(Κυριακὴ Τελώνου καὶ Φαρισαίου)
Οὗτος ὁ λόγος δὲν εἶναι ἁπλῶς προσευχή.
Εἶναι ἡ μόνη στάσις μὲ τὴν ὁποίαν δύναται νὰ σταθῇ ὁ ἄνθρωπος,
ὅταν ὁ κόσμος γύρω του διαλύεται.
Ὁ ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος λέγει·
«Οὐ τὰ ἔργα ἐκατηγόρησαν τὸν Φαρισαῖον,
ἀλλ’ ἡ ὑπερηφανία·
οὐδὲ ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐδικαίωσε τὸν Τελώνην,
ἀλλ’ ἡ ταπείνωσις».
Δηλαδή·
δὲν ἀπώλεσεν τὸν Φαρισαῖον ἡ ἀρετή,
ἀλλὰ ἡ ἔλλειψις πόνου.
Καὶ δὲν ἔσωσεν τὸν Τελώνην ἡ ἁμαρτία,
ἀλλὰ ἡ ἀλήθεια.
Σήμερον ὁ κόσμος ὑποφέρει.
Καὶ δὲν ὑποφέρει μόνον ἀπὸ πολέμους καὶ συγκρούσεις,
ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπους ποὺ δὲν ἀντέχουν νὰ εἴπουν· «ἥμαρτον».
Ὁ μέγας Βασίλειος λέγει·
«Ἀρχὴ σωτηρίας τὸ ἑαυτὸν αἰτιᾶσθαι».
Δηλαδή·
ἡ σωτηρία δὲν ἀρχίζει ὅταν εὑρίσκωμεν τὸν ἔνοχον ἔξω ἀπὸ ἡμᾶς,
ἀλλ’ ὅταν τολμῶμεν νὰ σταθοῦμε ἐνώπιον τῆς ἀληθείας τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ μας.
Ὁ κόσμος εἶναι γεμάτος φωνάς,
γεμάτος βεβαιότητες,
ἀλλὰ πτωχὸς εἰς δάκρυα.
Ὁ ἅγιος Σιλουανὸς ὁ Ἀθωνίτης λέγει·
«Ἡ ψυχή μου πονᾷ διὰ ὅλον τὸν κόσμον,
καὶ προσεύχομαι διὰ πάντας,
διότι πάντες ὑποφέρουν».
Δὲν εἶπεν· «ὁ κόσμος εἶναι κακός».
Εἶπεν· «πονῶ».
Καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ πόνος συντρίβει τὴν ἀλαζονείαν.
Ὁ ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος λέγει·
«Οὐδὲν οὕτως ἀλλοτριοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον τοῦ Θεοῦ
ὡς τὸ δοκεῖν δικαιοῦσθαι παρ’ ἑαυτῷ».
Δηλαδή·
τίποτε δὲν μᾶς ἀπομακρύνει περισσότερον ἀπὸ τὸν Θεόν,
ὅσον ἡ πεποίθησις ὅτι εἴμεθα δίκαιοι ἄνευ μετανοίας.
Δὲν σηκώνομεν ἐμεῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου.
Τοῦτο τὸ ἔπραξεν ὁ Χριστός, μόνος, ἐπὶ τοῦ Σταυροῦ.
Ὁ ἅγιος Σιλουανὸς λέγει·
«Κράτα τὸν νοῦν σου εἰς τὸν ᾅδην
καὶ μὴ ἀπελπίζου».
Δηλαδή·
δέξου τὴν πτῶσίν σου χωρὶς ψεῦδος,
ἀλλὰ μὲ ἐλπίδα.
Ὁ ἀπόστολος Παῦλος λέγει·
«Οἱ δυνατοὶ τὰ ἀσθενήματα τῶν ἀδυνάτων βαστάζετε».
Καὶ ὁ ἅγιος Ἰσαὰκ ὁ Σύρος λέγει·
«Σημεῖον ἐλεήμονος καρδίας
ἐστὶ τὸ καίεσθαι ὑπὲρ πάσης τῆς κτίσεως».
Ἐὰν ἔχωμεν ἕνα λόγον νὰ εἴπωμεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον,
εἶναι μόνον οὗτος·
Ὁ κόσμος δὲν σῴζεται μὲ ἀλαζονείαν,
ἀλλὰ μὲ ταπείνωσιν.
Δὲν θεραπεύεται μὲ ἰσχύν,
ἀλλὰ μὲ μετάνοιαν.
Καὶ ὅπου ὑπάρχει ταπείνωσις,
ἐκεῖ κατέρχεται ἡ χάρις.
Ἀμήν.
A WORD TO A WORLD THAT SUFFERS AND CAUSES SUFFERING
(Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee)
“O God, be merciful to me, the sinner.”
This is not merely a prayer.
It is the only position in which a human being can stand
when the world around him is collapsing.
Saint John Chrysostom says:
“It was not the works that condemned the Pharisee,
but his pride;
nor was it sin that justified the Publican,
but humility.”
That is to say:
the Pharisee was not lost because he lacked virtue,
but because he lacked pain of heart.
And the Publican was not saved because of his sin,
but because he did not lie to himself.
Today the world suffers.
And it does not suffer only from wars and conflicts,
but from people who cannot bear to say: “I have sinned.”
Saint Basil the Great says:
“The beginning of salvation is to accuse oneself.”
Salvation does not begin when we find someone else to blame,
but when we dare to face the truth about ourselves.
The world is full of voices
and full of certainties,
yet poor in tears.
Saint Silouan the Athonite says:
“My soul aches for the whole world,
and I pray for all,
because all are suffering.”
He did not say, “the world is evil.”
He said, “I am in pain.”
And this pain shatters pride.
Saint John Chrysostom also says:
“Nothing alienates a person from God
as much as thinking himself righteous.”
We do not carry the sin of the world.
Christ alone carried it on the Cross.
Saint Silouan says:
“Keep your mind in hell,
and do not despair.”
That is:
accept your fall without deception,
but never without hope.
The Apostle Paul says:
“Bear the weaknesses of the weak.”
And Saint Isaac the Syrian says:
“A merciful heart burns
for all creation.”
If we have one word to say to the world,
it is only this:
The world is not saved by pride,
but by humility.
It is not healed by power,
but by repentance.
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