Εἰς τὸ ὅνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος
Κάθε ἑβδομάδα, αὐτὴ τὴν περίοδο τῆς προετοιμασίας μας γιὰ τὴν Μ. Τεσσαρακοστή, ἀκοῦμε παραβολὲς στὶς ὁποῖες βλέπουμε τὴ ζωὴ τόσο καθαρά, μὲ τέτοια σαφήνεια, τόσο ρεαλιστικά, καὶ ταυτόχρονα εἶναι γιὰ ἐμᾶς μιὰ αὐστηρὴ προειδοποίηση∙ ὅτι δὲν ὑπάρχει μέση ὁδός, ἀνάμεσα στὴν ζωὴ καὶ τὸν θάνατο, ὅτι μπορεῖ νὰ ζοῦμε στὴ γῆ μέσα στὸ σούρουπο τῆς λήθης, ἀλλὰ, θὰ ἔρθει κάποια στιγμὴ ποὺ τὸ φῶς θὰ λάμψει ἐμπρός μας καὶ θὰ φανεῖ ξεκάθαρα ἂν ἐμεῖς εἴμασταν παιδιὰ τοῦ φωτὸς ἢ αἰχμάλωτοι τοῦ σκότους. Καὶ τὸ κορυφαῖο σημεῖο ποὺ θὰ μᾶς ὁδηγήσει ἐκεῖ, εἶναι ἡ ἀνάγνωση τοῦ Κανόνα τοῦ Ἁγίου Ἀνδρέα Κρήτης, ὅπου τόσο δυνατὰ παρουσιάζεται ἡ ἁμαρτία καὶ ἡ μετάνοια.
Ἀλλὰ τώρα, μπαίνουμε σὲ μιὰ καινούργια φάση τῆς προετοιμασίας μας γιὰ τὸ Πάσχα∙ μπαίνουμε στὴν Μ.Τεσσαρακοστή, μιὰ παλιὰ λέξη ποὺ σημαίνει «ἄνοιξη», ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς ζωῆς· μία περίοδος, ὅπου δὲν θὰ μποροῦμε πιὰ νὰ ζοῦμε στὸ σκοτάδι ποὺ ἔχει ἀκόμα δύναμη ἐπάνω μας, ἀλλὰ μέσα στὸ φῶς τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὸ φῶς ποὺ διαλύει τὸ σκοτάδι, τὸ φῶς ποὺ κάνει τὰ πάντα νὰ ἀστράφτουν, σύμφωνα μὲ τὰ λόγια του Χριστοῦ.
Σήμερα, θυμόμαστε κι ἑορτάζουμε τὸν θρίαμβο τῆς Ὀρθοδοξίας, τὴν ἡμέρα ποὺ ἡ Ἐκκλησία στὴν τελευταία Οἰκουμενικὴ Σύνοδο, τὸν ἕνατο αἰώνα, ἀναγνώρισε καὶ διακήρυξε ὅλα ἐκεῖνα ποὺ εἶναι οὐσιώδη γιὰ τὴν Χριστιανικὴ πίστη. Κι αὐτὰ ποὺ διακηρύχθηκαν, ἦταν ἡ ἐλπίδα, ἡ ἀπόλυτη, ἡ ἀδιάσειστη ἐλπίδα ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἔγινε ἄνθρωπος· ὁ Θεὸς ἐπέλεξε, μέσα ἀπὸ μιὰ πράξη ἀγάπης, ὅσο ἁμαρτωλοί, πεσμένοι στὸ κακό κι ἄν εἴμασταν, ἔχοντας ἁμαυρώσει τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ Θεοῦ μέσα μας, διάλεξε νὰ γίνει ἄνθρωπος γιὰ νὰ ἀναλάβει τὴν εὐθύνη, ναί, τὴν εὐθύνη μας καὶ τὴν ἐλευθερία ποὺ μας πρόσφερε ὡς ἀπόλυτη προϋπόθεση γιὰ ν’ ἀγαπᾶμε καὶ νὰ ἐπιλέγουμε τὴν ἀγάπη, ἀντὶ γιὰ τὸν θάνατο, ἀλλὰ, αὐτὸ εἶναι ταυτόχρονα ἡ τρομερὴ κατάσταση στὴν ὁποία ἔχουμε περιέλθει μετὰ τὴν πτώση μας.
