104. ABOUT FAITH, THROUGH WHICH WE GET GOD’S GRACE AND ABOUT LOVE, WITH WHICH WE DO GOOD DEEDS, 31.03.2013
Archbishop Oleksandr Negodenko
Apostle (Hebrews, 1:10-2:3):
1
10 And, "You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the
beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands;
11 they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out
like a garment,
12 like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they
will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end."
13 And to which of the angels has he ever said, "Sit at my
right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet"?
14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for
the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
2
1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have
heard, lest we drift away from it.
2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be
reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just
retribution,
3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?
It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those
who heard,
Gospel (Ìark, ²²:1-12):
2
1 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was
reported that he was at home.
2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more
room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them.
3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four
men.
4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd,
they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they
let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.
5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,
"Son, your sins are forgiven."
6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in
their hearts,
7 "Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who
can forgive sins but God alone?"
8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they
thus questioned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you question these
things in your hearts?
9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are
forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your bed and walk'?
10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on
earth to forgive sins"--he said to the paralytic--
11 "I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home."
12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out
before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying,
"We never saw anything like this!"
Glory to Jesus Christ!
Dear brothers and sisters!
Today we talk about the faith and the deeds. When we believe we consume in some way,
we take. We say: "Oh Lord, I believe in You! Help me!" When we believe, when we take
God as the energy, the truth, almost for 99% we always say: "God, Help us! Help me
to do this or that..." We have a consumer-oriented mood to use God. If we do not give.
Good deeds are the process of giving, it is love... If we have only faith and we only
consume, consume and consume, we do not give back, so this God's energy starts to
function in us in a different way. We become fanatics in some way. We become like
that people, who say that they will kill all other people, because their faith is
better. Do you understand?
If there is no love in the soul, so there is no process of perceiving and
giving.Good deeds are our love. We do the right things not because we put some
ticks. When the person does so, he crosses these good deeds. We do good things
because of great love, because of desire to help to a neighbor. The same way as
those four men, who brought the paralytic, did. Do you understand? They dismantled
the roof. What is it? They had faith! However, they would have not done that, if
they had not had love for that man, who was paralyzed for many years. Maybe they
were watching during 30 years how this man suffered. We all have seen these
paralytic people and the tears appeared on our eyes, because they can do nothing. If
that man lied in front of their eyes for many years, they wanted to help him. But
they didn't know how. Then the prophet appeared, the great prophet, who could do
miracles. Faith appeared, love appeared in their souls. And that is why the
circulation of energy went on. Such sound circulation, which must have every person,
every Christian. Take from God! As the greatest energy, which we are able to take,
is the energy of God, the energy of the Creator. And give back! If we do not give,
we turn into the bog. As we work only for ourselves. And then we become selfish. We
take, take... "Oh Lord, give us more and more! Oh God, I want wealth, car!" And we
take and take. But why do we need that if later it turns into the rust? It
decomposes in us... We start to smell badly. Faith is good, but without love it is
not. The great and strong energy comes through our faith, but you must make
continuation. We are the continuation of the God's work on the Earth. We should do
the same things, which Our Lord did, we should do good deeds. We can do it only
through love and faith. As these two things are like wings of one bird, which flies
to God: the faith and good deeds.
And Apostles remind us all the time: "Believe and do like the Lord did." Like He
did, although He knew that He would be killed, He would suffer. But despite that, He
did, because He knew that people needed it. He brought knowledge and they must have
been given to people. Through what? Through the great suffer, which Jesus felt.
Nobody could understand why He did it. Every man wanted to see Him on the king's
throne. But He brought knowledge, which must go deep inside people's consciousness
so hard that people remember about it. When He was killed, the energy of death came
in Him, then a lot of people understood the reason. People looked at Jesus and they
finally had understood why everything happened in such a way. He came, brought
knowledge, was killed and rose from death. This is the great blessing for people.
That people could not be afraid that to suffer for good deeds. They will be
redeemed. Lord said: "Who will give his soul for me..." Who will give soul for the
deed, for the energy, for which He was not afraid to give Himself. God do not expect
from us the same sufferings, which Jesus had. But He wants us to do a little bit...
We always take the God's energy, when we appeal to Him. God always give us. When a
man asks: "Oh Lord, give me happiness in my life!" He does not say: "I will not give
you!" It is clear that happiness will be given to us. But, if we say: "Give me
millions!" It is clear that He will not give, because it will ruin our soul. But He
will give us understanding. Now we all are sitting and we are in this God's energy,
God's grace, because it came upon us. Maybe it is stronger for someone and weaker
for another. But we all feel this blessing, as if God is sitting near us now. As if
He is sitting. It is the greatest thing - mysticism, which is very strong in the
Orthodoxy and generally in the Christianity. We should understand that spiritually
we can be near God, we can feel Him, but it is not enough. He says: "Create! Make
good deeds, the same as I did! What he did? Light! What? Good deeds! What? He
brought happiness to people! Then your hearts will be full enough. Full of what? Of
the grace, all that light, which is in Me, in My Son, which I brought to you." That
is why create the light. That one, who makes light, is the God's man. And it is the
great honor to be God's man on the Earth. May God save you!
