If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple

 

 "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.  And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.  For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it -- lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'  Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?  Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.  So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. 

 

 "Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

 

- Luke 14:25-35 

 

Yesterday we read Jesus' continued reply to those who sat with Him at table, when He was invited to the home of a Pharisee (see the first part in Saturday's reading).  Yesterday we read that He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.  But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.  And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."  Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!"  Then He said to him, "A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.'  But they all with one accord began to make excuses.  The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it.  I ask you to have me excused.'  And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them.  I ask you to have me excused.'  Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.'  So that servant came and reported these things to his master.  Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.'  And the servant said, 'Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.'  Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.  For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.'"

 

 "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple."  According to the Orthodox Study Bible (OSB), this command to hate one's kindred and "his own life also" is not to be taken literally.  We are, on the other hand, to hate the way our relationships with others can hinder our total dedication to the Kingdom of God, which takes precedence even over family ties.  

 

"And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple."  This is the second time this teaching appears in St. Luke's Gospel (see also Luke 9:23).  The OSB asks us to note that each person must take up his own cross.  It says that the burden in this world is different for each person, and each has been chosen by God to bear certain struggles for one's own salvation and the salvation of others around oneself.  In Christ's teaching at Luke 9:23, Jesus states that one's cross is to be taken up daily.  Commitment to following Christ and bearing one's cross, therefore, is not just a one-time event.  It is the continual practice of faith and obedience, even to the point of being shamed and persecuted by the world.  

 

 "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it -- lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' "  St. Paul uses this same metaphor in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, saying, "According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."  This notion of being tested through fire augments and amplifies Christ's teaching of counting the cost.  In the context here of the cost of discipleship and bearing one's cross, Jesus indicates the cost of commitment to discipleship and following Him in all things.  

 

"Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?  Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.  So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple."  Again, Jesus gives us another metaphor of counting the cost before going into a serious commitment.  Discipleship, and bearing our cross, has often been likened to a battle, a spiritual battle.  St. Paul called it fighting the good fight.  As he approached the end of his life, he wrote, " I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (see 2 Timothy 4:6-8).  

 

  "Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  This teaching is also found in the Sermon on the Mount (see Matthew 5:13).   The OSB comments on this teaching that because of its preservative powers, its necessity for life, and its ability to give flavor, salt had both religious and sacrificial significance (Leviticus 2:13; see also Numbers 18:19; 2 Chronicles 13:5).  To eat salt with someone, it says, meant to be bound together in loyalty.  As the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13), Christians are preservers of God's covenant and give true flavor to the world.  

 

Here, in the context of Christ's teachings on the struggles and commitments of discipleship, He uses the metaphor of salt for what it means to remain loyal to this calling.  Salt is also known as a fixative, another aspect of this teaching.  As fixative, salt is used to bond dye onto fibers of cloth, thereby creating adherence and stability, where the dye will not be washed out.  As fixative, salt is also used to preserve, even for its capabilities in medicine to halt cellular decay.  So salt is used here to illustrate the principles of commitment to the struggles of discipleship in order to describe a perseverance that must be present in the disciple.  To count the cost before a building project so that one is prepared to finish it through to the end is a similar kind of endeavor, also illustrating being prepared for the vagaries and ups and downs of discipleship.  Engaging in battle as a king also gives us a picture of a fully assessed commitment to a project that involves risk, danger to oneself, and unforeseen threats.  This, also, is a part of discipleship.  If we must be prepared even for challenges to our closest relationships in life, when there is a possibility that our faith will come between us and our loved ones, then we run a real risk in this spiritual battle.  Truly our deepest struggles may involve much more than we bargained for.  In Jesus' time, of course, such challenges and struggles were literally life-threatening and would continue to be so for the early centuries of the Church.  Betrayals even by family members were possible, given the structures of the time within social, political, and familial ties.  But this notion of carrying one's own cross, and doing so for a lifetime, is really a challenge of our own internal lives.  We struggle against our own passions, especially the things we might be most deeply attached to.  If we have excessive, damaging, or disordered habits of anger, envy, lust, or any number of other weaknesses, we most likely will be challenged to cast out ways of behaving that interfere with the living of our faith.  This extends to all kinds of habits, from any form of addiction to habitual thinking that forms a stumbling block to Christian faith and the living of Christ's teachings.  So let us go forward as forewarned in this sense by Christ that we must be prepared to face the struggles of Christian life, and to meet those deeply embedded within us.  This extends even to things of which we are unaware in our emotional makeup.  For all will be challenged, as St. Paul indicates when he speaks of the building standing up to fire.  Temptations will come in all forms, including that of needing to go along with the social life of one's peer group -- and the struggle to find the correct balance between our love of others and our love of Christ without hatred and resentment.  In this, we also struggle to discern Christ's way for us, not least of which is the need to adhere to and rely upon grace in all things.  Whatever the cost, even that which is unforeseen, Jesus asks us to be prepared for it.  Let us run the race, and prepare for the "good fight," as St. Paul calls it.

