Sunday After Christmas:
Faith and Love
By Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi
Faith and Love
By Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi
Today we celebrate Saint Joseph the Betrothed, David the King, and James the Brother of God, who indeed were related to Christ, since Christ, as man, descends from them, and they belong to the choir of the forefathers. In particular, Saint Joseph the Betrothed — who was also the guardian of the Virgin and contributed so greatly to the mystery of the divine economy. These Saints “were justified by faith.”
In the days of our Lord’s presence, these faithful people were tested far more strictly than the people of the Old Testament; for while they were expecting the Messiah, they were expecting something different from what they actually saw. They did not expect to see a simple infant held by a young mother — poor, despised, without any support or human assistance. They never expected to see such paradoxical things. For, expecting the Messiah “from the root of Jesse and from the loins of David,” they anticipated a king with authority and aspirations of dominion, with material and worldly splendor. That is why, when they began to understand somewhat that Christ was the Messiah, they ran to make Him king — and He withdrew from them.





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