† 5TH Sunday OF MATTHEW.

The Fall of man and the uncompassionate people of the Gergesenes

Matthew 8: 28-34, 9: 1

Every time we pray in the Church for our people, who have passed to the other side of the river of life, that is, who have died, we repeat a hymn that describes man as God's creation, in terms of his "in the power" origins and potentialities, for which we pray to become... "in energy." We say:
"Though I belong to Your unspeakable glory, even though I bear the scars of sins..."
"I am an "image" of Your indescribable and majestic beauty, even if I carry the scars of my sins..." That is, I was created in Your image and likeness.
This is how it is: Despite the intelligent witticism of the "angel" of the well-known genius cartoonist who, to the dead man's question: "- Angel, was man created in the im-age of God?", answers: "Easy, do not think that God is like you...!!”
First of all: We are not like God... in sight! After all, as we say in the Divine Liturgy, God is "inexpressible, undefined, invisible, incomprehensible!" When we decide to be like Him, then we strive to make us partakers of the fruits of His Spirit, which are:
-love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentle-ness and self-control-
Each of these virtues is a world of beauty, which, however charming it may be, is acquired slowly, with effort and struggle. Virtues are hypostatic, that is, they change our whole being, they are not adaptations to patterns of behavior. When we enter this "path" of acquiring these virtues, then we also realize the difficulty of success and we deepen in self-knowledge when we "see" the Image of God towards which we are walking.
Contrary to this image, in the part of the Gospel we read (Matthew 8, 28-34) there is a discussion about a... disfigurement so much so that the two demon-possessed people are "exceeding fierce…"
Secondly: We do not look alike not even the devil! Even if those two people are "exceeding fierce," we must not remain or give weight to the image, but to the situation. A state full of the "uncleanness" of demonic possession. The devil in the heart of man (however some may smile) "gives birth" to precisely deadly garbage, even if we see it not in our own hearts, but only in the explosive manifestations (a case of demon possession, the simplest) of painful side effects that tyrannized people and killed thou-sands!
The hymn, which we mentioned at the beginning, continues the prayer request with the words:
"..Take pity on Thy creature, O Master, and cleanse me in Thy loving-kindness "
"Have pity on Your creature, Lord, and cleanse it, out of love..."

Mental impurity and deformity are issues that cannot be regulated by good mood and wishful thinking. Christ elsewhere says that demons "come out" (i.e. the relationship with them ends) only through prayer and fasting. That is, only with effort and love. Fasting is the labor of sacrificial love and prayer is a loving disposition to meet Christ. The heart is cleansed, therefore, when the mercy of God enlightens man to love and accept this sacrificial love, which beautifies the heart, because it cleanses it from the actions of the demonic spirit in it (the heart); from the vices of every kind, from hatred, from envy, from jealousy, from greed.
All these vices may have a suggestive influence on the heart, but they may also have... possession! That is, to have dominated the thinking and the soul of man and to be then this unhappy person literally working for the devil, like these two residents of Gergesene in today's Gospel (Matt. 8, 28-34). Then no one can "pass through her path," that is, no fellowship with them is possible. They are under demonic possession "exceeding fierce." This situation is certainly glaring and noisy and is perceived even with the naked eye. It's annoying and unavoidable. But when malice, jealousy, hatred, envy, debauchery, greed are proposals that "caress and touch" proportions of our mental passions and drag us into "quiet" realization of the proposed sin and wickedness, the fall goes unnoticed (not completely, but it is not blatant) and of course does not bother the mental reflexes!
Despite this, the Gospel describes that the fellow citizens of these two demon-possessed begged Christ " they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts." To get out of their place! They see the wonderful freedom of the two and at the same time the greed that led them to sin, made them... expel Christ, confirming: That Christ and our passions do not... cohabit! That the denial of God is not knowledge, but psychology! That the love (of God or passions) is regulatory of the relationship! That enslavement to passions brings blindness!
The hymn with which we began ends by pleading: Grant me the fatherland for which I long, making me once more a citizen of Paradise." The mental deformity of passions excludes us from heavenly beauty. Passions change man by nature. The virtues beautify him in a likeness, even if small and superficial, to the beauty of Christ who is:
-love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control-
We will not tell Christ "that he would depart out of their coasts" of our heart, but we will beg Him to become her permanent tenant, giving us, in proportion to our con-scious sacrifice, a share in the beauty of His Person.

Εἰς Μνήμην Ἁγίου Παϊσίου 12 Ἰουλίου 1994 -In Memory of St. Paisios July 12, 1994

– Geronda, what does God want from us?
– God wants our willingness, our good inclination expressed, even if only a little bit, but through a praiseworthy deed. He also wants us to admit our sinfulness. Everything else He gives. Biceps are not necessary in spiritual life. We will humbly toil, ask God’s mercy and thank Him for every-thing. God’s plan is fulfilled in a person who, without any plan of his own, puts himself into God’s hands. A person is left behind in accordance with how much he holds onto his «I.» He does not succeed spiritually, because he hinders God’s mercy. In order to succeed, a lot of faith in God is needed.
Every minute God caresses the hearts of all people with His love, but we do not feel this, because our hearts are crusted over. By purifying their heart, a person feels deeply, melts, goes crazy, see-ing the goodness and kindness of God, equally loving all men. Such a person is pained for those who suffer, he feels joy for those who lead a spiritual life. If a praiseworthy soul ponders only the good acts of God, they can send it flying up, and what can one say, if it ponders the multitude of its sins and the great mercy of God! If a person’s spiritual eyes are cleansed, then he, seeing God’s care (for himself and others, feels and experiences all of the Divine Providence with his sensitive exposed soul, he melts from thankfulness, he becomes crazy in the good meaning of this word. Because God’s gifts, when a person senses them, crack open the heart, burst it. And then, when caressing the praiseworthy heart, God’s hand touches this crack, the person soars internally, and his thanks to God become great. Those who toil, feeling both their own sinfulness as well as the goodness of God, and trust themselves to His compassion, lift their souls to heaven with greater hope and less physical effort.

 

The Apostle Reading

Prokhimenon. Tone 4. [Psalm 103].

Verse: O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: Verse: Bless the Lord, O my soul.

The reading is from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans.
Romans 10:1-10

Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they be-ing ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

The Gospel Reading

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew

Matthew 8: 28-34, 9: 1

At that time, when Jesus was come into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils. And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would de-part out of their coasts. And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.