Message for the Second Sunday of Luke, 2026
October 18, 2026
Beloved brethren in Christ,
Unfortunately, many of us
Orthodox Christians have fallen into the delusion of believing that we are
spiritual people and better than others. Having come to believe this, we occupy
ourselves, with a certain air of superiority, in carefully examining international
affairs, informing our fellow men of whatever evil is about to come, and
seeking the slightest opportunity to present ourselves as confessors and
champions of the Faith in order to impress others. And if someone asks us,
“Brother, how many times a day do you read the Word of God, the Holy Gospel?”,
the answer is “Not once.” And yet, beloved brethren, what will truly benefit
our souls is precisely what many attach no importance to: the Gospel.
Certainly, it is good to keep ourselves informed about what is happening in the
world, since we are inhabitants of this world, but always with moderation and
with our priorities in the proper order.
Our priority as Christians is to
strive to please Him, to strive to become true Christians. Today, in the Gospel
reading, Christ taught us the essence of our Faith in just a few phrases.
Indeed, have we, who read countless books or listen to talks and analyses on
the internet, paid attention to these few phrases of the Lord Jesus Christ?
Much more importantly, have we put them into practice? These few words are a
precious mirror in which we can discern whether we are true disciples of His.
What, then, does He tell us?
“And as ye would that men should
do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” What you want others to do to you, you
should likewise do to them. Is there any law wiser or more just than this? My
brother, do you want others to insult you, slander you, envy you, belittle you,
or judge you? No. Why do you not want these things? Because they are all
morally wrong. Then neither should you do them to your brother, to your father,
or to anyone else. Put yourself in the position of the person you would like to
hurt, and perhaps you will become more sensitive to his feelings and refrain
from doing so. All the wisdom of the world is contained in this commandment,
which is the measure of justice. If people in a society put this commandment
into practice, there would be no malice, ingratitude, theft, deceit, envy, or
murder. For this to become a reality, we must not wait for everyone else to
make the first move. I must make the beginning myself—that is, each one of us
must do so. And if even a single person succeeds in making this principle a
part of his life, with the aim of attaining union with God, then he will be
able to transform an entire society.
Indeed, countless wise men and
scientists have passed through this world. Yet who has managed to offer a
remedy for the suffering of those who have suffered unjustly, who have been
unjustly persecuted, who have been unjustly imprisoned, whose loved ones have
been murdered, or who have even been unjustly condemned to death? The wisdom of
this world and human reasoning prescribe revenge in order to restore justice
through punishment. In other words, the world proclaims: “We hate our enemies
and love our friends.” But then, what distinguishes the pious from the impious?
In opposition to this human rule, Christ puts forward the most revolutionary
teaching: “Love your enemies, do good to those who do evil to you.” Love and
kindness toward one's enemies are the seal of Christ. It is by this
characteristic that the Christian differs from the rest of the world. By
putting this commandment into practice, the person who believes in Christ
always emerges victorious, for integrity and magnanimity constitute a great victory
that makes the enemy feel defeated, while in other cases they may even bring
him to repentance and amendment of life.
I asked above who has provided a
remedy for the human suffering caused by injustice. Only Christ! People who had
suffered injustice decided to leave behind their initial anger (for anger
brings no solution, but only more anger), and not only did they alleviate their
suffering, but they also became stronger when they forgave their enemy and
reached the point of loving him. These people received the Grace of God
abundantly in their lives and regarded all the injustices and hardships they
had endured as blessings from God. After all, when a person takes the
responsibility of administering justice into his own hands through acts of
personal vengeance, he essentially sets God aside.
Today’s Gospel also makes
reference to lending, through which Christ wishes to teach us
non-possessiveness and freedom of the soul, saying: “If you lend only to those
from whom you expect to receive an equal amount in return, what do you gain for
your soul?” The act of lending constitutes almsgiving, just as doing good is an
expression of love when we expect nothing in return, for lending and love that
are based on self-interest rather than sacrifice are not genuine. Christ
sacrificed Himself for us without expecting anything in return.
Someone might reasonably ask: “If
we do not expect anything in return, then why should we make sacrifices by
loving our enemies and lending without receiving anything back?” It is
perfectly natural for a person not to undertake something unless he hopes to
gain something himself. Loving one’s enemy and lending to the poor—in essence,
almsgiving—is a great struggle, and like every struggle, it too has its reward.
Christ tells us this clearly: “If you do these things, your reward shall be
great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest.” If, then, we become
children of God, whom or what shall we fear? No one and nothing, for our
Heavenly Father protects us.
Beloved brethren,
When the Lord says that we are
the “salt of the earth,” He says this because the true Christian lives out love
for his enemies, doing good to those who are evil, and lending to the poor with
complete selflessness and self-denial. These actions preserve the salt that
will give flavor to the lives of our fellow men, even our enemies. Without
these actions, the salt loses its essential nature; that is, it remains “salt”
in name only and is essentially useless, unable to impart its beneficial
properties. Let us strive to preserve the precious salt of our souls by putting
into practice what we have heard today.
With prayers,
Your Bishop,
† Chrysostomos of Attica and
Boeotia
Greek
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