Proper Heavenly Concern
Recently, I have been reflecting on the salvation of souls, or “my neighbor’s salvation.” I came across a homily, which explains clearly what it means to be concerned with my neighbor’s salvation. It cuts right to the heart of what we need to be doing if we truly are concerned with our own salvation and that of others. Perhaps this will help us to see the futility of our own opinions, what we think, and turn to the real power that changes hearts and causes those who are walking in darkness to come into the light.
I will begin with a passage from the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 12:28-34.
And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that He answered them well, asked Him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to Him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that He is one, and there is no other but He; and to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
Now, the Homily on concern for the salvation of our neighbors:
Let no man seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. (1 Corinthians 10:24)
This is the principle of the saints of God, both now and in the past, always and forever. This is the principle on which society is built. Upon this principle can be established the most perfect, most God-pleasing and most prosperous human society. This is the saving principle for every type of difficulty, against which contemporary men struggle without victory and without hope.
The holy soul is concerned with where the homeless will spend the night, how the hungry will be fed, how the naked will be clothed. The holy soul is concerned, and prays to God that his neighbors be saved; that their hearts be filled with love toward God; that their minds be directed toward God; that the wicked turn from the path of wickedness; that those wavering in the Faith be strengthened; that those who are strengthened be sustained; that those who have died see the face of God; and that the living be written in the Book of Life in the Kingdom of Light.
The Prologue of Ochrid
This is not the entire homily, but the portion regarding our neighbor, which refers to what we are to be concerned with and what we are to do about it. Sometimes it would seem that praying to God is not enough. However, when we pray to God out of sincere concern for the soul of another it apparently is enough. It is pointless and a complete waste of precious time to discuss, debate or argue over issues that concern the salvation of another. Believe me, when one is forced to look at the reality of death and judgment before God, it becomes obvious what a distraction this really is.
Christ is very clear in his teachings on who will and who will not enter the kingdom of heaven. As we see in the above passage from the Gospel of Mark, he addresses the scribe as being one who is “not far from the kingdom of God.” And why, because this particular scribe understands the meaning of the two greatest commandments and knows in his heart that he must put them into practice. No burnt offering or sacrifice will compare with these before God.
There is a final prayer at the end of the above homily that says:
“O Lord, Holy Spirit, Who, through the tongue of the apostle of God, has released these holy words in the world, as bright rays of the sun to illuminate and not to burn us, help us now to fulfill them in the proper heavenly sense – to the glory of the Triune God and for the salvation of our souls.”
The words that strike me here are “in the proper heavenly sense.” When we are concerned for our neighbors, we are concerned for their souls. We are not speaking here about their psychological, emotional or physical state. We are talking about eternal salvation of the soul, which does not include the bodily senses. Sins of the flesh are deadly because they block the salvation of the soul. There can be no wavering when speaking about sins of the flesh. We must have the courage to call a soul out of their sin, to be able to say, “You don’t have time for this! What’s important is to start directing your attention to your eternal salvation.” There’s nothing to discuss here.
It should be obvious that these things are deadly to our eternal salvation because they do not fulfill the two commandments that Christ says are above all others, loving God and loving our neighbor. When we put ourselves and our personal wants and needs above God, then we are not concerned with our own souls and we certainly cannot expect God to be pleased with that. It also means that we are not concerned for our neighbor’s soul. Again, this is not pleasing to God.
So now that both of the greatest commandments are broken and ignored, how can we believe for one moment that we will enter the kingdom of God. We will be far, far from the kingdom of God! Death will come like a thief in the night, and we will have nowhere to run. We will find ourselves in eternity with no time left to correct our wrongs. Is this where we want to end up? Is this where we want our neighbor to end up?
Our primary concern for our neighbor cannot be with how they have come to be the way they are. Our concern must be with what will happen to them should they not turn their attention and mind toward God. And what is this “Attention of the mind?” The Fathers have this to say:
Attention is a sign of repentance.
Attention is the appeal of the soul to itself, hatred of the world and ascent towards God.
Attention is renunciation of sin and acquisition of virtue.
Attention is an undoubting certainty of the remission of sins.
Attention is the beginning of contemplation, or rather its necessary condition: for, through attention, God comes close and reveals Himself to the mind.
Attention is serenity of the mind, or rather its standing firmly planted and not wandering, through the gift of God’s mercy.
Attention means cutting off thoughts, it is the abode of remembrance of God and the treasure-house of the power to endure all that may come.
Therefore attention is the origin of faith, hope and love; since he who has no faith cannot bear all the afflictions coming from without, and he who does not suffer them willingly cannot say: “He is my refuge and my fortress” (Ps. 91.2); and he who has not the Almighty as his refuge cannot be truly sincere in his love for Him.