 

 

 

And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just

 

Then He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.  But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.  And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."

 

Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!"  

 

Then He said to him, "A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.'  But they all with one accord began to make excuses.  The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it.  I ask you to have me excused.'  And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them.  I ask you to have me excused.'  Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.'  So that servant came and reported these things to his master.  Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.'  And the servant said, 'Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.'  Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.  For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.'"

 

- Luke 14:12–24 

 

On Saturday, we read that as Jesus went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, they watched Him closely.  And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy.  And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"  But they kept silent.  And He took him and healed him, and let him go.  Then He answered them, saying, "Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?"  And they could not answer Him regarding these things.  So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them:  "When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place.  But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.'  Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at table with you.  For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

 

 Then He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.  But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.  And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."  On Saturday, we discussed the first part of this parable, found in the verses prior to today's reading, in which Jesus gave instruction to guests regarding humility.  Here He instructs hosts, of whom boundless charity is asked -- again in imitation of Christ.  According to the Orthodox Study Bible (OSB), this instruction is based on the manner in which God treats us, although none of us could possibly repay God (see Luke 6:30-36).  Here, Jesus says that "you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."  This teaching is similar to that illustrated in the parable of the Good Samaritan, see Luke 10:25-37; especially verses 34-35.

 

 Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!"  This man speaks in response to Christ's reference to the resurrection of the just.  The OSB remarks that this man unwittingly declares the ultimate beatitude.  It says that the truth behind his words can come only through understanding the bread to be eternal communion with God.  

 

Then He said to him, "A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.'  But they all with one accord began to make excuses.  The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it.  I ask you to have me excused.'  And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them.  I ask you to have me excused.'  Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.'  So that servant came and reported these things to his master.  Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.'  And the servant said, 'Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.'  Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.  For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.'"  According to the OSB, this parable operates on two levels.  It illustrates both the first and second coming of Christ, who is the servant sent to gather many.  Supper, it notes, indicates evening, the end of the age.  The people invited are first the Jews, then all humankind.  In patristic commentary, the three excuses given here are seen as having both a literal meaning -- that many people are too attached to worldly cares to accept the Kingdom of God (see Luke14:26; 18:29) -- as well as spiritual meanings.  The OSB reports that, according to St. Ambrose, these three excuses of I cannot come represent the Gentile, the Jew, and the heretic.  The Gentile's devotion to earthly wealth is represented by the piece of ground, the Jews' enslavement to the five books of the Law by the five yoke of oxen, and the heretic's espousal of error by the man who refuses on account of his wife.  Additionally, Theophylact more generally associates the excuses with people devoted to earthly matters, to things pertaining to the five senses, and to all pleasures of the flesh.  Finally, the OSB states that those in the streets and lanes indicate first, the Gentiles who accepted Christ after the faithless Jews rejected Him, and second, those outside the Church who replace those within who have rejected their own baptism.  

