Monday, August 23, 2004
Hieromartyr Irenaios, Bishop of Lyons
Kellia: Joshua 7:10-26 Epistle: 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 Gospel: St. Mark 3:6-12
Removing Sin: 10-26, especially vs. 13: "Ye shall not be able to stand before your
enemies until ye shall have removed the cursed thing from among you." St. John Cassian
reminds us that "When we confess with our own mouths that the God and Lord of the Universe is
our Father, we claim that we have been called from our condition as slaves to adoption as
children." God's call is true and firm on the rock of eternity, uplifting heart and soul, as the
Mystery of Christ plainly states: "Thou...hast given unto Thy servants remission of sins, and has
bestowed upon us a life of regeneration." There is no lack of grace nor lack of bestowal on God's
side, as David is quick to say, "Thou hast not forsaken them that seek Thee, O Lord" (Ps. 9:10
LXX).
Sadly, lusts have corrupted our desire to seek God. In Cassian's words, it is a "lingering in this
present life" that prevents our release from slavery and the full realization of our adoption. Too
often we are dawdling children who, called by our loving Father, allow many things to separate
us by a great distance from Him instead of hurrying to His loving embrace. St. John urges us
against such neglect: "May we not allow anything of this kind, which would make us unworthy of
our profession and the dignity of an adoption of this kind, to deprive us as a disgrace to our
Father's inheritance and so make us incur the wrath of God's justice and severity."
We must take up the stones of the Promised Land to kill the Achan who dwells in our hearts, that
ungodly old man within us who would keep us slaves and dead in our sins, who would hold us
back, as those called but unresponsive, as blessed but lost in our own desires, as vulnerable, so
that we are "not...able to stand before [our] enemies" (Josh. 7:12). When, by God's grace, we
awaken to discern that we "have become an accursed thing" and that God is "not any
longer...with" us (vs. 12), it is a blessing. It is time to act - in Cassian's words, to "devote all our
energies to promoting not our own profit but our Father's glory, saying to God 'Hallowed be Thy
Name'." Let today's reading from Joshua jar the ears of our heart to hear our Fathers's call.
When we hear God's assembly call, let us rise and sanctify ourselves, determining in our hearts to
put an end to the lingering and disobedience within (vs. 13). Thus, we must set aside day and
time to examine, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, every portion of our souls where tribal loyalties
might arise in conflict with our membership in the royal priesthood of the holy nation of God's
own special people (1 Pet. 2:9). We are sealed with the Spirit's indwelling presence, so that we
may be certain that He will show us where, in our souls, that miscreant old man, "which is
corrupt according to the deceitful lusts" (Eph. 4:22), is lurking and hiding in shame.
When, in a careful examination of ourselves, we have the old Achan "pointed out" by the Holy
Spirit (vs. 18), let us heed the Prophet Joshua's voice as from God Himself: "Give glory this day
to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession: and tell...what thou has done, and hide it not"
(vs. 19). Let us never hesitate to say to our gracious Savior, "Indeed I have sinned against the
Lord God of Israel: thus and thus have I done" (vs. 20). Note how Achan detailed his surrender
to covetousness (vs. 21), and can we do less? Let us hasten to our Priest and Confessor and lay
bare our souls, for, unlike Achan, we have a Divine Savior Who understands the allure of
temptation (Heb. 4:15), and grants "mercy and...grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16).
Our Joshua will lead us to the Valley of Trouble, and, stone by stone, kill everything associated
with the old Achan within ourselves (Josh. 7:24-26). Every sin has ties to other aspects of our
souls, and so, all must be put to death that we may live in Christ (Rom. 6:4-8). Keep us ever as
warriors invincible; and make us all victors, even unto the end, through Thy crown incorruptible.
For Thine it is to show mercy and to save us. Glory to Thee!