Friday, February 18, 2005 Fast Day
The Venerable Colman, Bishop of Lindisfarne
Kellia: 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 9:15-10:1 Epistle: 2 Peter 1:1-10 Gospel: St. Mark 13:1-8
St. Mark 13:1-8, especially vss. 5, 6: "And Jesus, answering them, began to say: 'Take heed that
no one deceives you. For many will come in My Name, saying, 'I am He,' and will deceive many.'" What a treasure we
have, Beloved of the Lord! We have been joined to the only One Who may be followed fearlessly, the True One Himself,
the Source of Life (Jn. 14:6). Therefore, let us "take heed" to His warning not to be deceived, as St. John of Kronstadt also
reminds us: "Having Christ in your heart, fear that you may lose Him, and with Him the peace of your heart. It is hard to
begin again; efforts to attach oneself afresh to Him after falling away will be very grievous, and in many cases will cause
bitter tears. Cling to Christ with all your might, hold fast to Him, and do not lose boldness in approaching Him."
Counterfeit christs abound, and they approach the Faithful in many forms, appearing as friends, wise teachers, renown
authorities, personages of fame and credentials and even of world-wide recognition. "Take heed that no one deceives you"
(Mk. 13:5)! Remember also, deceivers come often with fervent belief in their messages, "deceiving and being deceived" (2
Tim. 3:13). So how do we "take heed" not to lose Christ from our hearts? Let us take strength frequently and regularly as
the Holy Spirit provides, through the Church: from Her Scriptures, Her Liturgy and Holy Mysteries, Her Sacred Icons, and
Her Holy Fathers and Mothers, the Saints.
For two thousand years, the Spirit has never ceased to pour out His blessings upon the Church in abundance, ever making a
way for those who entreat the Savior and Lord with their whole heart (Ps. 118:58 LXX). Carefully, over the centuries, the
Holy Spirit crafted the Divine life into a vibrant grove of fruit-bearing trees, types of those trees which will line the street of
the New Jerusalem, "each yielding its fruit every month....for the healing of the nations" (Rev. 22:2). Therefore, let us
never be counted among the "many" whom the Lord told us would be deceived.
Instead, the Holy Fathers encourage us to read the Scriptures. As St. John Chrysostom says, "Reading the Holy Scriptures
is like a treasure. With a treasure, you see, anyone able to find a tiny nugget gains for himself great wealth; likewise in the
case of Sacred Scripture, you can get from a small phrase a great wealth of thought and immense riches. The Word of God
is not only like a treasure, but is also like a spring gushing with ever flowing waters in a mighty flood."
Also, the healing texts of the Liturgy are satisfying fruits written by the Fathers over many centuries and available for
nourishment. As the Russian writer Nikolai Gogol said: "The influence of the Divine Liturgy can be great and incalculable
if a person makes it a rule to apply in life what he has heard there. Teaching all equally, acting equally on all conditions
and all professions, from the emperor down to the poorest beggar, the Liturgy teaches love which is the bond of all
fellowship, the hidden spring of everything which keeps all life in rhythmic motion." The great scholar of iconography,
Leonid Ouspensky, describes how it is that the Icon, as liturgic art, "does not define itself as an art belonging to one or
another historical epoch, nor as the expression of the national peculiarities of one or another people." Rather, "in its
essence the icon...never served religion, but like the word, has always been and is an integral part of religion, one of the
instruments for the knowledge of God, one of the means of communion with Him." If you would hold fast to Christ,
reverence Him as the Spirit provides through His Holy Icons.
Finally, in the accounts of the lives of the Saints and in the writings of the Holy Fathers and Mothers, the Spirit presents
Christ to us as we follow their examples and seek their prayers. O Eternal King, when Thou didst cleanse the substance of
mankind and anointed it with the Spirit, Thou didst destroy the powers of darkness and translate mankind to life immortal.
