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[c]Saturday, August 30, 2003
Cyril and Makarios, Patriarchs of Serbia
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 Gospel: St. Matthew 19:3-12
[/c]
The Fulfilling of Wisdom: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9, especially vs. 9: "God is faithful, by Whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." The first prayer of thanksgiving after the Holy Communion rejoices and thanks God that He has not rejected us as sinners but accounts us worthy to become communicants of His holy and ineffable Mysteries. Then, as if the Lord Jesus' unspeakable Gift of Himself were not enough along with dying for us and rising again, the prayer continues to ask God that His wisdom may be fulfilled in and through our lives. Thus, the prayer boldly asks the Lord to be present within us to heal our souls and bodies so that the eyes of our hearts may be enlightened, our spiritual powers may be at peace, our faith invincible, our love be sincere, our obedience perfect in keeping His commandments, our growth only in the grace which He has bestowed on us, our final attainment His Kingdom, and our journey through this life ever preserved in holiness.
This extensive request of the post-Communion prayer, like today's reading, is a prayer of thanksgiving. In the Epistle today, St. Paul is offering thanks for the disciples at Corinth and for us also (vss. 3-9). Like the prayer of thanksgiving after Holy Communion, the Apostle's prayer yearns for us to respond to the actions of God. The Apostle notes that God the Father and the Lord Jesus have bestowed grace and peace upon us His people, that God has enriched us in all speech and knowledge by Christ, and that the Lord has confirmed the Apostle's testimony about Himself among us (vss. 4-6). He notes that we are not deprived of any spiritual gift (vs. 7), and that God is faithfully standing ready to help us until the end of time.
Beloved of the Lord, what of us? How shall we respond to all that God has done for us?
We know the basics of what God accomplished in Christ on our behalf. Who among us has not heard repeatedly the recitation of His wondrous, saving works offered up during the Divine Liturgy: "the Cross, the Grave, the Resurrection on the third day, the Ascension into heaven, the Sitting at the right hand, and the second and glorious Coming"? In so many ways, the Gospel has been taught to us. We have a framework for understanding. Surely we ought to be able to express these wonders for ourselves, borrowing from the familiar hymns and prayers.
Holy Brethren, the question for us is this: have we continued growing in the knowledge of our Faith (vs. 5)? Have we meditated, read, thought, reflected, prayed and learned more and more about all that "Jesus began both to do and to teach" (Acts 1:1)? Do we speak of these marvelous things, sharing them with our friends, acquaintances and our family? How can we not? What holds us back? It is a marvel that we are so quiet and repressed!
What does the Apostle mean when he says that "the testimony of Christ was confirmed in and among you," or when he anticipates that God "will also confirm you to the end" (vss. 6,8)? Our hearts have said, "Yes!" We delight in the liturgies and worship that are available to us. We hear sermons and nod in agreement, knowing we are being told the truth. We have found ourselves giving love, being kind, helping others, reaching out to the fearful, choosing to change our ways. Let us be in awe: these movements of ours are from the Holy Spirit. They confirm the truth. They strengthen us in God's gift of faithfulness. Let us not hold back in these things. We have "come short in no gift...waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ" (vs. 7).
Most of all, let us strive to be wholly "blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (vs. 8). Above all, let us not blame God if we have not labored. He has called us "into the fellowship of His Son"(vs. 9). He has fulfilled all wisdom in us; let us, then, faithfully apply His wisdom.
May we ever remember Thy grace, and henceforth live not unto ourselves, but unto Thee.
This meditation provided by DYNAMIS. For questions and subscription information contact a3dynamis@aol.com or DYNAMIS, St. George Orthodox Cathedral, 7515 E 13th St. N, Wichita KS 67206-1223 or go their website: www.trisagion.com/dynamis
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