The notes in this series are translated from the Telegram channel of Metropolitan Luke (Kovalenko) of Zaphorozhie and Melitopol (UOC).
Christ is in our midst, my dear readers!
In today’s [July 31, 2022] epistle, Apostle Paul teaches us that We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak (Rom. 15:1). Here he is talking about the strength of faith, which, according to his words, is made perfect in weakness. Why in weakness? Because the less a man hopes in himself, the more he begins to hope in God. And this strength of faith can be so strong that even inanimate mountains will submit to its commands.
Just as illness takes away a man’s last strength and health, so does sin take away from the soul its last strength of faith. Physical food restores physical strength, and spiritual food restores spiritual strength. The sacraments of the Church and prayer—that is the food that satiates a person’s soul and gives it the possibility to grow in faith. And faith also becomes stronger in our infirmities and sorrow, when we can’t expect help from anywhere but from God. The Lord comes when all other means have been exhausted. That is precisely why St. Anthony the Great says that at the end of the world, after the decline of faith and piety, those who are able to endure the great sorrows of the last times will be higher in the Kingdom of God than even the first giants of faith.
How can we now measure the strength of our faith? Is there such a measuring stick that could show how strong our love is for God? The holy fathers say that there is. The measure of our faith is the measure of our humility, and it is measured by the depth of our patience. The stronger our faith, the deeper the strength of our patience, and vice versa. And we can draw patience from the Word of God, which teaches us that “we must through many sorrows enter the Kingdom of God”. After all, the hope of Christians consists not in the belief that “all this” will end someday and we will live in peace, like we did before. No, “all this” may never end. Our hope lies in our resurrection with Christ and that we will enter with Him into Life eternal. But for this we need to endure everything sent to us from God, just as He endured for our sake.
