Acts 10:34-43 (Epistle)
34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.
35 But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.
36 The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ – He is Lord of all –
37 that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:
38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
39 And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree.
40 Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly,
41 not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.
42 And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.
43 To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”
John 8:12-20 (Gospel)
12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, “You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.”
14 Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.
15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.
16 And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.
17 It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.
18 I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.”
19 Then they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.”
20 These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.
Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism
Saint Pachomius the Great was both a model of desert dwelling, and with Saints Anthony the Great (January 17), Macarius the Great (January 19), and Euthymius the Great (January 20), a founder of the cenobitic monastic life in Egypt.
Saint Pachomius was born in the third century in the Thebaid (Upper Egypt). His parents were pagans who gave him an excellent secular education. From his youth he had a good character, and he was prudent and sensible.
When Pachomius reached the age of twenty, he was called up to serve in the army of the emperor Constantine (apparently, in the year 315). They put the new conscripts in a city prison guarded by soldiers. The local Christians fed the soldiers and took care of them.
When the young man learned that these people acted this way because of their love for God, fulfilling His commandment to love their neighbor, this made a deep impression upon his pure soul. Pachomius vowed to become a Christian. Pachomius returned from the army after the victory, received holy Baptism, moved to the lonely settlement of Shenesit, and began to lead a strict ascetic life. Realizing the need for spiritual guidance, he turned to the desert-dweller Palamon. He was accepted by the Elder, and he began to follow the example of his instructor in monastic struggles.
Once, after ten years of asceticism, Saint Pachomius made his way through the desert, and halted at the ruins of the former village of Tabennisi. Here he heard a Voice ordering him to start a monastery at this place. Pachomius told the Elder Palamon of this, and they both regarded the words as a command from God.
They went to Tabennisi and built a small monastic cell. The holy Elder Palamon blessed the foundations of the monastery and predicted its future glory. But soon Palamon departed to the Lord. An angel of God then appeared to Saint Pachomius in the form of a schemamonk and gave him a Rule of monastic life. Soon his older brother John came and settled there with him.
Idolatry
Saint Justin Popovich
‘And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, to know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. My children, keep yourselves away from idols. Amen’. (1 Jn. 5, 20-21)
This verse, 20, encapsulates the whole of the Gospel of the holy Theologian and the whole of his theology: ‘the Son of God has come and has given us understanding’, so that we can recognize him as the true God. And he gave us the power to become his own and to dwell in him. So that we’re within him with our whole being, within the true God, and therefore, through him, in eternal life, since he is both true God and eternal life.
To the question ‘Where are you?’, the proper answer for real Christians is ‘We are in Jesus Christ’. Even though we live in the world, which ‘lies entirely in evil’, we are in Jesus Christ: in the true God and in eternal life. Had the true God not given us ‘understanding’, we wouldn’t recognize the real God and we’d remain forever ungodly. Because, as God and human, only Christ is the true God. Those who don’t recognize this and don’t confess it are impious, because they don’t know the true God. It’s the same if people look on someone or something else as God. Again, they’re wicked because they don’t recognize the Lord Jesus Christ as the one true God. And the fact that he’s our true God is demonstrated and proved by the fact that he not only has eternal life, but is himself eternal life, which he grants to all those who believe in him. From this we know that he’s the true God, who is himself eternal life which he bestows on all his followers. This is the surest method of distinguishing between the true God and false gods. Any god is false if they can’t ensure and confer eternal life on us. And this isn’t possible for anyone who’s not in a position to defeat death.
Jesus alone was able to conquer death by his Resurrection. This is why he’s true God and eternal life. All the rest are false gods. Recognizing, confessing or preaching any god other than Christ is simply impiety and idolatry. All idolatry is, in reality, ungodliness, since venerating them is an act of impiousness. Everything belongs to idolatry: from the coarsest fetishism to the most refined symbolism. Idolatry isn’t just venerating false gods, but also stones, trees, animals, planets, statues, and also people, heroes, geniuses and inventions, ideas, passions, culture, civilization, science and philosophy, art, or anything else we might want to substitute for the true God and Lord Jesus Christ.
This is why the holy Theologian finishes his Epistle with the words ‘My children, keep yourselves away from idols’: Stay away from idolatry and flee ungodliness. ‘Amen’.
This week’s calendar reminders:
Monday 5/12: Matins 8:30 a.m.; Stewards’ Meeting 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday 5/13: no services or events
Wednesday 5/14: no services or events
Thursday 5/15: Matins 8:30 a.m.
Friday 5/16: Matins 8:30 a.m.
Saturday 5/17: Catechumen Class 4:30 p.m.; Great Vespers 6 p.m.
Sunday 5/18: Divine Liturgy 9:15 a.m.
CLICK BELOW to donate online:
Christ the Savior Orthodox Church is located in Southbury, Connecticut, and is part of the New England Diocese of the Orthodox Church of America.
Mailing address: Christ the Savior Church, 1070 Roxbury Road, Southbury, CT 06488
PLEASE DONATE to help our parish do the work of the Lord, thrive and grow, and extend the Kingdom of God. May the Lord bless your generosity!
Fr. Moses Locke can be reached at frmoseslocke@gmail.com