6th Sunday of Pentecost  
Romans 12:6-14; Matthew 9:1-8

Each time we serve the Holy Liturgy, we have an opportunity for a double communion: firstly, the Communion of the Holy Mysteries in the form of bread and wine, when we receive the spiritual essence of Christ into our bodies "for the salvation of soul and body," and, secondly, the Communion of the Word of God through listening-reading of the Holy Scriptures – the Epistle and the Gospel, and also through listening to the sermon of a clergyman. By reading and listening to the Acts of the Holy Apostles the messages of the holy apostles and the actions and teachings of Jesus Christ, transmitted by the four evangelists, we gain an understanding of God, God's will, and strengthen our faith, hope and love in God.

I would like to draw our attention to the beautiful, God-inspired instructions of Apostle Paul from his Epistle to the Romans, which is one of the sources for communion with the Word of God. The apostle writes:

"And we have different gifts, according to the grace given to us: when prophecy - then fulfill it according to the measure of faith, and when service - be for service, when a teacher - for learning, when a comforter - for consolation, who serves - in simplicity, he who presides is with vigilance, he who is merciful is with friendliness.” (Romans 12:6-8).

We can reveal and share the gifts God has given us, but this should always be done with dignity and simplicity, no matter our calling or vocation. It is always possible to provide material help to the needy, but this should be done in such a way that our action enters into the depths of the receiver’s heart. Mercy must be given with friendliness, with benevolence, so that those who receive it will also feel our love, God's love.

And herein lies a pitfall for our very human desires. People become convinced, and expect, mistakenly, that this friendliness and kindness should be shown towards them (sometimes, such requirements are directed, for example, only towards a priest). But people forget that they should be demonstrating these or similar virtues to other people. The one who presides sometimes forgets that he has to fulfill his vocation with vigilance, as if by God's commission.

Undoubtedly, the reminder of the Apostle Paul about the proper identification of our abilities also reminds us of the Gospel story about the identification of talents (Matthew 25:14-30). And we should all be aware that we receive talents or certain gifts and abilities from our Creator - and He hopes that we will show them in life.

When we do not show our abilities, they disappear, atrophy. It is somewhat similar to our muscles: when we injure an arm or a leg, and do not use them, after a few weeks the muscles atrophy. When we haven’t used our legs for a long time, we need to rehabilitate them, and need to learn to walk again.

Our great poet Taras Shevchenko had the gift of prophecy. In a most difficult time, when the majority of people were in serfdom, in captivity, when there was no Ukrainian school in Ukraine under the rule of Russia, he prophesied a bright future for his people:

"Ukraine will stand up, the world of truth will shine, and enslaved children will pray in freedom." (Bohdan's Grave, Kobzar (1876), Volume 2,)

Taras Shevchenko had a gift from God to see ahead, to foresee the future of his people, and he used that gift. The gift of prophecy requires purity of expression, without embellishments - because that is what God's will calls for. But, for that truth to move people, it must be expressed with great and artistic power, then it will touch human souls. Such were the poems of Taras Shevchenko. We feel them not only with the mind, but also with the heart, we feel them with all the fibres of our soul.

We know the words of Christ, with which He testified, that people should recognize his disciples by the love they show "among themselves" (John 13:35). Apostle Paul addresses the followers of Christ:

"Let love not be hypocritical..."(Romans 12:9).

Not hypocritical means true, not for show, not for politeness, but love that comes from the depths of the heart and all senses.

We know that on some goods we may see written, "genuine", meaning that the item is real, made of unadulterated material; for example: "genuine leather", "genuine bone china", "genuine crystal". In other words, what is shown in appearance is really in that product.

This is how our love should be for God, for his Church, for our neighbour. Especially, the love should be honest among members of Christ's Community. Then it will be "love without hypocrisy" - according to the words of the Apostle Paul. Then we will "hate evil, but cling to good." (Romans 18:9).

To find and know true love, let us consider the following simple analogy: Some people bought an old table, an "antique," as they say. After water from a vase spilled onto the table, they wiped it, but the top board of the table warped... So, as it turns out, it was not an ancient table, not an "antique," but rather, a counterfeit, a fake.

In the same Epistle to the Romans, the Apostle provides clarifications regarding the manifestation of love:

"Love one another with brotherly love; precede one another in honour.” (Romans 12.10)

Brotherly love is the love that the Lord says His disciples should have "between themselves." Thus, the apostle Paul calls for the manifestation of such love for one another. In this regard, I recall one of the professors of the Theological and Pedagogical Academy. He was a man of wide education and erudition, but he also strived to be the first to greet or say hello to any student or fellow employee. We have many Christians who consider themselves, think of themselves as more accomplished, better than their neighbours. Because of such an attitude there can be little manifestation of true love among the members of Christ's Community. Let us pay attention to the call of the apostle: we must "nestle up to the good"... We see how a small child sometimes hugs a doll, which is the most valuable to her. She loves this doll most of all. To her, it does not matter what material that doll is made of. It is the most valuable because the child loves her most.

Such should be the manifestation of our Christian brotherly love, without any calculation, in sincerity and truth.

The Lord calls us to imitate children in revealing their virtues:

"I tell you the truth: unless you convert and become like those children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 18,3).

Amen.

Very Rev. Fr. Taras Slavchenko

Taras Slavchenko was born on March 8, 1918 in Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region in Ukraine. After graduating from school and the Pedagogical College, he entered the language and literature faculty of the Scientific Pedagogical Institute. Having successfully completed it in 1938, he served as a teacher in a secondary school.

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