The Anastasis (Resurrection), The Church of the Holy Redeemer in the Fields (the Chora Church), Istanbul, Türkiye. 

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[Jesus said] “….do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.”     Matthew 10:28.

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Today might well be called “Warning Sunday” when you read today’s Scripture passages: “Jeremiah said: “I hear the whisperings of many: ‘Terror on every side! Denounce! let us denounce him!'”, “Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all people, inasmuch as all sinned— for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world… ‘” and then the quotation above from today’s gospel. Not happy Sunday readings today! But clearly there is a message for us here that, although life is very prone to hurling challenges and obstacles on our way to God, we have been given the tools, the spirit, the strength to withstand them all with Christ’s help. The mosaic above certainly gives us hope. Long ago, before there was Gehenna (hell, mentioned today in the gospel), purgatory or even limbo, there was Sheol. In the centuries leading up to the birth of Christ, life after death was a bit of a mystery. God had essentially revealed nothing concerning that state. The only thing scripture had to say about it was that all of us went to Sheol, good, bad and indifferent. Everyone ended up there. Then Isaiah says “For Sheol cannot thank You, Death cannot praise You; Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness” (38:18). There are prayers in the Old Testament for rescue from Sheol, especially for the righteous, but hope was not high for that happy result. Then recall that mysterious line from the Apostles’ Creed: “He descended into hell….” following Jesus’ death on the cross. That declared the end of Sheol for the blessed of God, even, according to the Orthodox mosaic you can see above, for Adam and Eve! Jesus is seen physically pulling them out of Sheol to go with him into heaven. Eternal hope rewarded even for them! So there is hope for each one of us!

Today’s gospel amounts to a pledge of God’s eternal love for us. As Jesus says, if God is fully aware when even a tiny sparrow falls to the ground, how much more will God be aware of our situation, whatever it might be. But to assure ourselves of that love, just as in any loving situation, as God offers and gives divine love to us, we must return that love as best we can, otherwise it’s not love. And that love is the source, the fire, the strength which empowers us to reject all negative, cold and entrapping occasions of sin, the mirror opposite of love. Because, in that way, each one of us can become the new-Adam or new-Eve, obeying God as best and honestly as we can, eager to do God’s will in whatever situation we might be in. But (and there is always in life a ‘but’), Jesus expects our loyalty and love of God to be utterly real, even to death: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul”. Our trust in God has to be absolute, as was Jesus’ trust in God as it played out from the Garden of his agony to the moment of resurrection. God puts full trust in us, so our trust in God must be equally as absolute. And isn’t that the true nature of love? So today’s scripture is a strong reminder of the love God has for us, which expects a full, total response from us, God’s true children, unconditionally.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus, Sacred Heart Parish, Mt. Pleasant, MI, USA.

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