Glory Be to Jesus Christ!
🌞
Romans IV:5 — 'δικαιοῦντα' - 'dikaiounta' - 'makes righteous' (this is the meaning in this passage). In other words, God turns an wicked person into a righteous person when they turn and are renewed by grace and cooperation with it. For this renewal and conversion, for this change into a righteous person, one must believe that it is possible, believe that it will happen, trust God to do it, and do what He calls them to do.
So, true repentance is based on such faith.
Romans IV, 6 — 'χωρὶς ἔργων' - 'khoris ergon' - ''apart from works; without works''. Both translations are possible here, although the majority always give only the second. The first means that faith becomes a distinct value, capable of changing a person's life, leading to other virtues. And the second means that this value can be so significant that it can cover
the lack of other virtues. For example, the sensible thief on the cross repented and through faith, without other significant virtues (though with humility, but it was not as significant as faith), was the first to enter paradise. This is not an encouragement to inactivity and fruitlessness, but an affirmation of the tremendous power and significance of faith. True faith can save a person even when there is nothing to expect salvation from - in particular, when there are no good works (yet) - but this does not mean that if faith is expected to bring salvation without works, neglecting them, it will bring salvation by itself. Faith is a talent, a gift from God that can save, that is capable of doing so, but a person can also 'bury the talent in the ground', as we see in the Gospel as an example and warning against this.
Romans IV, 12 — 'ἡμῶν' - 'emon' - 'us' (our).
For more information about the reading from the Apostle, please refer to the following links:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/13062023.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/25062024.html
For more information about the Gospel reading, please refer to the following link:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/13062023.html
To the Virgin Mary in honour of the laying on of the vestment in Vlachernae:
These readings (in particular from the Gospel) are often read on the feasts of the Theotokos. See, in particular, the following link:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/01042023.html
It is also exactly 23 years ago today that I made my deep conversion to the Lord. It is a long story, reminiscent of the story of the three wise men from the East who came to worship Jesus Christ. I will not write it here. Last year, on the Day of Remembrance of the Laying on of the Veil of the Virgin Mary in Vlachernae, there were readings, commenting on which I wrote an important work about suffering, see the link:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/15072023.html
Glory be to Thee, our God, glory be to Thee!