Homily Two for the Holy Theophany of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ
By St. John of Kronstadt
By St. John of Kronstadt
Today, beloved brethren, the Holy Church has offered us a very edifying reading from the Apostle, namely, from the Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to Titus. Here is the reading:
"Brethren! the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright, and pious lives in this world, awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of the great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for Himself a people of His own who are zealous for good deeds. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit, which He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we might be justified by His grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life” (Titus 2:11–15; 3:1–7).
Here is today's reading from the Apostle. The Apostle speaks of the grace or mercy and power of God, i.e. the power of Christ, saving for all people, not excluding anyone who has received this grace. If this saving grace had not appeared through Jesus Christ and only in Him, then no one, not a single person, would have been saved, and all would have perished forever in sins, for sin naturally gives birth to death – temporal and eternal. But now saving grace has appeared to all men, and all who believe and submit to it can be saved; no one can excuse themselves by impossibility or inability. This saving grace is in the Church of Christ; hold on to it, fulfill its precepts and commandments, participate in its Mysteries and Divine Services - and you will certainly be saved.
And so, the saving grace of God requires of us that we, having rejected impiety, that is, coldness and alienation from God, self-love and all worldly and fleshly lusts, strive to live righteously, chastely and piously in the present age, expecting the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Speaking of the present age, the Apostle has in mind another age, the future, which has no end, as is evident at the end of the present reading, and also in the words that follow; for further he says that we must all expect the blessed hope, that is, resurrection of the dead, the general judgment, the life of the future age and the manifestation of the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, meaning by the manifestation of the glory of Christ His second coming in the awesome glory of the Heavenly Father, when all the peoples and tribes of the earth will see His eternal glory and cannot but recognize Him as God, although then He will be for many only God the Avenger and a terrible Judge. The Apostle further says that Jesus Christ gave Himself for us, that is, having appeared in the world in the form of a man, fulfilled for us all the righteousness of God, taught us piety, suffered, died and rose again for us and gave us all the strength for a righteous life in order to deliver us from all lawlessness and cleanse for Himself a special people, zealous for good deeds.
Here we, brothers and sisters, have the happiness of being a special people – the people of Christ. But I ask, are we really a special people in life and deeds, are we zealous for good deeds? Are we not hasty and zealous to sin? – Very often. But may God preserve us from haste to sin, may this not happen to any of us; on the contrary, let us hasten to every good deed. Further, the Apostle reminds us of the good deeds that Christians must perform, namely, obedience to superiors and authorities, readiness for every good deed, for example, self-denial out of love for God and neighbor, mercy and mutual assistance; about not slandering, not scolding, not abusing neighbors with abusive words in anger and malice, not being quarrelsome or ill-tempered, unyielding, but quiet and meek to everyone. For this, the God-wise Apostle confesses over himself the great mercy of God, that his Lord saved him not for the works of righteousness that he had previously done, for he too was once senseless, i.e. when he was still a persecutor of the Church of God, disobedient, deluded, a slave to lusts and various pleasures, living in malice and envy, was vile and hated Christians; but in His mercy the Lord pulled him out of the abyss of destruction and washed him with the washing of rebirth, that is, baptism and renewal of the Holy Spirit, Whom the Heavenly Father poured out on him abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Savior - so that, being justified by His grace, both he and all Christians would become, according to hope, heirs of eternal life.
And so away from us the dark senselessness in matters of piety, characteristic of unenlightened pagans walking in darkness and the shadow of death, let us cast away far from ourselves disobedience, lusts and various unlawful stupid and crude pleasures, malice and envy, all vile deeds and hatred towards one another; and let us live in love and mutual assistance and in all piety and purity; let us be a special people, zealous for good deeds. Let us always remember that a holy life is required of us - our life must differ from the life of Mohammedans and Jews, as heaven from earth; we must live on earth heavenly, as children of God; our love for God and neighbor must be ardent, unhypocritical, unselfish, firm, constant; we must constantly preserve purity and chastity, abstinence, do all righteousness, hate lies; to show meekness and patience to all. "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
