Homily One for the Sunday After Theophany
(or Sunday After Enlightenment)
St. John of Kronstadt
(or Sunday After Enlightenment)
St. John of Kronstadt
"The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death, Light has dawned" (Matt. 4:16, Is. 9:2).
Thus the Prophet Isaiah once spoke, foreseeing by the Spirit of God the coming into the world of the unfading Light – Christ. Five hundred years after this prophetic vision, the people sitting in darkness actually saw a great light, and among those who sat in the region and shadow of death by their very deeds a great light shone. But what is this darkness and what is this light that the Prophet speaks of here? The darkness mentioned in this prophecy is spiritual darkness, much worse than ordinary darkness; the darkness of ignorance of the true God, the deep darkness of superstition and idolatry. Such spiritual darkness embraced all idolaters before the appearance of the radiant Sun of truth on earth, and once upon our ancestors – the Russians, as well as all people, excluding the people of God, the chosen people, the Jews. These people, sitting in darkness, saw, with the coming into the world of the Son of God, that great light which shines in the darkness and the darkness does not comprehend it (Jn. 1:5), they saw that life-giving Source of all light, which is Christ the Lord, who by His coming to earth dispelled the deep darkness of ignorance of the true God everywhere and called people from darkness into the marvelous light of true knowledge of God.
And what terrible consequences, my brethren, there were for the human race from this dark night of ignorance, which for so long covered the ancient world. Running through our thoughts the time before the birth of the Savior, we meet here people who were guided in life and faith by their own darkened minds and corrupted hearts, by their passions, immersed in wickedness and depravity. At that time, according to the word of the Prophet, they joined themselves to the senseless cattle and became like them (Ps. 48:13), among them there was no one doing good, there was not even one (Ps. 13:3). Faith in the one true God, the Most Holy Being, had no place, with the exception of the Jewish people, among the people of those times. The glory of the incorruptible God was changed into the likeness of the image of the corruptible man, and birds, and four-legged creatures, and reptiles (Rom. 1:23). People did not know their Creator and gave the honor due to Him to various creatures, which themselves should serve their Creator. Instead of worshiping and serving with fear and trembling the Master and Judge of the world, man bowed down to the creature, said to the tree: "You are my father," and to the stone: "You have begotten me" (Jer. 2:27).
Being so grossly mistaken in their faith in God, people were no less mistaken in regard to themselves, believing the purpose of their lives to be in pleasure, as many do now, only in perishable and fleeting goods, not knowing why they were called to live in this world, not knowing the dignity and high purpose of their souls. That is why they led an impious and depraved life, like the life of senseless beasts. The devil, this age-old enemy of human salvation, exhausted all his hellish cunning, all his evil efforts, so that from his dark region he would pave the way for all vices into the poor human race, who "loved darkness more than light" (Jn. 3:19). According to the word of the Apostle, people at that time "walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries" (1 Pet. 4:3). And this wickedness, this debauchery made them sons of perdition, the prey of hell. There was no Deliverer; He had not yet appeared. The best of the people of that time, it is true, sometimes rose significantly above their contemporaries by a certain purity of their thoughts and feelings, by some knowledge of the true God, of the goal and purpose of the human soul, and therefore they even tried, according to their strength, to please Him. But they too were not alien to errors and vices of another kind, inseparable from the ubiquitous darkness of idolatry. But the main thing is that they could never by their own efforts reach the proper knowledge of the true God, they had no faith in the future Redeemer of men, which alone justified man before the judgment of God's truth; there was no "Light which gives light to every man coming into the world" (Jn. 1:9), and therefore there was no possibility for them of salvation.
Such, my brethren, are the truly terrible and deplorable consequences of this terrible night of ignorance! But now the predetermined end of time is coming. The corruption of people has reached its last extreme. Man himself feels complete impotence and exhaustion in the struggle with sin and strongly desires and expects higher help - and the merciful God sends His Only Begotten Son to earth: to give omnipotent help to completely exhausted and needy humanity, to disperse the thick darkness that covered humanity and to illuminate those sitting in the darkness and shadow of death with the light of His Divine wisdom. Here He is coming to resolve the condemnation of the first-created Adam, whose crime cast all his descendants into this darkness, and He Himself, as God, not needing purification, cleanses fallen man in the Jordan, in which, having killed the enmity that separated man from God with an impassable abyss, He grants people a peace that surpasses all understanding. They are enlightened by Holy Baptism and already begin to taste that spiritual, heavenly peace that the Savior promises to all who labor and are burdened in this world. People no longer follow their own passions in their lives and, like lost sheep who have again received a Good Shepherd, follow His voice and go by Him. Instead of the former likeness to senseless cattle, the lost likeness of God now appears in them in all its purity and power; instead of the distorted image of God, an image appears, restored in all its grandeur, so that people become a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people" (1 Pet. 2:9) – and become capable of showing virtues in their own lives.