Writings from the Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart
So I appeal to you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, be concerned for the souls of those who still walk in darkness and through prayer with humility, intercede for them often. Understand that deadly sin cannot be pushed aside with human remedies. It must be faced and confronted for what it is. Only then can true repentance occur. Only then can one begin to turn their mind, heart and soul toward God and toward their neighbor. Only then can the two greatest commandments be fulfilled. Only then will the Lord say, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
I will begin with a passage from the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 12:28-34.
And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that He answered them well, asked Him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to Him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that He is one, and there is no other but He; and to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
Now, the Homily on concern for the salvation of our neighbors:
Let no man seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. (1 Corinthians 10:24)
This is the principle of the saints of God, both now and in the past, always and forever. This is the principle on which society is built. Upon this principle can be established the most perfect, most God-pleasing and most prosperous human society. This is the saving principle for every type of difficulty, against which contemporary men struggle without victory and without hope.
The holy soul is concerned with where the homeless will spend the night, how the hungry will be fed, how the naked will be clothed. The holy soul is concerned, and prays to God that his neighbors be saved; that their hearts be filled with love toward God; that their minds be directed toward God; that the wicked turn from the path of wickedness; that those wavering in the Faith be strengthened; that those who are strengthened be sustained; that those who have died see the face of God; and that the living be written in the Book of Life in the Kingdom of Light.
The Prologue of Ochrid
This is not the entire homily, but the portion regarding our neighbor, which refers to what we are to be concerned with and what we are to do about it. Sometimes it would seem that praying to God is not enough. However, when we pray to God out of sincere concern for the soul of another it apparently is enough. It is pointless and a complete waste of precious time to discuss, debate or argue over issues that concern the salvation of another. Believe me, when one is forced to look at the reality of death and judgment before God, it becomes obvious what a distraction this really is.
Christ is very clear in his teachings on who will and who will not enter the kingdom of heaven. As we see in the above passage from the Gospel of Mark, he addresses the scribe as being one who is “not far from the kingdom of God.” And why, because this particular scribe understands the meaning of the two greatest commandments and knows in his heart that he must put them into practice. No burnt offering or sacrifice will compare with these before God.
There is a final prayer at the end of the above homily that says:
“O Lord, Holy Spirit, Who, through the tongue of the apostle of God, has released these holy words in the world, as bright rays of the sun to illuminate and not to burn us, help us now to fulfill them in the proper heavenly sense – to the glory of the Triune God and for the salvation of our souls.”
The words that strike me here are “in the proper heavenly sense.” When we are concerned for our neighbors, we are concerned for their souls. We are not speaking here about their psychological, emotional or physical state. We are talking about eternal salvation of the soul, which does not include the bodily senses. Sins of the flesh are deadly because they block the salvation of the soul. There can be no wavering when speaking about sins of the flesh. We must have the courage to call a soul out of their sin, to be able to say, “You don’t have time for this! What’s important is to start directing your attention to your eternal salvation.” There’s nothing to discuss here.
It should be obvious that these things are deadly to our eternal salvation because they do not fulfill the two commandments that Christ says are above all others, loving God and loving our neighbor. When we put ourselves and our personal wants and needs above God, then we are not concerned with our own souls and we certainly cannot expect God to be pleased with that. It also means that we are not concerned for our neighbor’s soul. Again, this is not pleasing to God.
So now that both of the greatest commandments are broken and ignored, how can we believe for one moment that we will enter the kingdom of God. We will be far, far from the kingdom of God! Death will come like a thief in the night, and we will have nowhere to run. We will find ourselves in eternity with no time left to correct our wrongs. Is this where we want to end up? Is this where we want our neighbor to end up?
Our primary concern for our neighbor cannot be with how they have come to be the way they are. Our concern must be with what will happen to them should they not turn their attention and mind toward God. And what is this “Attention of the mind?” The Fathers have this to say:
Attention is a sign of repentance.
Attention is the appeal of the soul to itself, hatred of the world and ascent towards God.
Attention is renunciation of sin and acquisition of virtue.
Attention is an undoubting certainty of the remission of sins.
Attention is the beginning of contemplation, or rather its necessary condition: for, through attention, God comes close and reveals Himself to the mind.
Attention is serenity of the mind, or rather its standing firmly planted and not wandering, through the gift of God’s mercy.
Attention means cutting off thoughts, it is the abode of remembrance of God and the treasure-house of the power to endure all that may come.
Therefore attention is the origin of faith, hope and love; since he who has no faith cannot bear all the afflictions coming from without, and he who does not suffer them willingly cannot say: “He is my refuge and my fortress” (Ps. 91.2); and he who has not the Almighty as his refuge cannot be truly sincere in his love for Him.
Writings from the Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart
So I appeal to you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, be concerned for the souls of those who still walk in darkness and through prayer with humility, intercede for them often. Understand that deadly sin cannot be pushed aside with human remedies. It must be faced and confronted for what it is. Only then can true repentance occur. Only then can one begin to turn their mind, heart and soul toward God and toward their neighbor. Only then can the two greatest commandments be fulfilled. Only then will the Lord say, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
posted by Laura | 9:36 PM
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