 

 Gratitude seems to be at the heart of so much of what it means to be gracious in the sight of God.  For how can we accept gifts from God, even our lives, without gratitude?  And yet, in everyday life, we take all kinds of things for granted.  The invitation to the great supper is akin to the wedding feast mentioned by Jesus in Saturday's reading (above), and also in the parable of the Wedding Feast found in St. Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 22:1-14).  We must keep in mind that it's an honor to receive an invitation, to be extended hospitality, and equally, it is gracious behavior to conduct oneself with humility as a guest, as Jesus also taught in the reading from Saturday.  So here, in today's parable of the supper, we observe the people making excuses.  Each one has his own concern, his own interest.  But the invitation is disregarded as if it were of no value whatsoever.  Only the particular concerns of their individual lives and interests matter to them.  For what is an invitation?  In this case, it is a voluntary offering of a banquet, and one that asks for nothing in return but participation alone.  "Come, and eat my supper," the invitation asks.  But note that the host does not stop with the refusals of those who have matters to attend to that serve their interests.  This host has his servant go to the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind, all those not in a position to repay, to bring them into his home.  Such a grand home it must be that there is still room left.  And so out the servant goes again, to bring in all those on the peripheries, the real outsiders, who are on the highways and in the hedges, and they are compelled to come in.  For all these who surely cannot repay will now come first in the home of the One who extends the invitations and offers the supper.  Jesus seems to be teaching us about hospitality in a profoundly metaphorical way in order to say something about the spiritual life, and what it is we refuse when we refuse God.  For the gracious host's hospitality isn't simply about throwing a supper, but it is about making the house full and extending his grace to as many people as possible, with preference finally given to the "least of these," the outsiders, the ones not in a position to repay but who simply can accept with thanks.  When we refuse the grace of God, we also refuse the hospitality that offers respect for those who can't repay, the wisdom of the kingdom of God. 

 

 

 

For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted

 

 Now it happened, as He went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely.  And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy.  And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"  But they kept silent.  And He took him and healed him, and let him go.  Then He answered them, saying, "Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?"  And they could not answer Him regarding these things. 

 

So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them:  "When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place.  But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.'  Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at table with you.  For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

 

- Luke 14:1-11 

 

Yesterday we read that some Pharisees came to Jesus, saying to Him, "Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You."  And He said to them, "Go, tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.'  Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!  How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!  See!  Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"

 

  Now it happened, as He went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely.  And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy.  And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"  But they kept silent.  And He took him and healed him, and let him go.  Then He answered them, saying, "Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?"  And they could not answer Him regarding these things.  The issue of healing on the Sabbath is a recurring problem and accusation for Jesus from the Pharisees and scribes; see, for example, Luke 6:1-11.  Here, Jesus takes up the issue rather directly with an example of the way that ailing animals are treated on the Sabbath, compared to their condemnation of Jesus' healing human beings.  The argument here is a continuation of the conflict found in Wednesday's reading, in which Jesus healed a woman who'd been bent over for eighteen years (Luke 13:10-17).  Here He builds upon the argument He began in that passage.

 

 So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them:  "When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place.  But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.'  Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at table with you.  For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  Here Jesus gives a parable directed toward guests (in the following verses, not found in today's reading, He will tell another directed at hosts).  Both parables are based on gracious behavior the Lord teaches and models.  The Orthodox Study Bible comments that in imitation of Christ, perfect humility is expected of guests, and boundless charity is demanded of hosts (see James 4:6).

 

 Perhaps in Jesus' parable of the wedding feast, He's giving a subtle hint to the Pharisees regarding their grandiose behavior, and by inference, this would particularly apply to their judgment of Jesus.  They have no hesitation in finding fault with Him, criticizing on the most legalistic grounds regarding His performing healing "work" on the Sabbath.  If we consider the Sabbath significant in terms of the wedding feast of the Lord and His bride, the people of God, then we can place Christ's teaching in a different light than it appears as one supper on one particular day.  For the Sabbath is truly about union of God and God's people.  It is a day in which all are invited to enter into the rest of their Lord -- and all the things that this might incorporate.  So, if we (like many Church Fathers who've commented on this parable, such as St. Cyril of Alexandria) consider the host in this particular parable to be God, then we can come to see Christ's teaching of humble behavior in this light.  It is God who elevates and extols, and God who teaches gracious behavior.  It is God who claims to teach the virtues, and we, as God's children, who are to learn the virtues to which we can aspire.  This is the ground of humility, the understanding that we all, being imperfect, have much to learn.  The law -- and a very strict and demanding interpretation of it -- cannot claim all there is to know.  It cannot claim to create perfection in us.  Jesus will say as much directly when He teaches the rich young ruler about obtaining eternal life (Luke 18:18-29).  Perhaps most significantly and notably for today's reading, a strict reading of the Law cannot teach us mercy.  It cannot teach us gracious behavior, nor discernment that depends upon our love of God in our hearts.  Most of all, it takes humility to find these "finer things" which the Lord would teach us beyond legalism.  How do we become like Christ?  He teaches us that in today's reading, when He teaches about the necessary humility of guests, and therefore our humility before God.  He teaches humility as an attitude first toward God, our ultimate host who gives us good things, an understanding that we always have more to learn, and more ways to mature and grow in God's sight.  These men consider themselves authorities and in a position to judge Christ, but their lack of humility prevents them from seeing God at work in their very presence -- even in His healing on the Sabbath.  Indeed, they seek to judge the Lord Himself.  Jesus teaches, "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  This is a warning that we will be judged particularly on our reception or rejection of God's work in the world, the Holy Spirit at work within us and among us.  Let us pay strict attention, for every bit of this also applies to us, and to how we judge and think of ourselves as well. 

 

 

 

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!

 

 On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, "Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You."  And He said to them, "Go, tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.'  Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!  How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!  See!  Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"

 

- Luke 13:31–35 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "What is the kingdom of God like?  And to what shall I compare it?  It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches."  And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God?  It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."  And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.  Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?"  And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.  When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.'  But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from.  Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.'  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.  They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.  And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last."

 

  On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, "Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You."  And He said to them, "Go, tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.'  Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!  How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!  See!  Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"  The Orthodox Study Bible (OSB) comments that this passage shows Christ voluntarily going to His Passion.  Additionally, His lament over Jerusalem expresses His great love for the Holy City, despite its continual state of rebellion.  Finally, Jesus expresses His foreknowledge of how He will be received on the first Palm Sunday, the time of His Triumphal Entry into the City. 

 

 It's very difficult to lose people we love.  But to lose those we love because they do not return that love, or do not appreciate the gifts we offer to them, is probably far more painful.  Indeed, it is a pain in the soul.  And one must consider that if we, as "mere" mortals, can feel such pain in the soul for those whom we love, just imagine what Jesus, who is both Son of Man and Son of God, feels for Jerusalem and His own people.  He has come to offer salvation, and it is rejected.  He is rejected.  As reflected in our commentary of a few days ago (at this link), rejection is a repeated theme of Christ's ministry in this world.  Indeed, in St. Luke's Gospel, He began this public ministry in His hometown of Nazareth, and was firmly and categorically rejected there; see Luke 4:16-30.  We know, of course, that His Passion and suffering and death will occur because of His rejection by the whole of the nation.  It seems impossible that we could consider the depth of pain such rejection would have caused the One who is, indeed, our Creator.  Certainly He knew He would suffer, and His mother also was given this prophecy that she would also suffer with Him (Luke 2:34-35).  In the modern times in which we live, we make a great deal of rejection and suffering, and the impact of such hardships upon ourselves psychologically.  Depression is widespread.  Suffering long-term effects of trauma (such as parental rejection, or bullying in any context) is the stuff of common publications and media programs.  This is especially borne out in the gigantic economics of the pharmaceutical industry, with varied and continually evolving new formulations of chemical medicines meant to help "correct" that problem -- or perhaps at least cope with it.  To lose those whom we love through natural death or other kind of tragedy is painful enough, as we all know.  Consider then, for the purpose of today's reading and commentary, the pain and suffering involved in the kind of rejection which Christ will go through in the Holy City He loves.  As Son of God, He has a long history with Jerusalem, as noted in His language.   There are multiple things He mourns here, in advance of what He knows is coming.  He says, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!"  Jerusalem is the beloved city which nevertheless "kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!"  He, the Lord, is the One who has sent those prophets repeatedly.  So, there is already a history which He mourns.  Listen to the rest of His history with Jerusalem, when He then states, "How often I have wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!"  This is a unique occurrence in the Gospels, for He gives a feminine, motherly image of Himself here, when He compares Himself to a hen who gathers her brood under her wings.  We can imagine the pain of rejection in a loving mother rejected by her children, one who wants only to protect, nurture, and love (as imaged by the protective wings He names).  Finally, there is the sadness of the tremendous loss that results from that rejection:  "See!  Your house is left to you desolate."  There will be no more prophets, no more chances, and soon, not even the temple will be left standing in Jerusalem.  But that is not the extent of the desolation of which Christ speaks.  For this desolation is spiritual; it is a pronouncement of woe regarding the spiritual life of the people and the Holy City nurtured by the Lord from the times of the patriarchs.  The Bridegroom is mourning His bride, Jerusalem, and the Lord is losing His people through their rejection of Him and what He brings to them.  An endless amount of commentary can and has been written regarding the suffering in our Christian heritage, and the role that suffering plays even in the cosmic sense of salvation and the faithful.  But quite possibly we won't thoroughly understand the role it plays for us until we deeply consider Christ's lament over Jerusalem, and what it means for Him first.  For when we go through any suffering of our own, our rejection by those whom we love, and the loss of those whom we care about, we do not do so alone.  We need to recall that He has been there with us, and suffered more greatly than any one of us before we have.  Let us call upon the Savior who is there with us in our suffering, and be grateful that through Him this, too, is turned to salvation for the purposes of saving creation.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is the kingdom of God like?

 

 Then He said, "What is the kingdom of God like?  And to what shall I compare it?  It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches."  And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God?  It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."

 

 And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.  Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?"  And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.  When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.'  But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from.  Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.'  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.  They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.  And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last."

 

- Luke 13:18-30 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.  And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.  But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity."  And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.  But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day."  The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite!  Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?  So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?"  And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.

 

  Then He said, "What is the kingdom of God like?  And to what shall I compare it?  It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches." And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God?  It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."  The Orthodox Study Bible (OSB) comments here that the mustard plant grows to a height of ten feet in Palestine.  These parables of the mustard seed and the leaven are grouped together both here in St. Luke's Gospel, and also in the Gospel According to St. Matthew (Matthew 13:31-33).  According to the OSB, the mustard seed and the leaven represent the disciples who, according to Theophylact's commentary, began as just a few men, but "soon encompassed the whole earth."  These also stand for faith entering a person's soul, which causes an inward growth of virtue.  The soul will become godlike and can receive even angels (symbolized by the birds of the air nesting in its branches).  

 

  And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.  Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?"  And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able."  Again, we turn for a parallel in St. Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 7:13-14).  There in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus contrasts the narrow way with the broad, teaching, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."  This understanding of the "two ways" was widespread in Judaism, the OSB comments (Deuteronomy 30:14-20; Psalm 1; Proverbs 4:17-18, 12:28, 15:23; Sirach 15:17).  It also appears prominently in early Christian writings (Didache, Barnabas).  The OSB notes that St. Luke's version is more eschatological, as it refers to the end of the age.  Common to both contexts is the understanding that because we wrestle against sins and human weaknesses as well as spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12), entering the kingdom is the more difficult and narrow way.

 

"When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.'  But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from.  Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.'"  Here Jesus offers another parable of the time of His return, giving us the eschatological setting here in St. Luke's Gospel.  The OSB comments that neither verbal confessions (Lord, Lord) nor sacramental experiences (We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets) avail anything unless we also do the works of faith (see Luke 6:46-49).  

 

"There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.  They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.  And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last."  The OSB again cites the commentary of Theophylact, who sees the first who becomes last as not only faithless Jews, but also those in the Church who "from infancy have put on Christ and have been taught the Word, but who become last by transgressing against it."

 

Whatever way we look at the parables in today's reading, there is a strong statement about judgment to be found in Christ's final words here.  Even those who are seemingly the elect, those whom the Lord has seemed to favor, are subject to losing this place.  It is a strong warning against complacency, and the dire consequences of a lack of vigilance in exercising and living one's faith.  As the OSB comments, Jesus cites nominal aspects of worship practice and even prayer as fruitless if it is not given with earnestness from the heart.  And there we can touch on the meaning of the first two parables given in today's reading, those of the Mustard Seed and Leaven.  For these illustrate two ways of the working of the Holy Spirit both in us and in the world.  The mustard seed is a metaphor Jesus will use again to illustrate what a small amount of faith can do (Luke 17:6).  Here the parable, as the OSB says, illustrates the explosive growth of the reality of the Kingdom through even the smallest and seemingly insignificant of beginnings, both in the world and in us as human beings.  But we should note that the growth is mysterious, it is the working of grace and mercy that builds this growth, together with our cooperation, our active faith responding.  In the traditions of Orthodox Christianity, this process in an individual is called theosis, where we grow in virtue and in resemblance (likeness) to Christ, in the patterns (or icon/image) He has set for us.  This is a process that occurs over time; it is not an instantaneous sort of creation nor a one-time avowal of faith that is involved here.  The leaven also illustrates something similar, but it is a thorough transformation (or transfiguration) of substance.  Leaven is a natural yeast which works through enzymatic action to change the make up of a dough, the qualities working in it.  So it is within a community, a world, and particularly in us as well.  This, once again, is akin to what is understood as theosis, a process of becoming more "like" our Creator, allowing the "enzymatic" action of the energies of God (God's mercy and grace, understood to be the active but subtle work of the Holy Spirit) to transform us.  The fullness of such action is union with God, an ultimate perfection of becoming, the fullness of purpose for us set by God.  In the context of the eschatological words of Jesus, we can understand a couple of things.  First of all, He is drawing near toward Jerusalem and the time of His Passion, death, and Resurrection.  He has but a short time left of His active ministry as the incarnate Jesus, and so His warnings come against that backdrop of the time when He will no longer be physically present in human form.  That is, the time in which we are now and have been since then, while we await His return and judgment.  These warnings He leaves also for us, subsequent generations of faithful born in this time "of the end," for in the eyes of the Church, the whole of the Christian era constitutes "end times."  His warning about the return of the Master strikes us in particular, as we seek to live faithful lives, for He wishes us to keep always in mind that we must be ready for His return.  Perhaps what is most striking here are His repetitions of imagery which suggests the action and effect of God as that which turns perception and understanding upside down, topsy-turvy, in ways we would not expect nor predict.  What we think we know in our complacency and even certainty may not be so.  "There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.  They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.  And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last."  It is language found in the Magnificat, for example, Mary the Theotokos' song upon receipt of the word of God at the Annunciation, also given to us by St. Luke (see Luke 1:46-55):  "He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty."  Even in Mary's song, the language is reflective of other songs found in the Old Testament as well.  A time of surprising upheavals and reversals may in some ways have always been with us at all times and places in our world; perhaps such is our perception as human beings often powerless to control much of life.  In today's world, we have a great deal of worldly power in all kinds of forms which seeks to control many things, and yet surprises and insecurities are also with us.  It is frequently remarked upon that people's insecurities are at a surprising level.  Perhaps it is true that as we seek to control more and more things, and cultivate the power of new technologies, policies, and governmental organization to do so, we incur all the more the things we can't really control.  At any rate, Christ's words suggest that we can expect surprises, that reality in the spiritual sight of God is not truly what we think it is by material appearances.  We can expect, perhaps, only the unexpected.  But Jesus gives us a way through this uncertainty, the one thing needed, and that is the narrow way of our faith as taught by Him.  For whatever we don't know, there is one thing that we do know -- and that is His teaching that has remained with us of His narrow gate.  Especially in times of change and uncertainty, there are many, many temptations to follow this way or that, this theory or solution, or some other, and there will be myriads.  But His is the narrow gate, and that is the true way we know when all else fails.

 

 

 

 

 

So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?

 

 Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.  And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.  But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity."  And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.  But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day."  

 

The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite!  Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?  So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?"  And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.

 

- Luke 13:10-17 

 

Yesterday we read that there were present at that season some who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."  He also spoke this parable:  "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.  Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none.  Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?'  But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.  And if it bears fruit, well.  But if not, after that you can cut it down.'"

 

  Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.  And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.  But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity."  And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.  But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day."  According to the Orthodox Study Bible (OSB), there were certain traditions that the scribes and Pharisees had built up around the Law which held that healing was considered work.  Being work, therefore, it was not permissible on the Sabbath.  See Leviticus 23:3, from which the ruler of the synagogue seems to be quoting.  These men believed they served God by zealously keeping these peripheral traditions, but such legalism made them insensitive to God's mercy.  

 

The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite!  Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?  So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?"  And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.  The OSB comments on Jesus' command, "Think of it."  It notes that in patristic commentary this command is seen as directing us to a spiritual meaning for the eighteen years of this woman's infirmity.  The Greek expression is literally translated "ten and eight years."  In light of this, both St. Ambrose of Milan and Theophylact see ten as representing the Ten Commandments and eight as representing grace, as the day of Resurrection is often called the "eighth day."  So therefore, humanity is lifted up by faith in Christ, who fulfills both law and grace. 

 

 It's important to note the terms within which Jesus frames the healing of this woman.  She's been bent over for eighteen years, unable to raise herself up.  This suggests a great burden, an imposition of such great oppression that she can't even lift herself.  Adding to this sense of oppression and imposition, Jesus uses the word bound to describe how her infirmity has been imposed upon her.  To be bound suggests one who is captive, a prisoner, and even a slave.  Jesus' words of loosing her bond -- and on the Sabbath -- suggest to us liberation and deliverance.  She's freed by His work.  In the Jewish context, this hearkens back to the Old Testament story of the Exodus, the liberation from bondage and slavery by the Lord (Exodus 13:3).  Christ is the Lord, the Deliverer, the One who sets the captives free.  See Isaiah 61:1, which is the very Scripture read by Jesus in His first recorded preaching in St. Luke's Gospel, at the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth (Luke 4:16-30).  On that occasion, He was also rejected and condemned, saying Himself, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country" (Luke 4:24).  His neighbors from Nazareth mirror the indignation of the synagogue ruler.  In this way, Jesus teaches an important meaning of the Sabbath, and what it is for.  Consecrated to the Lord, this day marks the coming of the Lord, and this action of liberation and deliverance and healing teaches us all about the Lord, and the nature of His ministry.  Let us note that this healed woman understands implicitly, for the first thing she does in being loosed of her bond, and being made straight, is to glorify God.   This in turn illumines the multitude, who then rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.  Christ's healing of this afflicted woman teaches us that salvation and freedom are interconnected, for He brings her liberation from what He terms being bound by Satan.  Freedom is an essential piece of salvation, for as Christ has said also, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin" (John 8:34; see also Romans 6:6).   Let us therefore rejoice with this multitude, for to be united to Christ is to find both our freedom and our salvation.  Finally, her standing upright forms an icon of the Resurrection.  She's not only restored to life, but also to her proper place in the true reality of God.  This, indeed, is true liberation, in which we are free to join the cosmic reality of the communion of saints in rejoicing and glorifying God. 

