My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, Our Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
OUR UNDIVIDED COMMITMENT TO OUR MASTER, GOD, AND SAVIOR
JESUS CHRIST.
"Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone
said to Him, ‘Lord I will follow You wherever You go." And Jesus
said to him, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head. Then He said
to another, ‘FOLLOW ME’" (Luke 9:57-59).
There are various kinds of commitments that one makes in his lifetime. Some are commitments to a profession, to a vocation, to a movement, to a friend, to a spouse, to a country, to family, to a church, to medicine, to missions, to truth, to military service, to a charity, etc. Considering my pledge or promise to dedicate much of my life to a person or cause is extremely important and reflecting upon my commitment it cannot be decided without knowing first what is expected of me. What kind of sacrifice is required of me, to what end, and for how long? But there is another serious commitment that I need to make, to my Savior Jesus Christ. What kind of commitment does He require of me? Am I ready spiritually to make a life-long commitment to follow Him? Am I willing to make Him my first priority? It is interesting that in the Divine Liturgy we are constantly reminded to commit ourselves to Christ. We petition, "Let us commit ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God."
If we were to examine closely the above petition "to commit ourselves to Christ" we will understand that we are pledging to serve and love Him unconditionally forever. However, there is a cost to DISCIPLESHIP. Our Lord Jesus Christ teaches that there are three such costs: (1) Provision for personal security does not mix with true discipleship. The disciple will be no more secure than the Teacher. If the Teacher has nowhere to lay His head, neither will be the disciple. (2) Discipleship demands singular commitment to the Kingdom of God. A disciple must be willing to let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead. (3) Discipleship does not look back to reconsider, or operate with a delayed response. It means taking hold of THE COMMISSION GIVEN BY CHRIST AND MOVING FORWARD. Jesus reminds of this when He says, "No one having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, IS FIT FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD" (Luke 9:62). Our commitment to Christ must never be changed once made. The cost of his/her discipleship is self-denial, carrying one’s cross (a symbol of suffering) and obedience to Christ. By saying "let him deny himself, and take up his cross (Mark 8:34), Jesus means His followers should separate themselves from their sins and from the inclination of their hearts towards evil and crucifying the flesh with its passions and desires. This is true commitment!
Commitment to Christ means to follow Him but it also means to be obedient to Him, to implement His commandments in our life, to live a life of virtue, holiness, to follow Him through our thoughts, feelings, and deeds, to become His instrument of love and philanthropy, to preach His Gospel, to accept suffering and sacrifice for the sake of Christ and His Kingdom. Discipleship is costly: it requires giving up all claim to everything the world holds dear. Therefore, along with a sincere commitment, a Christian needs to be willing to give of himself to God and others. A commitment is not founded on emotionalism or sentimentality but on deep conviction and courage.
No commitment should be made in a flippant manner especially if it may lead to suffering and death. Christians have suffered many great tribulations throughout the centuries. However, It also requires genuine humility. Jesus teaches His Disciples that very fact when He tells them: "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall NOT be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave to all" (Mark 10:42-44). Service is characteristic of true greatness. Whether it is about our commitment to our Lord or spreading His message of salvation to the world we depend on Him for inspiration, enlightenment and guidance. Jesus Himself speaking to His Disciples says, "For without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). No one can bear good fruit without Christ God. The Christian who truly understands Who Christ is will never seek to act independently of Him but always in cooperation with Him and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?" (Luke 22:48). There is nothing more repugnant and painful, than to be betrayed by someone he or she trusted. Our Lord had this tragic experience with his disciple Judas whom He trusted and loved. A commitment requires trust and complete devotion to a friend, to a spouse, to God. To be unfaithful, to betray, to be untrustworthy, to compromise one’s commitment is incomprehensible, and evil. It causes great hurt and irreparable damage to any relationship. Jesus of course shows us how to treat cruel and merciless people when He said, "Father,forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34). When one commits himself to someone else it is a life-long investment to that someone. That investment should be honored, respected, appreciated, and be reciprocated by the other person. "Let us commit ourselves to one another" is the true Christian attitude to have because it means that we should always help one another, to be there for each other, especially at times of sorrow, pain, and danger. To be supportive and to truly care for eachother. Remember always that we are not our own and are to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy OF THE GREAT PRICE PAID FOR OUR REDEMPTION.
___________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry(,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 