Notes for  12 July 2018

It would seem at first sight that there is contradiction here with one of the well known part of the Bible: we know that in Matthew 18:3 Jesus says "become as little children", and here Paul says to us - "be no more children". We shall still return to this paradox in a few days, but let’s notice today that Jesus says we cannot enter the Kingdom without "childishness", but He says nowhere we should remain children.

The apostle Paul explains that Christian life is an obligatory growth, and moreover in the foremost - in love. We don’t have to crawl, but have to go, go to Christ, and we must have in us for that a very solid "vertebral column" of faith, capable of resisting the wind of false doctrines, temptations, delusions, longing to mislead us.

Peter stands out from Christ’s other disciples not only by his age and the leadership traits in his character. All this is insufficient for the astonishing promise Jesus gives him (Matt. 16:18). Perhaps Peter’s most important quality, which makes him the second most significant person in the Gospel, is that he responds immediately and actively to every new situation in his relationship with Christ. He scarcely deliberates; he often makes mistakes, but he is not passive—he makes an effort. It is Peter who tries to walk on water; he is the first of the disciples to perform miracles of healing and resurrection. There are of course other paths to holiness, but Christ places Peter’s holiness at the foundation of the Church’s holiness.

As the apostles proclaim the Kingdom of God, they come into our home as well and say, “Peace be to this house!” But for God’s peace to remain in our home—in our heart, our family, our community, and so on—it is very important that we prove worthy of this good news. Yet how can this be done if, as the Apostle Paul says, the sin living within us prevents us from keeping God’s commandments? The Apostle gives us the answer: the law of sin is overcome only by the law of the Spirit, by new life in Christ. With His gracious help, we can change and worthily receive the blessing of the Lord Jesus.

There is nothing sentimental or saccharine in the account of the birth of Jesus Christ in a manger, with the cave, shepherds, and angels. Instead, there is much that is majestic and solemn. We should not be troubled by the modest setting of a country stable or the poverty of the guests—this is a true messianic feast. Everything here points to Jesus' distant ancestor and the most famous anointed king—that is, in Greek, christ—David: his native city Bethlehem, the shepherds' occupation (David himself was a shepherd for his father), and the astonishing parallels with the One who will likewise be a Shepherd for His Father. He too is born to be King, Anointed One, Christ; He too, like the “youngest of the brothers,” will miraculously defeat the Enemy by God's power and “remove the disgrace from Israel” (compare 1 Samuel 17 or Psalm 151). Knowing the entire subsequent story, the evangelist was able to discern glory in the ordinary, impoverished life of a family overtaken by childbirth at night in a stable. We too know this story: do we know how to see truly?

The action of the Holy Spirit not only changes our inner state but also brings us into a special relationship with other people. In the Letter to the Ephesians, Paul describes this new human community, the Church of Christ, as a temple founded upon the faith of the Apostles, the faith spoken of in the feast-day Gospel reading, while Christ Himself is the cornerstone upon which the whole building rests.