Σήμερα διαβάσαμε τὴν Εὐαγγελικὴ περικοπὴ, ὅπου ὁ Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης διακηρύττει, μέσα ἀπὸ τὰ λόγια τοῦ Ναθαναήλ, ὅτι ὁ Χριστὸς εἶναι ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ Βασιλιὰς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, ὅτι ἦρθε ἡ Σωτηρία μας, ὁ Θεὸς βρίσκεται ἀναμεσά μας, κι ὅλα εἶναι δυνατά, μόνο ἂν πιστέψουμε.
Ἀκούσαμε σήμερα στὸ Ἀποστολικὸ κείμενο, πὼς πρὶν ἀπὸ ἐμᾶς, ἑκατομμύρια ἄνθρωποι πίστεψαν τὸ ἀδιανόητο ∙ ὅτι ὁ Χριστός, ὁ Θεός, μπορεῖ νὰ μᾶς ἀγαπᾶ θυσιαστικὰ, μὲ τὴν Ζωή Του καὶ τὸν Θάνατό Του, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς μπορεῖ νὰ μᾶς ἀγαπᾶ, ὅσο κι ἂν νοιώθουμε ἀνάξιοι τῆς ἀγάπης Του. Κληθήκαμε νὰ πιστέψουμε στὸ ἀπίστευτο, νὰ βεβαιωθοῦμε ὅτι ἡ καρδιὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἶναι τόσο βαθιά, ὥστε νὰ μᾶς χωράει ὅλους, ὅτι Ἐκεῖνος ἔγινε ἄνθρωπος, ὄχι μόνο γιὰ νὰ μοιραστεῖ τὴν ἁμαρτία μας καὶ τὸν τρόμο μας άπὸ τὴν ἀπώλεια τοῦ Θεοῦ: «Θεέ μου, Θεέ μου, ἵνα τί μὲ ἐγκατέλειπες;…» ἀλλὰ εἶναι ἕτοιμος νὰ μᾶς ἀναζητήσει, νὰ μᾶς πάρει στοὺς ὥμους Του, ὅπως παίρνει ὁ βοσκὸς τὸ χαμένο πρόβατο, ἢ ἂν χρειαστεῖ, ὅπως τὴν Μ. Ἑβδομάδα σήκωσε τὸν Σταυρό Του, νὰ λυγίσει κάτω ἀπὸ τὸ βάρος του, νὰ σταυρωθεῖ, καὶ ἐπειδὴ θυσιάζει ἐλεύθερα τὴν ζωή Του, μπορεῖ νὰ βρεῖ τὴν δύναμη νὰ μᾶς συγχωρέσει: «..Πάτερ, ἄφες αὐτοῖς, οὐ γὰρ οἴδασι τί ποιοῦσι ..».
Καὶ τώρα, ἀργὰ στρέφουμε τὸ βλέμμα μας πρὸς τὴν Μ. Ἑβδομάδα· ἀλλὰ δὲν εἶναι μία περίοδος ποὺ πρέπει νὰ μᾶς τρομἀζει∙ ξέρουμε ὅτι θὰ γεμίσει μὲ τὴν δόξα τοῦ Ἀναστημένου Χριστοῦ, ὅτι εἶναι ἡ ἑβδομάδα ποὺ βρισκόμαστε ὅλοι μας ἐνώπιον τῆς Θείας ἀγάπης, τοῦ βάθους τῆς Θείας ἀγάπης, μιᾶς ἀγάπης ποὺ ἀπευθύνεται στὸν καθένα μας.
Καὶ θὰ δοῦμε στὴν διάρκεια αὐτῶν τῶν ἑβδομάδων ὅτι ὁ Κύριος βρίσκεται ἀνάμεσα μας, Αὐτὸς ποὺ εἶναι τὸ Φῶς βρίσκεται μέσα στὸ σύθαμπο τῆς ἱστορίας, ἤ στὸ σκοτάδι τῆς πιὸ σκοτεινῆς ψυχῆς καὶ στὶς πιὸ ἀπειλητικὲς καταστάσεις.
