The holy
Apostle of Christ, Andrew the first-called, was originally a disciple of St.
John the Baptist who prepared the people to receive the Messiah. When the
Saviour came out of the wilderness, the Forerunner told the people: “Behold,
the Lamb of God” (John 1:36). Immediately Andrew followed after Him. Turning
round and seeing him together with St. John’s other disciples, the Lord asked
them: “What do ye seek?” They answered: “Master, where dost Thou dwell?” He
said to them: “Come and see.”
The
disciples saw where He lived and spent the day there with Him. Soon after this
the Lord called Andrew and his brother Peter to follow after Him and told them
that they were to become fishers of men unto the salvation of many. From that
time forth, they remained with Christ; they were faithful to Him to the end and
gave their very lives out of love for Him.
Dear
brothers and sisters on this day I would ask you the same question: What are
you seeking? Why did you come to church today? What are we all seeking in our
lives? Are we seeking Christ, as He was first sought by those humble fishermen,
among who was the Apostle Andrew?
What is
it that people seek in life? They seek health, riches, success, acquaintances,
friends, prestige, various worldly pleasures, vain knowledge… Only a few seek
Christ the Saviour. Some may even think it strange to seek Christ. They say,
“we call ourselves Christians after Christ, we see His holy image both in our
homes and at church; we pronounce His sweetest name and hear it in God’s
temple.” It appears we have no need to seek Christ. People seek that which they
don’t have, that which they need. But we seem to have Christ; at least that is
what we think...
It’s
true, we have icons of Christ, but we do not have Christ Himself; we have His
name, but only on our lips -- not in our hearts; we know Him, but only in word
-- not in deed. Here, beloved, is a big difference; it is the same difference
as between a shadow and the object which casts the shadow. It is, however,
precisely with the heart that Christ is truly known, that is, in our inner man
-- in our soul; because Christ, as God, is Spirit, “Who is everywhere and
fillest all things.”
“The
kingdom of God is within You” (Luke 17:21), says the Lord. The holy Apostle
Paul earnestly desired that, through faith, Christ would dwell in the hearts of
Christians. He wrote: “May God grant you according to the riches of His glory,
to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may
dwell in your hearts by faith.” (Eph. 3:16-17)
We have
to admit that most of us do not have Christ in our hearts. Instead, our hearts
are occupied with that which is opposed to Christ -- our God and Savior, that
which is opposed to our own good, which hinders the salvation of our souls. And
because of this we do not lead a genuine Christian life. What is it that
occupies our hearts? God “alone, Who searchest out the hearts and reins” (Ps.
7:9), sees what is in our hearts, its attachments. If the Lord granted us to
see the full depths of our hearts, we would turn our eyes away in horror from
such an overwhelming accumulation of filth. Let each of us look into his heart
and say before the witness of our conscience what it is that occupies our
hearts most of all.
Passions,
sins, voluntary and involuntary -- are these not our heart’s constant
inhabitants? But where does Christ dwell? He dwells in pure hearts, hearts that
are humble and contrite, there where He is not grieved by doubt or unbelief, by
indifference towards Him Who is God and Savior; there where men do not prefer
the temporal sweetness of sin; where the idols of the passions have been chased
out; where crude materiality is not preferred to the Kingdom of God; where
Christians often turn their thoughts to the heavenly, as those created for
heaven, for eternity; there where they seek God’s truth, where every day and
every hour they are attentive to His commandments. Therein is where Christ
dwells. And what does He do there? If only we knew (some, of course, do know)
what He does in souls worthy of His abiding presence -- what rest, comfort and
joy He imparts, what paradisaical bliss He gives them to experience while still
on this earth...
Having
once embraced Christ, the holy Apostle Andrew became entirely committed to Him,
and no matter what difficulties, sorrows, misfortunes and persecutions --
unavoidable in preaching the Gospel -- came his way, he remained faithful to
Christ, enduring everything out of love for Him, even crucifixion. It is of
utmost importance that we seek after Christ and that we find Him. Without
Christ, who will save us from our sins which ensnare us every day and hour, and
from the eternal torments? Only the Son of God has power on earth to forgive
sins; He alone has the keys to hell and death, the keys to the Kingdom of
Heaven and life.
To find
Christ is not difficult. He is everywhere, filling the world with Himself. God
says to us through His prophet Jeremiah: “Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD,
and not a God afar off?” (Jer. 23:23) As soon as He sees our hearts incline to
receive His grace, He immediately enters, bringing with Him peace and comfort.
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the
door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Rev.
3:20), says the Lord. Oh, how often He converses with His faithful servants, as
with true friends. Christ Himself is seeking you: if you but incline your heart
toward Him, you will surely find Him.
But how
are we to know if we have found Christ and are close to Him? Those close to
Christ often turn to Him in prayer with faith and love; they often pronounce
from their heart His sweetest name, often call upon Him for help; they often
read or listen to His word with childlike simplicity and love; they seek
frequent union with Him in His life-giving Mysteries; they are satisfied with
whatever they have and accepting of what happens to them; they strive according
to their strength to fulfill Christ’s commandments... It happens that they also
experience trials which are allowed by the loving Master, in order that their
hearts be cleansed of every sinful impurity. Those who desire to be with Christ
must not run away from trials, but even in times of joy, they must not forsake
the carrying of their cross.
My dear
brothers and sisters! Seek Jesus Christ with faith and love. Do not forget that
He gave His life on the Cross for our sakes, to deliver us from sin and eternal
torment, and to dwell in our hearts, that we might have great joy. Do not forget,
we have all been bought with the price of His blood, and we should belong to
Him, as to our Redeemer.
Our days
are numbered. Every stroke of the clock reminds us to seek Him Who created time
and Himself stands above the measure of time. He alone is able to pluck us out
from the ravaging torrent of time... Every stroke of the clock tells us: Be
watchful! You now have one hour less until you must cross the threshold into
life after death which knows neither days nor hours. Do not be seduced by the
momentary sweetness of sin which vanishes like a dream, leaving the soul empty,
ailing, anguishing; it steals away precious time and ruins it forever. Do not
waste time in useless occupations or idleness. Every one of you has a God-given
talent to put to use. Busy yourselves in acquiring incorruptible wealth in the
Kingdom of Heaven. Take the example of the thousands who have gone before you,
having attained eternal rest and joy through their ceaseless labors in this
temporal life, through sweat and tears.
Make
haste to uproot from yourselves sin in all its various manifestations, through
the help of Christ the Savior. Remember, man sows what he reaps (Gal. 6:7),
according to the immutable law of God’s righteousness. While there is still
time, therefore, let us hasten to find Christ and in faith create for Him an
abode in our hearts that we not fall prey to the fire of Gehenna, as it is
written: “If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is
withered; and men gather them and cast them into the fire, and they are burned”
(John 15:6). Amen.
By St. John of Kronstadt
Source: http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2014/11/a-homily-on-feast-of-holy-apostle.html
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