, if such a hardened person could not resist the persistence of the petition, will not the humane-loving and abundantly merciful God fulfill the petition that is relentlessly offered to Him with tears and contrition?! And here is the answer to why our prayers are often not heard. Because we send our petitions to God carelessly, as if in passing, and, moreover, in such a way that, having prayed once today, tomorrow we wait for the fulfillment of our prayer, without thinking about sweating and overworking ourselves in prayer. So our prayer is not heard and is not fulfilled, because we ourselves do not properly fulfill the law of trusting and diligent persistence laid down for prayer.