Ἂν αὐτὸ εἶναι ἀλήθεια, τότε ὅλα εἶναι δυνατά! Τότε πραγματικά, μποροῦμε νὰ πιστεύσουμε στὸ ἀδύνατο ! Και καθὼς θὰ περνᾶνε οἱ ἑβδομάδες, θὰ μᾶς ἀποκαλύπτονται τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τὴν ἑπόμενη ἑβδομάδα, τὴν ἡμέρα τοῦ Ἁγ. Γρηγορίου τοῦ Παλαμᾶ, θὰ τὸν ἀκούσουμε νὰ ὁμολογεῖ ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς, ὄχι μόνο μᾶς ἀγαπᾶ καὶ μᾶς φροντίζει, ἀλλὰ μᾶς δίνει καὶ τὴν Χάρη Του ποὺ μᾶς διαπερνᾶ, ὅπως ἡ Φλεγόμενη Βάτος στὴν ἔρημο ποὺ καιγόταν χωρὶς νὰ ἁναλώνεται, ἐπειδὴ ὁ Θεὸς δὲν καταστρέφει, ἐκτὸς ἂν στραφοῦμε ἐναντίον Του. Ναὶ, εἶναι τὸ πῦρ τὸ ἄσβεστον ποὺ κατακαίει τὰ πάντα, μέχρι νὰ Τὸν δεχτοῦμε μέσα μας. Ἄν γίνουμε ἀποδέκτες τῆς χάρης Του, τότε γινόμαστε μέτοχοι τῆς Θεϊκῆς Του φύσης, γεμίζουμε ἀπὸ τὴν ζωή Του, γινόμαστε ἕνα.
Αὐτὰ εἶναι τὰ δύο μηνύματα ποὺ παίρνουμε τώρα· καὶ τὸτε, θὰ δοῦμε ὅτι ὁ Ἅγ, Ἰωάννης τῆς Κλίμακος μᾶς διδάσκει πῶς νὰ στρεφόμαστε στὸν Θεό, πῶς νὰ ὑπερβαίνουμε τὸ σκοτάδι ποὺ βρίσκεται μέσα μας. Καὶ θὰ μπορέσουμε νὰ δοῦμε τὸ ἀποτέλεσμα αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀγώνα, μέσα ἀπὸ τὴν κραυγὴ τῆς ψυχῆς, ἀπὸ τὴν πεῖνα γιὰ ζωὴ καὶ φῶς, στὸ πρόσωπο τῆς ὁσίας Μαρίας τῆς Αἰγυπτίας κι ἄλλων ἁμαρτωλῶν, ποὺ δέχτηκαν τὸν Χριστὸ καὶ μεταστράφηκαν, μεταμορφώθηκαν, σώθηκαν.
Αὐτὸς εἶναι ὁ δρόμος ποὺ ὁδηγεῖ στὴν Μ. Ἑβδομάδα, μία ἑβδομάδα τόσο ἱερή, ὅπου ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκφράστηκε ὄχι μὲ λέξεις, μὲ εὐχές, ὄχι μὲ συναισθήματα, ἀλλὰ μέσα ἀπὸ τὴν προοπτικὴ τῆς θυσιαστκῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ ἴδιου τοῦ Θεοῦ, νὰ γίνει ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, Υἱὸς τοῦ Ἀνθρώπου, ἐπειδὴ φύγαμε μακριά Του.
Πῶς μποροῦμε νὰ ἀνταποκριθοῦμε σὲ αὐτό; Ποιὸ εἶναι τὸ μήνυμα αὐτῆς τῆς περιόδου; Τὴν περίοδο στὴν ὁποία ἀναφέρθηκα, θα ἔρθουμε ἀντιμέτωποι μὲ τὴν κακία μέσα μας, θὰ βρεθοῦμε μπροστὰ στὴν πρόκληση νὰ δοῦμε τὸν ἑαυτό μας ὅπως εἶναι! Κι αὐτὸ εἶναι βέβαιο ὅτι θὰ συμβεῖ. Ἀλλὰ τώρα ἐρχόμαστε ἐνώπιον τῆς ἀνέκφραστης ὀμορφιᾶς κι ἐλπίδας: πῶς θὰ ἀπαντήσουμε σ’ αὐτὴν τὴν πρόκληση;
Μὲ εὐγνωμοσύνη! Ἡ Εὐγνωμοσύνη εἶναι ὁ ἑπόμενος σταθμός· ἡ εὐγνωμοσύνη πρέπει νὰ μᾶς συνέχει στὴν διάρκεια αὐτῆς τῆς ἑβδομάδας: εὐγνωμοσύνη, κι ἕνα αἴσθημα δέους∙ πῶς μπορεῖ ὁ Θεὸς νὰ εἶναι ὅπως ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ; Πῶς γίνεται νὰ μὲ ἀγαπάει, ἐνῶ ξέρω τὸν ἑαυτό μου, ἐνῶ μὲ ξέρουν οἱ ἄλλοι ποιὸς εἶμαι.
