Father Gavril Galev: Many are called, but few are chosen – all depends on us
~+~
Through this parable, we can see the greatness of God, on one hand, and on the other hand is our lack of faith and smallness. You can see the love of God and our ingratitude. God opens doors for everyone. He gives us an equal opportunity for a pious, full-of-grace life on earth and to attain salvation in heaven, but it is not everyone that turns and accepts it. The choice ultimately remains as our personal choice, and, in accordance with the choice that we make, thereby we will live here on earth, and we will also inherit the same in the heavens.
Namely, the master of the wedding feast, the one who invites people, is God the Father. And we are those who were invited, the people, – first of all, the Orthodox Christians, or historically speaking, the chosen people of God, Israel. All were invited to come to the dinner that He prepared, and seemingly, as if they had made an agreement between themselves, they rejected the invitation, one after the other. Through these renunciations by the invited, one can see the enslavement of man by the three main passions: love-of-pleasures, covetousness and vainglory, which in fact are one and the same, the worst passion of self-love.
One of them told him I bought a field, excuse me, as I have to go see it. As if there are no other days in which he can go to see the field, so it must be that particular day. He forgets that if God had not given him the opportunity to save, to earn enough to buy it, he would never have bought the farm.
The other one bought five pairs of oxen and was going to test them. This individual also acted as if there are no other days when he can work on his farm, so it must be that particular day. By this action of his, it can be also perceived his attitude towards God. He also forgets that, if God does not grant him a good climate, rain in its season, sunshine, good days, good health and all that is needed, his field will produce thorns only.
The reasoning of the third individual is the most ludicrous: “I got married”. His excuse was that he just got married, so now he should be with his wife, as if he is getting married only for a day, a week, or a month, and not for a lifetime. And then, when the grace of that initial period of marriage passes, when the husband and wife begin to confront each other. The husband blames his wife for everything, he finds her faults, and he starts saying: she is like this, or that, and he even finds God at fault (the same applies to ungrateful wives). Instead of understanding life ascetically and being grateful to God for everything, they look for happiness in life of fulfilment of their carnal passions and therefore their life becomes empty and darkened.
Ultimately, all these people who have renounced God, actually have an erroneous relationship with Him, and because of that, they suffer.
When we properly synchronise our relationship with God, then we will have enough time for everything. We will have money to buy not just one field, but many more. Because those fields, that wealth, and the abundance of earthly goods (passions) will not harm us, therefore God will multiply the earthly goods for us. We will know how to be able to use those goods appropriately. We will know how to properly control our life, and not let them preoccupy us and capture our life, make us slaves, robots, monsters, etc.
That is why everything in our life should be arranged correctly. First of all, according to God’s two-fold commandment of love, let us praise and glorify God through our personal relationship with Him through the fulfilment of God’s commandments, through full-of-grace life, through the sacramental life, through the life of repentance, confession, prayer… Furthermore, let us have a proper, loving and personal relationship with all people. Let us respect each other, let us love each other, let us not exalt and not impose ourselves on one another, let us not judge and condemn, nor gossip, be jealous, envious, etc. And also, may our every relationship towards nature and towards every creation of God be righteous.
When we establish law and order in our hearts, in our minds, in our homes, then we will have prosperity here on earth. When we disrupt the proper order and relationship in the basic things of life, then everything else is disrupted. You know, when the foundations of the house are crooked, then the whole house is not as it should be. If we put the roof at the bottom, how will that building stand? If we park the car in the living room and not in the garage, we will not be able to function. Or if we put the shower cabin in the kitchen and not in the bathroom, how will we cook. Therefore, if we know where everything should stand in the house, so that the house can function properly, how can we not know to make the correct arrangement in our life?
Nevertheless, you see, God is merciful. His “heart” and His love are unbounded, which simply always gives us a new opportunity. In His home, there is always a place for all of us. He had called all the weak, and helpless, and sick, and yet there is still a place. This does not mean that even those who sinned in the beginning will not have a place in God’s house if they repent, there is a place for them and for all of us in His house. As long as we are alive here on earth, God gives us the opportunity for repentance and salvation.
These words of warning through the parable spoken by the Saviour also apply to us, today’s Christians. Although we call ourselves great Christians, yet our life does not fully conform to God’s commandments.
Many of today’s Orthodox Christians do not regularly go to Liturgy on Sundays and to the feasts, and even those who do come, do not come on time. When with the initial exclamation of the priest: “Blessed is the kingdom”, the earthly Church ascends and unites with the Heavenly Church (Which is actually one) in the Kingdom of God, most of the time our temples are empty, and one by one, irresponsibly and without concern of conscience we drag ourselves along. But the very next day, Monday, no one is late to their workplace in the factories and offices. And again, you can see, how we have no dedication towards God, and yet God receives us again and does not reject those who come late.
Likewise, when our Spiritual Father gives us some task and needs some help from us, and we, one by one, just like the examples from today’s Gospel, renounce his request (him) under the pretext of various reasons, in that way, we ourselves, actually renounce God, and abandon the grace of God. However, the heart of the spiritual father is wide open to receive the one who has renounced him, so as to help him.
And that is how everything is in our life. God gives each of us the freedom to decide for ourselves. His love for everyone is equal, the sun shines equally for everyone and He sends the rain for everyone equally, but not all of us equally use and benefit from these treasures of His. It all depends on us. As much as we will accept God to be present in our hearts, that is, as much as we will give priority to God in our life, and not to ourselves and our passions, – thus God will be with us. He fully respects our freedom. Accordingly, we will be among those who were invited and did not go, or, those who are few and chosen. In essence, the choice is ours.
Father Gavril Galev
Abbot of the Monastery “Saint Clement of Ohrid”,
Kinglake, Melbourne, Australia
