Ἀδελφοί μου,
Λιμὸς οὐχὶ μόνον ἄρτου, ἀλλὰ νοήματος.
Λιμὸς ἀληθείας.
Λιμὸς πατρότητος.
Καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐπιμένει νὰ πιστεύῃ ὅτι φταῖον οἱ ἄλλοι, οἱ συνθῆκες, τὰ συστήματα.
Οὐχί.
Φταίει ὅτι ἐφύγαμεν ἀπὸ τὸ πατρικόν.
Ὁ ἄσωτος δὲν ἐφύγαγε διότι ἐμίσει τὸν πατέρα· ἐφύγαγε διότι παρεξήγησε τὸν πατέρα. Καὶ αὕτη εἶναι ἡ ῥίζα πάσης καταστροφῆς.
Ὁ Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος ὁ Θεολόγος λέγει:
«Τὸ κακὸν οὐκ ἔστιν οὐσία, ἀλλὰ ἀποστροφή τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ».
Τὸ κακὸν δὲν εἶναι κάτι καινοφανές·
εἶναι στροφὴ λανθασμένη, εἶναι φυγή.
Ὁ σύγχρονος ἄνθρωπος δὲν εἶπε μόνον «δὲν θέλω τὸν Θεόν».
Εἶπε κάτι βαρύτερον:
«Θέλω τὰ δῶρά Σου, ἀλλὰ ὄχι Ἐσένα».
Διὰ τοῦτο ἔλαβε γνῶσιν χωρὶς σοφίαν,
δύναμιν χωρὶς ἀγάπην,
ἐλευθερίαν χωρὶς ἀλήθειαν.
Καὶ νῦν ἵσταται ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ καθρέπτου τῆς ἱστορίας καὶ δὲν ἀναγνωρίζει τὸ πρόσωπόν του.
Ὁ Ἅγιος Ἀθανάσιος ὁ Μέγας λέγει ἀμείλικτα:
«Ὁ ἄνθρωπος χωρὶς Θεὸν διαλύεται».
Οὐχὶ προοδεύει·
διαλύεται.
«Ἐγένετο λιμὸς ἰσχυρός».
Οὐ τυχαῖος.
Καθολικός.
Ἀναπόφευκτος.
Ὅταν ὁ ἄνθρωπος κόπτῃ τὴν σχέσιν μὲ τὴν Πηγήν, ὁ λιμὸς ἔρχεται μόνος του.
Ὁ Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος λέγει:
«Οὐχ ὁ Θεὸς τιμωρεῖ, ἀλλ’ ἡ ἁμαρτία γεννᾷ τὴν κόλασιν».
Ὁ Θεὸς δὲν ἐκδικεῖται·
ἡ φθορά προλαμβάνει.
Καὶ σήμερον βλέπομεν: πολέμους,
διάλυσιν οἰκογενειῶν, σύγχυσιν ταυτοτήτων, ἀνθρώπους γεμάτους δικαιώματα καὶ κενὰς καρδίας.
Καὶ τὸ τραγικώτερον:
ὁ ἄνθρωπος πεινᾷ ἐν μέσῳ ἀφθονίας.
«Καὶ ἐπεθύμει χορτασθῆναι… καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐδίδου αὐτῷ».
Ὄχι διότι δὲν ὑπῆρχον ξυλοκέρατα,
ἀλλὰ διότι ὁ κόσμος οὐ δίδει ζωήν.
Ὁ Ἅγιος Ἰσαὰκ ὁ Σύρος λέγει:
«Ὁ κόσμος ἀγαπᾷ μέχρι νὰ χρησιμοποιήσῃ· εἶτα ἀποβάλλει».
Καὶ τότε ὁ ἄνθρωπος μένει μόνος·
χωρὶς Θεόν,
χωρὶς ἄνθρωπον,
χωρὶς πατέρα.
Ἀλλὰ ἀς φοβηθῶμεν καὶ ἄλλο τι.
Διότι δὲν ἀπόλλυνται μόνον οἱ ἐξελθόντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ παραμένοντες ἄνευ σπλάγχνων.
Ὁ πρεσβύτερος υἱὸς ἔμεινε ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ,
ἀλλὰ δὲν ἔμαθε νὰ ζῇ ὡς υἱός.
