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Glory to Jesus Christ, dear brothers and sisters!
Congratulate you on the holy communion of the body and blood of the Lord, in order the Lord are in you and appears in this world through your good deeds.
Today we've heard the Holy Gospel (Matthew, XIX: 16-26), a very simple text. But it was not easy for that rich young man, who wanted to be redeemed, to solve the given problem. And when he came to Jesus and said: "All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?", that was "Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life? I keep all the commandments?" It was not enough for him to keep the commandments. Jesus said: "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, - that is may your treasure be in Heavens - and come, follow Me."But he could not do this, because he lacked in faith that all his wealth would go to the kingdom of God, if he sold it and gave to people. He did not understand. And he went away sad, because his spiritual level was imperfect, though he kept the Ten Commandments. He kept Ten Commandments, was righteous man, but he could not follow God, because he did not feel in Jesus, that He was God.
Not everyone felt that Jesus was God. First, only twelve apostles went with Him, because they felt in Him a great ministry. Than more disciples, in the number of seventeen, went with Him, but then they betrayed Him and left Him. And as we see, even five thousands of people who followed and loved Him, followed Him temporarily, to see the wonders, the healing, which God gave. They received the healing, but they were not going to follow God. They were not going to serve Him, they were not going to change their lives. They just wanted to be healthier, because their sins made them physically ill. We see what a consumer's spirit is in people. And those who have a developed consumer's spirit, cannot redeem themselves, they think only about the material things. They can keep Ten Commandments, and they may think that they are saved, but it is difficult for them to be saved. The disciples asked: "Then who can be saved?" If it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God, than who will be saved? But Jesus said: "With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible".
Let us do all our deeds with God, begin with God, and remember that God is with you in your life. And say: "God, forgive me and bless me this deal if it is acceptable to You, bless all starts." In other words, you go out in the morning - ask God for everything, and when you go for a sleep - again give your soul to God, in His hands. You should try to follow Jesus not only in words or in your mind, but in your deeds, in other words you should go and build His kingdom, starting from yourself. And we have to be the ones whom God has called to follow Him. You should not say: "We are rich, we've been earning that estate, we must care about it, and it is difficult for us to be redeemed."
We have to work sincerely, because the time of sincerity comes. And everyone will be tested how honestly he went to God. Not those who kept the commandments of God but those who sincerely followed the God and did everything what was entrusted to him. May God bless us not to be like the young man who walked away from God, but to be as the apostles, as myrrh bearers who always followed God. And they missed nothing; they found, as Christ said, a hundred times more. And we can say that a million times more, because they have found heaven, they found high levels in the Kingdom of God where they can also pray for us that we were not like the rich young man who walked away from the Lord.
Glory to Jesus Christ!
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Apostle (1 Corinthians, 15:1-11):
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1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I
preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which
I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also
received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third
day according to the Scriptures,
5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at
one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;
7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles;
8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me
also.
9 For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called
an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace
toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not
I, but the grace of God with me.
11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you
believed.
Gospel (?atthew 19:16-26):
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16 And someone came to Him and said, "Teacher, what good thing
shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?"
17 And He said to him, "Why are you asking Me about what is
good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life,
keep the commandments."
18 Then he said to Him, "Which ones?" And Jesus said, "YOU
SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER; YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY; YOU SHALL NOT STEAL;
YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS;
19 HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER; and YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR
NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
20 The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept;
what am I still lacking?"
21 Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell
your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven;
and come, follow Me."
22 But when the young man heard this statement, he went away
grieving; for he was one who owned much ?roperty.
23 And Jesus said to His disciples, "Truly I say to you, it is
hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
24 Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through
the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
25 When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished
and said, "Then who can be saved?"
26 And looking at them Jesus said to them, "With people this
is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
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