The 19th Sunday after Pentecost:

love for enemies is the fulfilment of the perfect Christian life

Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you[1]

In the homily delivered at the end of the Divine Liturgy, His Grace Ioan Casian spoke to the faithful present of the central message of this Sunday which refers to the Sermon on the Mountain, where Our Lord speaks of the commandment of true love:

“We are at the start of the liturgical year. The Gospel texts read every Sunday invite us more and more to enter the Christian life of this new year. The Gospel of this important Sunday refers to the Sermon on the Mountain and speaks of the most important commandment left by God to man: that of love for the enemy. This time too, Our Lord is surrounded by a large crowd. Christ speaks about the true status of a Christian. We must have this love to spread it around us in the world. In our society the commandment of love is interpreted in all possible ways. Our Lord tells us what true love is. Loving our relatives or our friends is not yet a proof of the perfect Christian love. The love of his relatives, of his friends, is present among other peoples who are not Christians.

Christ shows us that in Christian love we must go beyond this limitation of love for relatives or friends simply: But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back?[2] Old Testament law was summed up by the saying: eye for eye and tooth for tooth. Being a Christian involves more than loving those who love you. We must do good to those who harm us, to the enemies. Christ refers in this sermon to concrete things: And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.”[3]

His Grace Ioan Casian concluded the homily, encouraging the faithful to continue the liturgical year in the spirit of the Gospel:

“May God make us stronger, may He give us His blessing and joy to continue our pilgrimage in the Church through the liturgical year. The first month of new year has just passed. We have already celebrated some feasts which have introduced us into this liturgical year: The Nativity of the Virgin Mary, The Exaltation of the Holy Cross, feast which gives us the spirit of the whole liturgical year, the Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God on October 1st. All these feasts at the beginning of the ecclesiastical year invite us to become true Christians, to truly enter the new year according to the spirit of the Gospel.”

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[1] Luke 6, 27

[2] Luke 6, 32-34

[3] Luke 6, 34-35