Sun., Dec. 5, 2004 Fish, Wine, & Oil (Tone 2)
Venerable Sabbas the Sanctified
2nd Vesp Nicholas: Proverbs 10:31-11:2 Epistle: Ephesians 6:10-17 Gospel: St.Luke13:10-17
Proverbs 10:31-11:12, especially vss. 31, 32: "The mouth of the righteous drops wisdom...." and "the
lips of just men drop grace...." How is it that through the centuries there have been blessed men among our clergy who,
through the laying-on of hands, not only have been elevated to the clerical ranks, but have been so highly lifted up that we
now recognize them as Saints in full assent to the work of God in their lives? The words used at ordinations point us
toward the obvious answer: "the grace of the all-holy Spirit [came] upon them."
The present passage from Proverbs describes exceptional, Spirit-filled men as "righteous" (vss. 31,10), "just" (vs. 32),
"humble"(vs. 2), and "sensible" (vs. 12). While the Holy Spirit makes possible the elevation of men to saintliness, the
interior labors of godly men in this process never should be discounted. Matthew the Poor would assert that it is human
submission to the grace of God that enables a man to become righteous, just, humble, and sensible - "submission of the
human ego to God...effected in such a manner as to release the soul and let it live in total surrender to the will of God."
Indeed, gracious Pastors meet Father Matthew's guidelines for submitting to the Lord: they consistently never rely on their
own wisdom, remain ever wary of thinking highly of themselves, embrace discipline, follow the path of grace as the Spirit
leads, are certain that submission to God is a free gift, ever confess their weakness and ignorance, perceive discipline as a
gift of great profit, and constantly examine their thoughts, intentions, purposes, words, and deeds in the light of God's
word.
Examine the speech - the sermons, the teaching, the counsel, and the writing - of godly Pastors. Being righteous, their
mouths drop wisdom (vs. 31) - not just information nor clever, popular phrases, but wisdom that illumines, transforms, and
guides men toward salvation in Christ. As Saint Demetrius of Rostov sums up the pastoral style of St. Nicholas at Myra:
"His way of life became known to everyone...so that the Christians might be edified and glorify God."
We learn further in this passage from Proverbs that "the understanding of righteous men is prosperous" (vs. 10). We
recognize that the grace of the Holy Spirit and the submission of a Pastor to the will of God often result in a depth of
perception and a grasp of situations that enable the Gospel message to take hold in the hearts of the Faithful. Under such
Pastors, the Faithful often prosper both in the things of the Spirit and sometimes in material projects.
Being true and fair in their spoken defense of the Gospel, "the lips of just men drop grace" (vs. 32), not that their words are
always warmly received. The example of Archpastor Athanasios the Great, who substantially influenced the First
Ecumenical Council concerning the heresy of Arius, comes to mind. St. Nikolai of Zica notes that "his devotion and his
zeal for Orthodoxy...contributed very greatly to the containing of the Arian heresy;" yet, while he was the lawful
Archbishop of Alexandria for forty years, he was exiled most of that time.
Being a humble man, the mouth of a gracious pastor "meditates wisdom" (vs. 2) - in what sense? The verb in this case,
meletao, conveys not only study and reflection into the depths of Scripture, but diligence to put truth into practice. As the
Prophet David says, "My heart grew hot within me, and in my meditation a fire was kindled. I spake with my tongue" (Ps.
38:4,5 LXX).
Finally, being "a sensible man," a gracious Pastor will maintain "quiet" (Prov. 11:12). The word quiet here is hesychia,
which the Fathers have shown us to mean a profound search for Christ the Truth through prayer in the heart. The gracious
Pastor can restrain his tongue.
O God of wisdom, be pleased to enable Thy Pastors to proclaim the Gospel of Thy kingdom and minister the word of truth
to the renewal of Thy People in their walk before Thee.
