Great Thursday – Father Gavril Galev
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We have read the Gospels of the Passion of the Lord and what can be said, or, to be more precise, it is better to keep silent, because, in truth, we do not have a word with which we could justify ourselves, because if we too were in that historical time and space, I do not believe that we would have been there under the cross, where stood His Mother and His beloved disciple Saint John. But, discerning by our life, we too would scatter like the other apostles, we would renounce Christ like Peter, as did the Jews we would shout crucify Him, crucify Him, as did the Roman soldiers we would mock Him, or just as Pilate did, we would wash our hands and condemn Christ.
This testifies that we can imagine ourselves as to be on who knows what spiritual level, but our actions, above all, our words and thoughts testify that we are still fallen down, that we are with those who crucified Christ and that to this day we crucify Him with our sins and transgressions.
But the Lord gave us repentance, that is why He promised Peter, He gave him a sign, when he hears the rooster crow to repent. Peter also did this, he cried bitterly. There is a tradition that whenever Peter heard the rooster in the morning, he wept every morning because of his sin. However, the question arises, do we follow Peter in repentance?
Do we, when we discern a sign from God, repent? Do we repent and weep bitterly or do we resist and sin persistently? And in the end, will we be like His beloved son, the beloved disciple Saint John, who stayed with Christ until the end of his life, and never renounce Christ.
Saint John is the disciple who witnessed, who wrote the most about all these events. He did not renounce Christ and did not fall down even in the moments of “weakness” of his Teacher. Even when they humiliated and beat Him. Not even when He was tried. Not even when they crucified Him. And yet again, not even when they buried Him. He was always by his Teacher’s side and always loved Him, and he never doubted that He is the chosen Messiah, Saviour and God. This is how we should be.
And are we like that? How many times have we renounced Him and have gone astray whilst being in various situations? And we can say again, do we fulfil His word, do we fulfil His Gospel? And if we are honest, we will admit that the answer is negative. Unfortunately, we have reached the point where we even hate our neighbours, let alone those who have offended us, hurt us, or, for whom it is necessary, as it is said, as Christ who laid down His soul for His enemies, that we should also lay down our soul.
Notwithstanding this, the Lord has given us these days, through the Church, in order to remind ourselves and offer humility, repentance and love, so that in that way we may actually purify our hearts. So we can feel the God’s mercy, and, feel our smallness and His greatness, that we may feel our irresponsibility, our ingratitude, that we may feel His mercy and love, His grace, and finally to enlighten our minds and know the true God, to know the truth, to walk in the truth, to live a holy life as Christ lived on earth, in fact, that is why He came into the world, to show us how a true man should truly live, and not like Adam who, because of his pride and vanity and love-of-pleasures fell, and led the whole world into suffering and ruin.
But let us not despair because Christ Has risen and He Has given us hope.
Father Gavril Galev
Abbot of the Monastery “St. Clement of Ohrid”,
Kinglake, Melbourne, Australia
02 / 05 / 2024
