The capacity to forgive and the capacity to love
The capacity to forgive is directly related to the capacity to love, and it is in our act of forgiving others, that we find forgiveness. For it is in the turning away from our own self-concern, and our own self-will, that we begin to see that our salvation is directly linked to the salvation of our neighbor. To refuse to forgive our neighbor, is to cease having the capacity to love, “for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen (1 John 4:20)?”
The ability to forgive others requires work on our part, for we must cooperate with the grace that comes as a gift of the Holy Spirit. Since we have been forgiven much, we, in turn, must forgive much. The Lord Himself told us that we must forgive our brother seventy times seventy, no easy feat, to be sure. Yet it is this same Lord Who gives us the power, and the will, to be quick to forgive those who have hurt or offended us. It is this very Christ Who demonstrated the importance of forgiving others, when He forgave those who were crucifying Him. “Lord, forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34).”
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
Photo: The eastern portion of our monastery’s forest, which we have named Saint Seraphim’s Wood. Access is from the Valaam Trail.
Sunday March 1, 2020 / February 17, 2020
The Sunday of Forgiveness. Tone four.
Cheesefare Sunday. Meat is excluded
Great-martyr Theodore the Tyro (306).
St. Hermogenes, patriarch of Moscow and all Russia (1612).
St. Nicholas (Planas), priest in Athens (1932).
New Hieromartyrs Michael, Paul priests (1938).
Virgin-martyr Anna (1940).
Venerable Theodore the Silent of the Kiev Caves (13th c.).
St. Mariamne, sister of Apostle Philip (1st c.).
Uncovering of the relics (867-869) of Martyr Menas the Melodius of Alexandria (ca. 313).
St. Finan, bishop of Lindisfarne (661) (Celtic & British).
St. Auxibius, bishop of Soli in Cyprus (102) (Greek).
New Martyr Theodore of Byzantium, at Mitylene (1795) (Greek).
Emperor Marcian (457) and Pulcheria, his wife (453), and the commemoration of the dedication of the Great Church in Constantinople (Greek).
Venerable Theodosius the Bulgarian and his disciple Venerable Romanus, monks, of Turnovo (1362) (Bulgaria).
New Martyr Michael Mavroeidis of Adrianople (1490).
Holy Hieromartyr Theodore of Adjara, who suffered under the Turks on Mt. Athos (19th c.) (Georgia).
St. Barnabas, elder of the Gethsemane Skete of St. Sergius Lavra (1906).
The Scripture Readings
Luke 24:1-12
He Is Risen
24 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. 5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, 7 saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ”
8 And they remembered His words. 9 Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. 11 And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.
Romans 13:11-14:4
Put on Christ
11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
The Law of Liberty
14 Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. 2 For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4 Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
Matthew 6:14-21
14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Fasting to Be Seen Only by God
16 “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
Lay Up Treasures in Heaven
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 5:7 – “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” I think it’s important we understand this scripture passage as Jesus teaching us the rewards of Blessedness in being merciful and forgiving. Not that we should understand it as tit for tat – you do for me – I do for you – even Stephen. No, there are the spiritual rewards and the all knowing God who sees all, will be the one to let us receive mercy too, in the capacity of grace He bestows upon us. We don’t need to be afraid to be the first to show mercy or forgiveness – that is not the point – the point is in the Blessedness and healing.
God bless!
God bless you!
Dear Father Tryphon, please forgive me, a sinner.
God forgives. Forgive me.
A young person asked me, “how can a person love their enemy?” I replied, “Can you love your neighbor?” He replied, “sure, it pretty easy to love a neighbor.” I then said, “suppose you had a person who lived next door to you and he threw trash over the fence to your property and then killed your dog; would you conider him to be an enemy?” He said, “yes.” I finished the conversation, with, “he is also your neighbor, actually every person in the world is your neighbor.” He said, he had never thought of it that way.
A young person asked me, “how can a person love their enemy?” I replied, “Can you love your neighbor?” He replied, “sure, it is pretty easy to love a neighbor.” I then said, “suppose you had a person who lived next door to you and he threw trash over the fence onto your property and then killed your dog; would you conider him to be an enemy?” He said, “yes.” I finished the conversation, with, “he is also your neighbor, actually every person in the world is your neighbor.” He said, he had never thought of it that way.
God forgives…and so do I! Please forgive me a sinner!