Ἔζη ὡς μισθωτός.
Καὶ ὁ Ἅγιος Μάξιμος ὁ Ὁμολογητὴς λέγει:
«Ὅπου οὐκ ἔστιν ἀγάπη, ἐκεῖ οὐκ ἔστιν γνῶσις Θεοῦ».
Δύναται τις νὰ ἔχῃ ὀρθοδοξίαν ἐν τῷ στόματι καὶ ἀθεΐαν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ.
Ἀδελφοί μου,
Ὁ κόσμος σήμερον ἵσταται ἐπὶ τοῦ ὁρίου.
Οὔτε ἐν οὐδετερότητι, οὔτε ἐν ἀναμονῇ.
Ἢ θὰ εἴπῃ: «ἀναστὰς πορεύσομαι πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα μου»
ἢ θὰ παραμείνῃ εἰς τὴν χώραν τὴν μακράν,
ἀναμένοντας τροφὴν ποὺ δὲν θὰ δοθῇ.
Ὁ Θεὸς δὲν ἀπειλεῖ.
Περιμένει.
Ἀλλ’ ὁ χρόνος δὲν εἶναι ἀνεξάντλητος.
Ὁ Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης τῆς Κλίμακος λέγει:
«Μεγάλη ἀπάτη ἐστὶ νὰ νομίζῃ τις ὅτι θὰ μετανοήσῃ ὅταν θελήσῃ».
Σήμερον.
Τώρα.
Διότι ἔξω τοῦ πατρικοῦ ὁ λιμὸς βαθαίνει
καὶ οὐδεὶς δίδωσιν.
Ἀμήν.
SUNDAY OF THE PRODIGAL SON
“In a severe famine… and no one gave him anything”
(Luke 15:14–16)
Beloved brethren,
We are living in days that resemble, with frightening clarity, the “far country” of the parable.
A famine not only of bread, but of meaning.
A famine of truth.
A famine of fatherhood.
And yet man insists on believing that the fault lies with systems, circumstances, or others.
No.
The fault lies in this: we left the Father’s house.
The prodigal did not leave because he hated his father.
He left because he misunderstood his father.
And this misunderstanding is the root of every catastrophe.
Saint Gregory the Theologian says:
“Evil is not a substance; it is a turning away from the good.”
Evil is not something new.
It is a wrong turn.
It is flight.
Modern man did not merely say, “I do not want God.”
He said something worse: “I want Your gifts, but not You.”
Thus he acquired knowledge without wisdom, power without love,
freedom without truth.
And now he stands before the mirror of history and no longer recognizes his own face.
Saint Athanasius the Great speaks mercilessly:
“Man without God disintegrates.”
He does not progress.
He disintegrates.
“There arose a severe famine.”
Not accidental.
Total.
Inevitable.
When man cuts himself off from the Source,
the famine comes on its own.
Saint John Chrysostom says:
“It is not God who punishes; sin itself gives birth to hell.”
God does not take revenge.
Corruption overtakes us.
And today we see: wars,
the collapse of families,
confusion of identities,
people full of rights and empty of hearts.
And the most tragic thing: man is starving in the midst of abundance.
“He longed to fill his stomach… and no one gave him anything.”
Not because there were no husks,
but because the world gives no life.
Saint Isaac the Syrian says:
“The world loves until it uses you; then it casts you aside.”
And then man remains alone—
without God,
without man,
without a father.
But let us fear something else as well.
For not only those who leave are lost,
but also those who remain without compassion.
The elder son stayed in the house,
but never learned to live as a son.
He lived as a hired servant.
Saint Maximus the Confessor says:
“Where there is no love, there is no knowledge of God.”
One may have Orthodoxy on the lips
and atheism in the heart.
Beloved brethren,
The world today stands at the edge.
Not in neutrality.
Not in delay.
Either it will say:
“I will arise and go to my Father,”
or it will remain in the far country,
waiting for food that will never be given.
God does not threaten.
He waits.
But time is not inexhaustible.
Saint John of the Ladder warns:
“It is a great deception to think one will repent whenever one wishes.”
Today.
Now.
For outside the Father’s house
the famine deepens
and no one gives anything.
Amen.
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