An Instruction for the 20th Sunday After Pentecost, on Spiritual Death and Spiritual Resurrection

«And He came and touched the open coffin» (the Lord), «and those who carried him» (the dead man) «stood still. And He declared: young man, I say to you, arise. So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother» (Lk 7:14-15).

In today’s Sunday Gospel the God-speaking Evangelist Luke relates a great miracle which the Lord Jesus Christ worked in Nain, a city of the land of Judea—the raising, by a word, of a dead man, a twelve-year-old youth, the only son of a widow. Word for word the Evangelist speaks thus: «Jesus went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and told her: do not weep. Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He declared: young man, I say to you, arise. So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother. Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying: a great prophet has risen up among us; and God has visited His people» (Lk 7:11-16). So far Saint Luke. Blessed is the mother, we all think, on reading this sacred account, that on the way to her son’s grave she met the very Giver of life, and received her son back alive from Him. And not only the mother of the dead man—blessed too are all the onlookers of the miracle of resurrection on that day. Yes, blessed and fortunate was the mother, blessed were the onlookers! But let me say that we, you and I, are no less, if not more, blessed than they. «Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever» (Hebr 13:8). Of what gift of God are all who sincerely believe in the Lord deprived even now? What miracles does the Lord, and His most pure Mother, the Virgin Theotokos, not work even now among us? True, miracles of the raising of the dead—that is, the raising of a dead body—are now quite rare, but instead miracles of resurrection from spiritual death are continually worked in the souls of believers, when the Lord unceasingly, every day, and many times in a single day, raises souls that are dying through sin. And this is a thousand times more important than the resurrection of the body—or why do I say a thousand times? It is as much more important as the soul is more important than the body: the body is, as it were, the garment of the soul, for the soul is the living image of God and is immortal, though the body too is destined for resurrection on the last day. Since the Lord’s resurrection from the dead, the death of the body has become a temporary sleep. But woe, if the soul should die a sinful death: it will perish forever, will be tormented forever. So then, let us speak of spiritual death and spiritual resurrection. We die in soul every day, through our own sins, but we can also rise again, and some of us do rise again every day and every hour, and even many times within a single hour, through faith and heartfelt repentance before God, the Knower of hearts.

Sin, which puts our souls to death, is extremely tenacious of life, cunning, active; every minute it draws us into captivity, troubles, darkens, oppresses, scorches, weakens, defiles, and puts to death our souls, given over to the world and not to the Lord. But though sin is sometimes sweet, no one wishes to die in soul for its sake, and every sinner desires and seeks ease, breadth of heart, and merriment. But there is no joy for the wicked, says the Lord; true joy belongs only to innocent hearts: «sorrow and anguish» come upon everyone «who does evil» (Rom 2:9). For a sinner to be delivered from sorrow and anguish, or from sinful death, he must be reconciled with God, whom he has provoked to anger and continually provokes by sin, and from whom he himself withdraws into a far country, to the devil. Sincere repentance is needed, and, since we sin continually, continual repentance is needed too—secret, before the eyes of God, and, at the appointed time, open, before a priest. Through repentance the dying soul rises again, as many times as the sinner, having sinned, repents from the heart, so that if a person should die a hundred times in a single day through sin, and repent sincerely a hundred times, he will also rise again a hundred times.

As often as you fall, arise, and you will be saved, says Scripture. Oh, what a priceless, greatest gift has been given to us by God—our faith and our repentance before God! Through faith and repentance we are brought to life, raised up, reconciled with God, and renewed every day. In granting sinners repentance until the end of this temporal life, the Lord shows us sinners the greatest love and goodness, His greatest mercies. There is no numbering our sins, but neither is there any numbering the mercies of God in having mercy on us sinners—sinners, that is, who sincerely repent: for His fury rests forever upon the unrepentant (Hebr 10:27; Sofon 1:18). So then, sinner, «awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light» (Eph 5:14). Remember your own sins, how grievous and how great they are, how senseless, insolent, brazen, ruinous, how countless they are; pour out streams of tears, and you will see how grace raises up your own soul, dead through sin. But, having risen, strive not to die again: value the great gift of God—the gift of the cleansing, the sanctification, the quickening, the raising of your own soul, dead through sin; do not trample upon the treasure of God’s grace and mercy, lest you die forever. By prayer and repentance, continually sustain your communion with grace; commune more often of the Fountain of life—the most pure, life-giving Mysteries: they work the greatest miracle of renewal and quickening for souls dying through sin. Overcome your own inclinations toward sin. The Lord, warning Cain against his intended fratricide, says to him: «sin desires to have you, but you must master it» (Gen 4:7). Every sinner must know and remember this, and must rule over sin, must master sin, and not yield to it, whatever it may be: whether anger, or pride, drunkenness, or impurity, or envy, love of gain, hardheartedness, stinginess, or despondency and dejection, laziness or distraction, negligence in one’s work, and the rest.

O Christ Jesus! We thank You with all our heart, that You, every day and many times over, even now, as always, work in our souls miracles of resurrection, raising up our own souls, dying through sin, granting us repentance unto life. Learn to walk continually in the path of His commandments, that you may attain eternal life and be counted worthy to delight in His unapproachable light. Amen.