From the daily Apostle it was read
about the importance of food in the spiritual life. Continuation of
thought in the yesterday’s reading of the Apostle (see:
https://www.facebook.com/Oleksandr.S.Zhabenko/
) … food does not bring us closer to God — neither if we eat, we have
no [spiritual] lack, nor if (not) we eat, we do not overflow with
[spiritual]
— a more literal translation, the word spiritual
in
square brackets added in meaning, the word not
in parentheses is not
in all texts – I also note that Paul does not call Holy Communion food
here, he means the usual our daily food. The words themselves, to put it
simply in reference to fasting, mean, that fasting in itself is not the
goal — when a person fasts, he / she does not lose anything spiritual,
when eats (and does fasts or does not) — food is in no way a source of
abundance (excess) of grace.
Someone will say: What about prayer before food, thanksgiving,
consecration of food, consumption artos and holy water, etc.?
— but God
grants grace not for food, but for the faithful, who thank Him, that is,
if anyone seeks the source of grace,
he is conditioned (for in fact
the Source of grace in its own sense is God) can be called gratitude,
reverence, piety, restraint, desire for closeness to God, and so on,
through which (the presence of which is a testimony and a asking God)
God is pleased to bestow grace. And then what about the consecration of
food? It itself is already a manifestation of the desire for closeness
to God, search for Him, desire for Him, prayer to Him, the glory of God,
for whoever desires sanctification in the simplicity of the heart, it
glorifies God so much, and therefore it is pleasing to God to show His
mercy and glory, grace during sanctification, as well as in the use of
the sanctified. But again, the most consecrated products are not a
source of grace
, but through them God manifests it. In fact, just like
icons that are also not sources of grace,
but the latter one often
works through them.
So, in terms of grace, there is no grace-giving food
(again, it
says about our usual food, not about the Sacraments), there is no food
as ambrosia
in paganism.
More about grace is available in the works at the links (sorry for
the lack of English translation at the moment, I will try to do it
later):
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/uk/Blahodat.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/uk/Diya_blahodati.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/uk/BozhaBlahodat.html
Why, then, is there fasting? For (development of, acquisition of, improvement in) restraint. Restraint is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, is a virtue, and is essential to the fight against sins and temptations, and therefore for all spiritual life.
Further, speaking of conscience, Paul is actually talking about
conscience and the situation. Indeed, anything can seduce a conscience
if the person is weak (and even if he / she is strong, he / she can also
be tempted). Christians do not adapt
to the consciences of people, but
take into account the situation and keep God’s commandments. Behave in a
way that avoids a possible temptation to conscience is to behave in a
way that does not create seductive situation (an example of which is
described just above in the epistle of Paul). But if one is tempted by
something essential in the faith of Christ, he will say, for example,
I’m tempted that you’re a Christian,
or something less generalized,
then you don’t have to please people
, you need to do God’s will and
stay faithful to Christ. Those people are guilty of being tempted where
they shouldn’t.
Lord, grant us wisdom and strength to fullfil Your will, and a good attitude to our neighbours to assist them on the way to God!
From the daily Gospel, the parable of the Last Judgment of God was read. A very deep parable that can radically change the views of the world.
I will dwell here only on a few points.
One of the interpreters noticed that Christ would separate the sheep
from the goats
by Himself (shepherds walk between sheep and goats for
this).
The measure of salvation is Christ Himself.
The great mystery is why God accepts what is done to people as done
to Himself. The important thing for this is that He is the Cornerstone,
the Foundation, the important thing is written in the work at the link
(again, just the Ukrainian text at the moment, sorry):
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/Hyper.html
Everything matters in connection with Christ, and without Him nothing
matters. But everything that has meaning — and our neighbours, all
people, and ourselves — do have, — and have it in connection with
Christ. Therefore, doing something to your neighbours (or yourself, by
the way, to ourselves as well — for example, Paul says (as if about
himself, but in fact on behalf of every faithful person, so that every
faithful person may have him-/herself to say): Well, having taken the
members of Christ, will I make them members of a libertine? At all (No
way) no!
(1 Corinthians VI, 15)), person also makes a connection with
Christ
figuratively speaking, and in fact this means, that it is done
to Christ Himself. Modern people have realized the great sinfulness of
the so-called crimes against humanity, and Christ has a human nature,
has the humanity — and therefore sins against people are the sins
against Christ, in the same way is the good done to people in their true
needs — done To Christ Himself.
Glory bo to You, our God, glory be to Thee!