Homily for the 3rd week after Pentecost

“Do not worry about your soul, what you eat or what you drink, nor about your body, what you put on” (Matthew 6:25). How can one not take care of what is necessary for earthly life? How not to worry about food and clothing? Our clothes are not sewn by themselves, our food is not prepared by itself; our houses are not built by themselves and do not heat up in the cold. In addition, earthly things can be used for the benefit of eternal life: with them we can serve our neighbor in his needs, we can use them for the service of God. What concerns about earthly things does our Lord not command a Christian to have? Concerns about earthly things are then criminal in a Christian when he seeks earthly things without thinking about God’s providence. Then his concerns are the concerns of a pagan who did not know the true God and did not have firm faith in His providence. And how many there are today toilers of the earth who work on the earth without thinking about God! Although God has not left them today without food and clothing; although he invisibly and inexplicably gave them help in the most extreme needs: however, they all look with anxiety at the future, as if the future depends on their worries. Another says: now I have few children, and they require a lot of care. What will happen to me when there are many of them? Now the children are still small, and there is so much going on for them. What will I do when they grow up? What if I get sick or die: who will feed the children? Another has no children and is also worried about the future, I will grow old and will not be able to work - but there are no children: who will feed me? Judge whether such worries suit a Christian? They worry about the fate of what does not yet exist, they worry as if everything in the world is not passing by their worries and worries. “Every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). “Who... took care of you and can add one lick to his age?” Will He, the All-Good One, when He gave birth to your children, leave them to die of hunger? Or does He, the Almighty, not know that childless old age needs food? “This is the message...your heavenly Father, that you require all these things” (Matthew 6:27, 32). Work in peace of conscience, but do not forget that the success of every undertaking depends on God. Therefore, pray before starting a task for its success, pray at the end of a task, giving thanks for the end. Any concern we have for earthly things, without trust in God’s providence, is sin and makes us unworthy of God’s blessing. Further, our worries about earthly things are criminal even when we want to have more earthly goods than we need for our short life. How much does a person need on earth? Do we not hear how the children of nature are content with too little? And are there many among us whose wealth is limited and almost poor, and who live in peace? Why the anxiety of others who are endowed with much in abundance? Why, when they own much, do they say, “We have not enough?” Because these people are whimsical, because in addition to the needs of nature, they have invented or acquired for themselves many of their own needs - the needs of insatiable passions. They have clothing to cover their bodies from the harmful effects of the elements; but that’s not enough for them; they want to have rich clothes, and not just one, but two and three. They have healthy and fresh food, but they do not like simple food, they need refined food; They also have money to purchase other necessities of life, but give them a lot of gold. Judge whether such behavior is appropriate for a Christian, whose desires should be moderate and needs limited? Or is this not the behavior of a pagan whose passions are unbridled, whose desires are limitless? The Apostle instructs Christians: “having... food and clothing, we will be content with these” (1 Tim. 6:8). To desire earthly things more than is necessary for earthly life can only be a passion for the earth. Are earthly goods worth being addicted to? They are all so unreliable, they rot and deteriorate, they burn and drown, they are kidnapped and disappear. All of them only amuse the soul for a while, but do not give it either happiness or peace; Moreover, for the momentary pleasures of them, the soul pays with anxieties of conscience, a feeling of emptiness and boredom; and with others it happens even worse - for others the excess of earthly goods completely bewilders: it leads to oblivion of God, to luxury and dissipation, to pride and arrogance, to cruelty and inhumanity in relation to others. Sad, pathetic state! That is why the apostle says: “Be ye those who take advantage of the world... as if they were not taken advantage of; For the image of this world is passing away” (1 Cor. 7:31). Should we say that worries about earthly things are extremely criminal when, to acquire temporary goods, not honest labor, not the service of conscience, but criminal means are used? In this case, caring for earthly things would not be approved by another pagan. The state rewards the work of an official with a salary and provides him with a pension for his old age. But others, in order to enrich themselves, deceive their superiors, distort the truth, cover up the guilty and subject the innocent to trial and condemnation. Is this a Christian thing? Some traders, wanting to make a quick profit, charge triple the price for goods and labor compared to what they are worth. Is this a matter of Christian conscience? Another worker secretly robs his owner, who pays him a fair wage for his work, and without whom he, perhaps, would not have bread. Isn't this the work of a bad pagan? Others do not want to know the commandments of the Apostle: “If anyone does not want to do something, let him eat” (2 Thess. 3:10); they live idlely, run around working and deceive people in the name of the Lord in order to receive money to satisfy bad habits. ABOUT! how severely they will be judged at the judgment of God. Everything acquired through unrighteousness will be food for the fire of hell, which will burn the doer of unrighteousness. The only salvation from the eternal misfortune of the unfortunate is to return what was taken untruthfully to the rightful owner; and Christianity proposes that what has been acquired through untruth, after satisfying the offended, should be distributed to the poor. “Seek... first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all this will be added to you,” said the Savior (Matthew 6:33). Concerns about earthly things must be preceded in us by concerns about heavenly things; Before concerns about the home and body, concerns about eternal salvation should take first place. What is more valuable: the soul or the body, the earth or the sky? If we observe the legal order in the desires of the eternal and temporary, then thoughts about earthly things will be holy. Moreover, the Lord loves us so much that in this case he takes upon himself to prepare everything we need. As soon as you seek the eternal salvation of your soul, what you need for your body will be provided. That is why those who work day and night for the earth are all the more pitiful, all the more unjust, but do not remember heaven even on Sunday; and they spend money and labor to clothe and feed their family decently, but to decorate themselves and their family with a sacrifice for the church, with alms, is not even on their minds. The scripture very correctly calls them “the sons of this age” (Luke 16:8): they live according to the spirit of the time and for the time - they chase the wind, fame, glory, but they have no time to think about their eternity. What a sad situation! What awaits them beyond the grave? Brethren, “beware... how dangerously you walk, not as if you were unwise, but as if you were wise, understanding what is the will of God” (Eph. 5:15). Living according to the will of God we can be happy both on earth and in eternity. But by chasing after earthly blessings not in accordance with the will of God, we are preparing only grief for ourselves. Let us be smart for our peace. Amen. You might be interested in: