St Herman of Alaska Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia
161 N. Murphy Ave. Sunnyvale, CA 94086
3rd Sunday After Pentecost

3rd Sunday After Pentecost

(Matthew 6:22–33)

The Gospel appointed for this third Sunday after Pentecost is a section from the famous ‘Sermon on the Mount’ delivered by our Lord Jesus Christ and recorded by the Holy Apostle Matthew. Today’s words are a source of consolation and hope… and yet they also present a real challenge for us.

In today’s Holy Gospel our Lord Jesus Christ exhorts us toward a complete and perfect trust in God, our loving Father, Who knows all of our needs and Who watches over the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. He encourages us to not twist ourselves up in worry and stress over what we shall eat, or what we shall drink, or what shall we wear. Indeed, the final words of today’s Gospel reading are a distillation and perfect summary of the spiritual life – we must ‘seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all things will be added unto us’.

How much time and energy do we waste on our worries and anxieties? It is certainly true that life presents challenges and real hardships… we may be out of work or having troubles at work; we may be struggling financially; we may be suffering from strained relationships… all of these things are difficult and challenging, no doubt about it. But what percentage of these troubles are spent in the direct experience of the issue and what percentage of these troubles are spent in our thoughts and worries about them? More often than not, the greatest percentage is spent in our head – thinking about our troubles, worrying and stressing over them – and this worry and stress are killing us physically, psychologically, and spiritually.

We can and should do what we can to address our difficulties, but we can never do more than what can be done in any given moment. Christ reassures us that God is aware of our needs. If we would seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, all things will be added unto us. Our Heavenly Father will watch over us. This is a tremendous comfort and yet it is a tremendous challenge for us as well.

It is a challenge for two main reasons… First, we think we know better about what we need. And second, we struggle to place our hope and trust in God.

Our assessments about what we need are often way off the mark. We are worldly people, and we seek worldly things to satisfy ourselves and to give us joy. So much of our dissatisfactions and unfulfilled longings are based on an expectation that if we only had this or that thing, then we would be content and happy.

Happiness and contentment are not measured by or contingent upon our material success. St Innocent of Alaska writes the following: ‘Truly, not a single earthly pleasure can satisfy our heart. We are strangers on earth, pilgrims and travelers; our home and fatherland are there in heaven, in the heavenly kingdom; and there do not exist on earth things which could perfectly satisfy our desires. Let a man own the whole world and all that is in the world, yet all that will not interest him for more than a minute, so to speak, and it will never satisfy his heart; for the heart of man can be fully satisfied only by the love of God, and therefore God alone can fill the heart and soul of man and quench the thirst of his desires.’

Why don’t we believe this? Why do we continue to ignore God and run after the things of this world which will never fill that void in our heart?

It is due to a lack of trust in God.

Can we dare to say with all sincerity, ‘Thy will be done’? It is extremely challenging for us to let go of our perceived control over our lives. Yet God promises us that if we place our trust in Him, if we strive to live by His commandments, all will be well with us.

It’s interesting to think about this relationship we have with God… Isn’t it true that God has far more reason to not trust us than we have to not trust Him? God is always faithful… but so often, we are not.

And, even if we can overcome this lack of trust in God, we still may fear that God’s plan and care for our life may not give us those things which we feel we must have in order to be happy. This is a legitimate concern… God may indeed not give us many of those things that we think we need in order to be happy, but God will give us His love and His grace which so completely eclipse anything of this world. As St Innocent was quoted above: ‘…the heart of man can be fully satisfied only by the love of God, and therefore God alone can fill the heart and soul of man and quench the thirst of his desires.’

The Proverbs teach us: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths. (Prov. 3:5-6)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we live in anxious times. There are endless things for us to worry about. But this life of stress and anxiety cripples us from the peace and joy which Christ offers to our ailing hearts and souls. The sorrows and the diseases of the world are not helped or alleviated by our worry and anxiety – this is pouring fuel on fire. The only thing which counteracts the sorrows and diseases of this world is the grace of Christ – this is the water which puts out the fire. Christ told us: ‘Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.’

God grant us this rest in Him which is born from our trust in His goodness. May we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all things shall be added unto us!

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