Here, on the doorstep of the Nativity Fast—yes, that’s right, we’re beginning the journey to the Holy Nativity this Wednesday—we’re given the opportunity to renew and deepen our life in Christ, to grow in our love of God and neighbor, and strengthen our commitment to living out the Gospel—to “go and do likewise.”
In the West, this holy season is called “Advent,” meaning “the coming.” This title refers to the coming of the Messiah foretold by the prophets and culminating in the miraculous virgin birth we celebrate at the Nativity. But it also refers to the a second advent, or coming—that of Christ God’s Second Coming when He will judge the living and the dead and gather all His faithful into His near presence.
In the Orthodox Church our Nativity Fast, is longer than that in the West, which is just four weeks. For us, Advent constitutes a mini-Lent. And while less strict in the observances to which we are called than Lent and more ‘joyous’ in tone, it’s an ascetic preparation that leads us to the glorious celebration of the Incarnation, the nativity of our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We’re given a gift in having the Parable of the Good Samaritan thrust in our faces just before as we begin the Fast that we may begin now to put its lessons into practice in our lives that we may arrive at the Feast of the Nativity, Christmas, that much stronger in our faith and practice to receive the Holy Gifts from our Savior at the celebration of His holy birth.
Christ gives us this parable in response to a question put to Him as a test by a lawyer: “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus asks the lawyer what’s written in the Law? In response, the lawyer quotes from Leviticus 19:18, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus affirms the Lawyer’s answer, but the lawyer’s not satisfied: he’s still hoping to stump Jesus, so he proceeds to ask Jesus the following question, “And who is my neighbor?”
The parable of the Good Samaritan is Jesus’ response. But Jesus turns the lawyer’s question on its head: instead of answering the question, “who is my neighbor?” Jesus shows the lawyer what it means to be a godly neighbor, and, he calls on all of us to do likewise.
Jesus is not asking us to do anything He’s not lived out in His own ministry, His own life, or that of the faithful who have come before us. Jesus teaches us throughout the Gospels to prioritize those people we meet who are in need, both physically and spiritually. In fact, the two are inseparable in the Gospels. Now, this is not some ‘social gospel’ that Christ is teaching, which generally ministers exclusively to the physical aspects of need. The priority with Christ is always on a person’s immortal soul.
An African proverb says, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” I like that proverb, but we can put an Orthodox twist on it that strengthens it further: feed a man for a day and you aid his temporal body; bring a man to Christ and His Church and you feed his soul for eternity. In other words, bring a man to the Church and Christ gives him the tools he needs to address his greatest needs—even physical needs as the two are intricately connected. Bring such a man to the Church and Christ feeds his soul while also providing him with a family to love him and help care for him, challenge him and encourage him, love him—body and soul, and, most of all, you give him the opportunity to come to know Him who is Eternal Life.
In Jesus’ case, we see that He ministers to the person in a holistic way and He calls on us to do the same: He most often first forgives the sins of those seeking physical healing from Him, and only then does He heal or respond to their physical malady. In many cases He points to the person’s faith, their willingness to believe, to put their trust in Him, as the means through which He can work healing in their life, which ultimately means new life in Him.
Jesus went throughout the country of Judea teaching the truth of the Gospel in the synagogues and proclaiming the fulfillment of the law of the prophets and healing people of all kinds of diseases while also casting out demons, much to the ire of those who would not receive Him as Messiah. Jesus calls on us to live out the Gospel in word and deed as well, and to be bold in confronting the evil around us as we speak the truth in love.
The goodness of the Samaritan can be summed up in one word, “mercy.” He showed mercy on the man who fell among robbers. Mercy and love are very closely related. Mercy and love, when they have taken root in us through Christ, produce compassion.
Some of the Fathers interpret the Good Samaritan to be a figure of Christ Himself: the bandages, oil and wine are sacramental images for the clothing of the neophyte at Baptism in a garment of white, signifying new birth, which heals us of the wounds of sin, the oil of Chrismation, gives us new life going forward in the Holy Spirit by whom we are sealed, the wine, which is the communion of the divine Blood of Christ, deifies us and leads us to eternal life with Christ God.
St. John Chrysostom says of the moral of this Parable, “Let us make our mercifulness abundant, let us give proof of much love to man, both by the use of our money, and by our actions.” Yes, this is part of it. During the Fast, we focus even more on giving alms, giving to the Church, and serving with our gifts. But it’s easier to give money to a cause we believe in. When we see Christ tangibly ministering to our needs or those of others, we naturally want to support and further that work. St. John urges us beyond what is easy, saying, “Go then, and put a stop to the evil; pull out those who are drowning, though you descend into the very depth of the surge…” (St. John Chrysostom, Homily XV on Matthew 5:14).
Now here’s a challenge to our over-sensitivity: do we love enough to address with the love and truth of Christ the evil we see harming those around us? Are we willing to go that extra mile and really address the core issues in our own life, so we too can become an inspiration and a vehicle through which God can work in the lives of those around us?
We don’t have to be already healed to minister to others; we do need, however, to be heaLING. In other words, we have to be taking our spiritual medicine if we’re going to have credibility with others whom we urge to do the same. We need to fight to make use of the tools of salvation Christ gives us if we are to impact the world and the people around us with the Gospel of Christ.
When we come outside of ourselves, our own struggles and problems to love and care for those around us in body and in soul, when we serve in any capacity and give of our tithes and offerings, when we really strive to love and serve, when we speak the Truth to those who need to hear it—where else are they going to hear it if not from us in the Church—then we can rest assured that God will always supply in us what is lacking and will use such opportunities to work in us and through us to the glory of His holy name, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
This Advent, this Nativity Fast, my prayer for each one of us is that we’ll each strive to put these lessons from the Parable of the Good Samaritan and the teaching of the Fathers into practice in our own lives. In turn, we’ll be given the greater gift of increased healing and growth, and we’ll impart that gift to others as well as we approach the holy incarnation and nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ. “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20)
Fr. Robert Miclean
Holy Archangels Orthodox Church
11 November 2012