Faith in the one, true God is established in the human race; it quickly spreads through cities, entire kingdoms, throughout the whole world. Already the Apostle of the Gentiles thanks the Roman Christians for the fact that their faith is preached throughout the whole world (Rom. 1:8); already the other Apostles joyfully greet their numerous Churches with the knowledge of the Light of truth. All nations strive to worthily worship the one, incorruptible, invisible, immortal God and, having come to know His infinite greatness and holiness, no longer change His glory into the likeness of the image of the corruptible man and birds and four-footed creatures and reptiles (Rom. 1:23). People now know well themselves, their soul, its heavenly origin and high purpose in the future; they know that God has given them eternal life and this life is in His Son; that great and precious promises have been given to us, so that through them we may become partakers of the Divine nature, having departed from the corruption that is in the world through lust (2 Pet. 1:4). The world, which "lies under the sway of the wicked one" (1 Jn. 5:19), with the coming to earth of the Source of all good, gradually begins to emerge from the depths of evil. The darkness passes, and the true Light already shines (1 Jn. 2:8). People are joyfully hastening to be enlightened by Him and are seeking to enjoy His saving fruits. The works of the devil are destroyed; the times of his dark dominion over the world are past; heaven is reconciled with the earth; the kingdom of God has come near for people; instead of children of wrath they are called sons of God. Man has been granted all the Divine powers that lead to life and piety (2 Pet. 1:3), and it has depended and now depends exclusively on his will to be either a member of the heavenly kingdom or the prey of hell. Such are truly the most saving and comforting consequences of this heavenly Light, which has illuminated those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death!
My brethren! At our very entry into the world, we are illumined by Holy Baptism; from our very birth we bear on ourselves the sacred name of Christians, we are called sons of light. It seems that none of us wants to count ourselves among those poor people who once sat in darkness and of whom there are still some to this day; no one thinks of himself that, despite the high title of Christian, he remains in darkness, especially the so-called enlightened people, with the modern gloss of education. But, brethren, the word of God indicates among us also those who, although Christians, remain in darkness. Who are these unfortunates? They are those of us who hate our brother! Yes, brethren, this is truly a bitter truth and it seems difficult to believe that in the light of the knowledge of God we remain in darkness. Nevertheless, however, this is an undoubted truth. Not to mention whether we accept with our mind and heart and with all our soul all the dogmas of our holy faith, whether we try to increase by our good works the grace imparted to us in the mysteries of the Church, or whether we criminally abuse these mysteries and thereby, therefore, condemn ourselves to remain in darkness, because we do not do the works of faith. Not to mention all this, let us listen to what the beloved friend of Christ, John, says this time, and whom he places in darkness; he who says to himself that he is in the light, says the Apostle of God, but who hates his brother is still in darkness
We are all brethren one to another in Christ! Who will not agree that the sin of hatred towards one's neighbor is almost the most common, very often, much more often than other sins, repeated among us? And how many different kinds of this sin are there? Do not envy, blaspheme, slander, murder and many others come from one main root - hatred? Yes, these sins reign most of all in the human race. If we add to this that love for one's neighbor is closely connected with love for God, so that whoever, according to the Apostle, does not love his brother cannot love God, then we will agree that all those who hate their neighbors remain in darkness to this day. A terrible truth!
What should we do, brethren, to belong in all justice to the flock of Christ, to people walking in the light? What means shall we choose for this? Spiritual illnesses, like physical illnesses, are mostly cured by means directly opposite to them. Therefore, the real illness – hatred – can and should be treated in the same way. If hatred towards one’s neighbor is the reason why we remain in darkness, then love – a virtue completely opposite to hatred – can put us in the light. Love is the beginning and soul of all virtues, and therefore he who has it will do everything necessary for his stay in the light, to fulfill the whole law: because "love," as the Apostle Paul says, "is the fulfillment of the law" (Rom. 13:10). And he who fulfills the law of Christ is a grace-filled son of God, and, consequently, a son of the grace-filled Light.
Christ the King, Holy Light, Who turns from the darkness of ignorance those who sing to You with faith! Enlighten us with Your commandments and the light of Your countenance, and grant Your peace to us who cry out to You from the darkness of sin. Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