 

 

Unless you repent you will all likewise perish

 

 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

 

He also spoke this parable:  "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.  Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none.  Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?'  But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.  And if it bears fruit, well.  But if not, after that you can cut it down.'"

 

- Luke 13:1-9 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught, "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!  But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!  Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth?  I tell you, not at all, but rather division.  For from now on five in one house will be divided:  three against two, and two against three.  Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."  Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is.  And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is.  Hypocrites!  You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?  Yes, and why, even of yourselves do you not judge what is right?  When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.  I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite."

 

 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."  According to the Orthodox Study Bible (OSB), Jesus is here referring to two historical incidents, which are only reported in the Gospel of St. Luke.  The slain Galileans were probably Zealots, the OSB notes; that is, Jewish nationalists, who triggered a disturbance against the Romans.  The collapse of the tower in Siloam, whether by accident or sabotage, was believed to be divine justice on sinners.  But Jesus here denies that this suffering was God's judgment.  Instead, He uses these events as illustrations for those who perish because they will not repent.  

 

 He also spoke this parable:  "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.  Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none.  Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?'  But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.  And if it bears fruit, well.  But if not, after that you can cut it down.'"  The OSB claims that the fruitless fig tree is universally interpreted in the Church to be fallen humanity.  The three years, it says, represent God's covenants with God's people through Abraham, Moses, and Christ, all of which are rejected, as well as the three-year earthly ministry of Christ.  The keeper of the vineyard is, of course, Christ Himself.  He intercedes on our behalf through suffering His Passion and sending the Holy Spirit to us before the final judgment takes place.  

 

 It's interesting that in Christ's talk to the people, His preaching to the crowds, He seizes on superstitious views and challenges them.  Whether these views interpret God's wrath as visiting people who have suffered tragedy, or perhaps a fatalistic belief that to be unfortunate means that one meets with God's disfavor, He refutes these popular ideas.  He does so on the basis of a much deeper and grounded understanding of the nature of our reality and its spiritual basis in God's redemptive work.  We are called to repent, and the reality of the death we suffer or risk in spiritual terms without the repentance necessary to meet God's call to us is the true failure to meet God's love and grace.  Our own spirituality must be called to a far deeper place than popular superstitions or a belief in luck or fatalistic condemnation as the cause of all misfortune.  A similar teaching takes place in St. John's Gospel when the disciples see a man blind from birth at the Feast of Tabernacles, in the final year of Christ's earthly life (John 9:1-10:21).  The disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"  This question represents a similar belief to the one Jesus challenges in today's reading, that misfortune of this kind was the result of personal sin.  But Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him."  This forms the basis for Christ's sixth sign of seven in St. John's Gospel, the healing of the man blind from birth.  In a certain sense, we might perhaps view such popular beliefs as connected to popular superstition, even the work of demonic forces misunderstood by people, and even tangentially connected to pagan beliefs of other neighboring peoples.  But Jesus wants to focus our attention, and that of the crowds, on something far deeper and more important.  The one thing that really matters is their response to the work of God in the world, and standing before them is, in fact, the presence of God.  In Christ's ministry, moreover, the kingdom of heaven has come near (Luke 10:9-11), and it is our response to that reality that is truly a matter of life and death.  It is our response to that reality alive and at work in the world, and in us, which determines true life or death at the deepest levels of our existence.  That is, this is the one reality we have to face that both undergirds all things, and encompasses all that we are and experience, even to the level of soul and spirit.  It is this which He teaches and preaches, and for this He has come into the world to save all of us.  It is here our focus must be in His sight.  We might blame luck, fortune, foresight, planning; but ultimately it is this foundational faith that determines real life or death, our relationship with God in Whom all things and all aspects of creation are held.  This is what matters in our lives and for each of us in our hearts.