Monday, January 3, 2005
The Venerable Genevieve of Paris; Forefeast of Theophany
3rd Vespers Basil: Proverbs 10:31-11:12 Epistle: Hebrews 5:4-10 Gospel: St John 3:1-15
St John 3:1-15, especially vs. 3: "Jesus answered and said to him, 'Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.'" The Evangelist John tells us that Nicodemos "came to
Jesus by night" (vs. 2). He came in darkness - not merely because he came at nighttime, but because he came in darkness
of spirit, with the eyes of his understanding closed. Contrary to the gift of God which is opened to every Orthodox
Christian in the Mystery of Holy Baptism and Holy Chrismation, this ruler of the Jews came to Jesus while "the light of
[the] Gospel [was not yet shining] brightly in him," while he was not "yet a child of the light", nor "illumined," nor clothed
with "a robe of light."
Nevertheless, can we deny that the grace of God was moving in Nicodemos? Stirred by what his physical eyes beheld, he
came to the Light of the World (Jn. 8:12). As he said, "we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do
these signs that You do unless God is with him" (Jn. 3:2). He came despite his darkness: "It is probable that
Nicodemos...early in the preaching of salvation...believed in Christ," for later, "at His Burial also he came carrying a
mixture of myrrh and aloes, a hundred menas in weight, or a hundred pounds, for the purpose of scenting and embalming,
and as a gesture of reverence and love to the divine Master."
Jesus Christ, Who for our sake was "born of the flesh [and forever] is flesh" (vs. 6), also being "begotten of the Father
before all worlds, Light of Light," is forever "born of the Spirit [and] is spirit" (vs. 6). As One of the Holy Trinity He
illumines us - as He did Nicodemos - "We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our
witness" (vs. 11). "He...came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man...[and] is in heaven" (vs. 13). In Him all is light
and no darkness at all. He is the treasure that we may call our own, hard as it is for us, being like Nicodemos, to understand
or to see all that Christ is revealing to us.
Still, as Grace Incarnate (Jn. 1:14) moved Nicodemos, so, at this very moment, He is moving us to come to Him, to be
illumined in Him by His Spirit. Let us not be slack in this matter, Beloved of the Lord. How necessary it is to continuously
open our lives to His Spirit!
Indeed let us cry out as the Church teaches us, "O Heavenly King, Comforter, the Spirit of truth Who art everywhere
present and fillest all things, come and dwell in us." Archimandrite Ioannikios Kotsonis makes very clear the necessity for
the Holy Spirit to be the Illuminator of the deepest center of our being, our nous - what Father Ioannikios calls 'the
intellect:' "Only the Holy Spirit can purify the intellect, for unless a greater power comes and overthrows the despoiler,
what he has taken captive will never be set free." Thus we could remain in darkness, but yet, in our night, like Nicodemos,
we can come to Christ.
Consider what it can mean: if we become "a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit, then we shall have the lamp of spiritual
knowledge burning always within us; and when it is shining constantly in the inner shrine of the soul, not only will the
intellect perceive all the dark and bitter attacks of the demons, but these attacks will be greatly weakened when exposed for
what they are by that glorious and holy light."
Beloved of the Lord, we have been born of water in the "laver of regeneration," let us therefore, from this moment ever
after, move forward toward the Light, as those born anew by the Spirit in Whom we have been sealed. As St. Diadochos of
Photiki encourages us: may we indeed choose "the path of righteousness [which] leads the intellect upward towards the
Sun of Righteousness and brings it into the boundless illumination of spiritual knowledge." In truth, "We have seen the
true light, we have received the heavenly Spirit; we have found the true faith."
Lighten our eyes, O Christ, that we may cry out to Thee in faith, Bountiful is Thy compassion toward us, O Lover of
mankind, glory to Thee!
