Homily for 13 July 2014, the Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Six Ecumenical Councils--Are We Being the Light of the World?

Homily for 13 July 2014:  The Holy Fathers of the 1^st Six Ecumenical Councils

(Titus 3:8-15)                    (Matthew 5:14-19)

 

Today the Church remembers and honors all the Holy Fathers who participated in the first six Ecumenical Councils.  At these councils, held between 325 and 681, all of the essential, fundamental teachings of the Christian faith were examined, discussed, explained, and authorized.

The readings for today, from St Paul’s Letter to Titus and the Gospel according to St Matthew, obviously apply to the Holy Fathers and their job of teaching, protecting, and exemplifying Christian faith.

And it would be easy to say that these readings and their lessons apply only to the Holy Fathers and to their successors, our bishops.  And maybe also to priests, who share the job of keeping and teaching the faith, and living it in a way that shows a good example to the people.

But it would be wrong—totally wrong—to limit the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and of St Paul so that they would apply only to our Holy Fathers and our bishops and our priests.  It would be completely wrong to think that they apply only to “professionals.”

It’s wrong, first of all, because Jesus wasn’t talking only to His Twelve Apostles in this passage from the Gospel of Matthew.  The words of Jesus that we hear today—“You are the light of the world . . . your light must shine before others . . . whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven”—these words are part of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus preached to crowds of people about how to live in a way pleasing to God.  So these words apply to all followers of Jesus—all Christians.

Second, although St Paul was writing to his younger friend and assistant, Titus, who was assigned to be bishop in charge of the developing Christian community in Crete, his teaching is for all the Christian believers.  He tells Titus that he must “insist that those who have believed in God should be careful to devote themselves to good works [and] avoid foolish arguments, genealogies, rivalries, and quarrels about the Law.”  He continues, at the very end of the letter, “Let our people learn to devote themselves to good works to supply urgent needs.”

So, both Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who gave His life on the Cross to take away our sins and rose from the dead to give us eternal life, and St Paul, the Apostle chosen by Christ to carry the Gospel to those who were not Jews, teach all believers to hold on to the true faith and to teach not only by words but also by the example of our lives.

We have to ask ourselves—Are we being the light of the world?  Are we showing people who encounter us how believing in Jesus Christ makes us act differently from those who don’t believe?  Are we letting the light of our faith shine—individually and as a community of Christians—so that others see our good works and give glory to God?  Are we obeying and teaching God’s commandments?  Are we devoting ourselves to good works and helping those who are in need?

Or are we still getting involved in foolish arguments, worrying about what country or town people come from, taking offense at other people for what they do or say—or what they don’t do or say, and quarreling about the Old Testament laws?

St Paul says that all these things are useless and futile.  They don’t accomplish anything, and they separate us from God and from our brothers and sisters.  They are sins, and when we act this way, we are sinning and condemning ourselves.

So we have to try—all the time, consciously and intentionally—to live in a way that demonstrates our faith and gives glory to our God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.  Amen.