The Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost (Gal. 1:11–19; Lk. 7:11–16)

The Lord sees a mother weeping over the death of her son and is moved with compassion for her; at another time He was invited to a wedding and rejoiced in the joy of the family. By this He showed that sharing in ordinary joys and sorrows of life is not contrary to His spirit. This is also what true Christians do—devout ones, those who live their lives in the fear of God. Yet they distinguish among the customs of daily life, for much has entered into it that cannot have God’s blessing. There are customs called forth by the passions and devised to satisfy them; others nourish nothing but vanity. Whoever has the spirit of Christ will know how to distinguish good from bad: holding to the one and rejecting the other. One who does this with the fear of God is not shunned by others, even though he does not act as they do—for he always acts in a spirit of love and forbearance toward the weaknesses of his brethren. It is only a spirit of zeal that exceeds its measure that grates on people’s eyes and produces discord and division. Such a spirit cannot restrain itself from instructing and rebuking. But the other kind of person cares only about ordering his own life and his family’s life in a Christian manner; he does not consider it permissible to meddle in the affairs of others, saying to himself, “Who appointed me a judge?” By such quietness he wins everyone over and inspires respect for the way of life he follows. But the one who must point out everything to everyone makes himself unloved and brings reproach upon the very good order he upholds. Humility is needed in such cases—Christian humility. It is the source of Christian wisdom, which knows how to act rightly in whatever situation arises.