Reminder – Metropolitan of Strumica Naum
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“For if anyone thinks of himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.”
Today’s apostolic reading (Gal. 6: 3) reminds me of the small number of “Christians” who, because of their inner spiritual division and interconnectedness on that basis, behave as detached, not only from humanity – as a whole, but also from the Church Itself. And the perspective that emerges from that detachment, they are unsuccessfully attempting to impose as a theological-soteriological criterion; according to whom, let me get straight to the point, only they are orthodox and righteous, and only they defend the faith and the Church.
Obviously, they do not realize at all that they themselves also are active participants in the evil of this world. For example, they all buy fuel for their cars, i.e. they pay for the use of some kind of transportation, and in their misconception, they completely forget that they are paying with their own money all past, present, and future wars that were fought, and will be fought for that fuel, as well as all the murders and crimes in those wars.
This applies to literally everything a person pays for and buys today! Because everything we pay for and buy needs some kind of transportation, there is also some struggle with the competition for establishment of a monopoly; in that fight many dirty means are used – bribery, crime; abuse of political power, banks, social networks, etc and dirty deeds are committed; there are many personal and family tragedies in that struggle; not to mention the abuse and non-payment of the labour force and much more … And we pay for it all, even upfront. In a word: we are all accomplices in evil.
Now let me ask you, which normal person among us can think or say, he is clean from (without guilt of) these sins? And what normal person can think that he is saved because of his righteousness? This is simply the way of organised life and this is how our connection (entanglement) with sin has become over the centuries.
For one to consider themself pure from sin in this world should have nothing to do with this world, i.e. to live outside of it; outside of the entire established social-economic system, far from being enmeshed in the social media and networks. In today’s world, to present yourself as a Christian – defender of the faith, and not to have the feeling that you are actively participating in the sin of this world, is a great delusion, not to mention a high degree of demon possession!
And, if only that was all. We, as Christians, from the feeling, from the experience of catholicity, of the unity with all people, should have known, if nothing else, that we partake in the guilt of all the sins of our neighbours, in the guilt of all the evil that you can imagine to be happening in this world. And if we were to be an example, in person, of faith, of love, of prayer, of struggle, of good deeds, surely there would have been much less evil in the world than there is now. But we are not, and the world is as it is. We should have realize our sin and repented of it.
So, on the one hand, we live in this world and automatically partake in its evil, on the other hand, we are not an example of faith, love, prayer, struggle, good deeds, in a word – of holiness. Thus, our basic characteristic should have been humility, not with burning (boiled) blood.
Do we comprehend now, if we are not mentally ill, that there is nothing of our righteousness? Only the mercy of God makes us true and spotless, righteous, and saved, even though we ourselves are not. And we receive God’s mercy, as a gift, within the Church, where we partake of the most-pure Body and Blood of Christ. Do you see? We do not save the Church, but the Church saves us.
If we perceived from the “humble attitude” of today’s “defenders of the faith” some kind of an awareness that their sin comes out from the modern universal human connection and systemic networking, as well as from the catholic responsibility, we would have believed them – that they are really concerned about the purity of the faith. But they, although ordinary sinners, set themselves up as competent judges, and cling to insignificant, or presumed, or non-existent problems, and, even real problems, (but those real problems need appropriate treatment), and they make divisions in the Church. They do not understand that they confuse and kill human souls spiritually. The goal of the demons is to divide into small pieces and weaken the Christian community as much as possible before the final showdown, and such “defenders of the faith” enable the demons. For that, may they forgive us, but we will not trust them.
And do you see now, how small are the actual tribulation (temptations) in relation to the sins for which we are responsible and for which we must repent? Not to mention the actual guilt for the temptations.
Most Holy Theotoks, save us!
Metropolitan of Strumica, Naum
(06.10.2021 17:28)