Ἂν αὐτὸ τὸ κατανοήσουμε, τότε,ἡ μόνη ἀπάντηση ποὺ μποροῦμε νὰ δώσουμε στὸν Θεὸ εἶναι ἡ εὐγνωμοσύνη. Κι ἐκφράζουμε τὴν εὐγνωμοσύνη μας, λέγοντας «Κύριε, παρὰ τὴν ἀδυναμία μου, τὶς ἀτέλειες,τὴν ἁμαρτωλοτητά μου, μὲ ὅλο τὸ βάθος τῆς εὐγνωμοσύνης μου σ΄Ἐσένα καὶ σὲ ὅ,τι ἔκανες γιὰ μένα, θα ἤθελα μὲ ὅλη μου τὴν δύναμη- ὅσο κι ἄν εἶμαι ἀσθενὴς κι ἀδύναμος – θὰ ἤθελα νὰ κάνω τὰ πάντα γιὰ νὰ σοῦ δείξω ὅτι ἔχω κατανοήσει τὸ μήνυμα τῆς ἀγάπης Σου, τὸ μήνυμα τοῦ Σταυροῦ, τὸ μήνυμα τοῦ ἐλέους Σου, ὅτι τὸ ἔχω καταλάβει μ’ ὅλο μου τὸ εἶναι καὶ θέλω νὰ ἔχω μιὰ ζωὴ ποὺ νὰ εἶναι χαρὰ γιὰ Σένα, παρηγοριὰ γιὰ τὸν Θεό!
Ὧ Θεέ μου! Νὰ πιστέψουμε ὅτι μποροῦμε νὰ τὸ κάνουμε! Θὰ τὸ κάνουμε; Ἂς σκεφτοῦμε τί κάνουμε γι’ αὐτό! Ἂς είσέλθουμε σ΄ αὐτὴν τὴν περίοδο τῆς Μ. Τεσσαρακοστῆς, ὅπως κάποιος ποὺ ζεῖ τὴν ἄνοιξη! Ἂς νοιώσουμε τὴν φρεσκάδα μ΄ εὐγνωμοσύνη, γιὰ νὰ δώσουμε χαρά στὸν Θεό. Καὶ κατόπιν θὰ ἀντικρύσουμε τὴν Μ. Ἑβδομάδα, ὄχι μὲσα ἀπὸ τὸν τρόμο ποὺ καταδικάζει τὸν ἀγνώμονα, τὸν δολοφόνο τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὄχι∙ ἀλλὰ σὰν τὴν τέλεια ἀποκάλυψη μιᾶς ἀγάπης ποὺ ἔχουμε κατανοήσει καὶ ἀποδεχτεῖ.
Ὦ, ἂς μαζέψουμε ὅλη μας τὴν δύναμη, κι ὅταν δὲν θὰ ἔχουμε κουράγιο, ἂς θυμηθοῦμε τὴν ὑπόσχεση τοῦ Χριστοῦ: «Ἡ γὰρ δύναμίς μου, ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ τελειοῦται,…», ὅπως ὁ Παῦλος ποὺ στήριζε τὴν ἀδυναμία του στὸν Θεό καὶ στὰ λόγια τοῦ Χριστοῦ: «Τὰ ἀδύνατα παρ’ ἀνθρώποις, δυνατά ἐστι τῷ Θεῷ..». Ἂς παραδοθοῦμε στὸν Θεὸ γιὰ νὰ Τοῦ δώσουμε χαρά! Κι ὅλα θὰ εἶναι κατὰ Θεὸν, ὅλα θὰ εἶναι καλά. Ἀμήν.
Πρωτότυπο Κείμενο
Triumph of Orthodoxy Sunday
4 March 1990
In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Week after week in the period of preparation for Lent, we have been confronted with parables in which our own condition is so clearly, so sharply, so accusingly depicted; and also with stern warnings that there is no middle way between the way of life and the way of death, that we can live on earth in a twilight of unconsciousness, but a moment will come when the full light will shine before us, and then it will become clear whether we, ourselves, have been children of light or prisoners of darkness. And the culminating point of this process is the reading of the Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete in which both sin and repentance are so powerfully depicted.
But now we enter into a new phase of our preparation for Easter; we enter into Lent which is an old word that means \’spring\’, the beginning of life; a period when we will no longer be confronted with our twilight or the darkness which still has power over us, but with the light of God, the light that dispels darkness, the light that makes all things to shine and to be light itself according to the word of Christ.
And today we remember the day of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, the day when the Church recognised in its last Ecumenical Council, in the 9th century, that all that was essential to the Christian faith had been proclaimed. And what had been proclaimed was our hope, our absolute, unshakeable hope, because what it proclaimed was that God had become Man; that God had chosen, in an act of love for us, of solidarity with us, however sinful, however fallen, however darkened we were, had chosen to become a man in our midst, taking responsibility yes, responsibility! for His act of creation performed without our ascent, and the freedom He gave us that is the absolute condition for our being able to love and to chose life rather than death, but at the same time which is the frightening condition of our fall.
And today we have read the Gospel, in which St. John proclaims, in the words of Nathaniel, that Christ is the Son of God, the King of Israel, that Salvation has come, that God is in our midst, that all things are possible if we only, if we only believe.
We have read or heard today in the Epistle how before us millions of people have believed in the unbelievable: that God can love us in such a way, that God can love each of us and all of us with His life and His death, that God can love us however unlovable we feel within ourselves and seem to others. We are called to believe the unbelievable, to be sure that God has a heart deep and wide enough to contain us; or, if you prefer, that His love is sacrificial; that He not only became a man to share with us all our condition, including the horror of having lost God: My God, My God, why hath Thou forsaken Me? but He is prepared day in day out to seek us out, to take us upon His shoulders as the shepherd takes the lost sheep, or if necessary, to take us upon His shoulder the way He, in Holy Week, took up His cross to walk, to fall under it, to be crucified upon it, and because in His free gift of Himself He could obtain the power to forgive: Forgive them, Father: They don\’t know what they are doing.
And we are looking now towards the vision of Holy Week, step after step; but this Holy Week is not a Week of horror: we know that this Holy Week is suffused with the glory of the risen Christ, that the Holy Week is a week when we are confronted, each of us, all of us together and singly, with love Divine, with the extent, the depth of Divine Love, a personal love, a love addressed to each of us.
And we will see in the course of these weeks two things: today, that God has come in our midst, He, the Light is in the midst of the twilight of history, or in the darkness of the darkest soul and the most sinisterly dark situation!
If that is true, then all things are possible! Then indeed we can believe the unbelievable! And more than this: we will be shown week after week what God can do. Next week, on the day of St. Gregory of Palamas, we will hear proclaimed by him the fact that God does not only cherish us as it were, from the outside, not but He gives us His grace which like fire pervades us, making us gradually, if we only accept it, to be like the Burning Bush in the desert that burnt without been consumed, because God does not consume, does not destroy, unless we turn against Him. Yes, He is the consuming fire until and unless we accept Him. But accepted, He makes us partakers of His Divine nature, He fills us with His own life, He is life itself in us, and we in Him.
These are the two messages that come now; and then we will see that St. John of the Ladder teaches us how to move Godwards, how to overcome the twilight or the darkness which is in us. And we can see the result of this struggle, of this cry of the soul, of this hunger for life and for light in the person of St. Mary of Egypt and of other sinners who received Christ and were transformed, transfigured, saved.
This is the way that leads us step by step to meet Holy Week, a Weak so holy when the love of God has been expressed not in words, not in blessings, not in tenderness, but in the vision of the cost of love to God Himself, the cost of our falling away from Him to the Son of God become the Son of Man.
How can we respond to it? What is then the message of this period? In the first period which I have mentioned we were confronted with evil in us, been challenged by it: This is what you are! And this is what is bound to happen. But now we are confronted with this vision of unutterable beauty and hope: how can we respond to it?
By gratitude! Gratitude is the next stop; gratitude is what must carry us through all this week: gratitude, a sense of wonder: how can God be as He is? How can He love me as I know myself, and indeed, horror of horrors, as others know me!
And if that is understood by us, then the only answer we can give to God is gratitude. To express our gratitude, is to say, \’Lord, however weak I am, however imperfect, however sinful, however unworthy from the depth of my gratitude for Who You are and what You do, I will do all within my power, however frail my will, however weak my power, I will do all I can to show you that I have understood the message of love, the message of the cross, the message of mercy, that I have understood with all my being and that I want to prove it by living in such a way that would be a proof of my understanding, live in such a way that I should be a joy to You, a joy to God, a consolation to God!
O God! To think that we can do this! Aren’t we going to do it? Let us enter into these weeks of Lent really as one begins to live in spring! Enter into newness of life, and throughout, throughout these weeks, in gratitude, to give joy to God. And then we will be able to face Holy Week not as the ultimate horror that condemns the ungrateful, the murderer of Christ no: as a Week that is a full and perfect revelation of a love understood, received, and insofar as we can enacted by us.
O, let us gather all our strength, and when our strength will not suffieth, let us remember the promise of Christ: My strength deploys itself in weakness; all things are possible to me as Paul puts it in the power of Christ that sustains me And the words of Christ: What is impossible to men is possible to God. Let us surrender to God to give Him joy! And all will be of God, and all will be well. Amen.
