Vigils Reading – 26th Sunday

THE WORD OF GOD IS LIKE

A TWO-EDGED SWORD

From a commentary by Symeon the New Theologian1

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Do you tremble when you hear God saying to you day after day

throughout the whole of divine Scripture: “Let no evil word come from your

mouth. Indeed, I tell you that you will have to answer for a single careless

word, and you will receive a reward for a cup of water”?

Do not deceive yourselves. God loves us, and he is merciful and

compassionate. I myself testify and acknowledge that it is his compassion that

makes me confident of being saved. Nevertheless, you must understand that

this will be of no avail to those who refuse to repent and to keep God’s

commandments in every detail and with great fear. On the contrary, God will

punish them more severely than people who are unbelievers and unbaptized.

Do not deceive yourselves, let there be no sin that seems small in your

eyes, and that you treat lightly, as though it did no great harm to your souls.

Right-minded servants make no distinction between a small sin and a great one;

if they offend by so much as a glance, a thought, or a word, they feel as if they

have fallen away from the love of God, and I believe this is true. In fact, whoever

has the slightest thought contrary to the divine will, and does not immediately

repent and repel the assault of such a thought, but welcomes it and consents to

it – that person is counted guilty of sin, and this is so even if he is unaware that

his thought is sinful.

Consequently, we need to be extremely vigilant and zealous, and to give

much time to searching the divine Scriptures. The Savior’s command, “Search

the Scriptures” shows how profitable they are for us. Search them, and hold fast

to what they say with great exactitude and faith. Then, when the divine

Scriptures have given you an accurate knowledge of God’s will, you will be able

to distinguish without error between good and evil, and will not listen to every

spirit, or be carried away by harmful thoughts.

You may be certain that nothing is so conducive to our salvation as

following the divine commandments of the Savior. Nevertheless, we shall have

to shed many tears, and shall need great fear, great patience, and constant

prayer before the import of even a word of the Master can be revealed to us.

Only then shall we perceive the great mystery hidden in short sayings, and be

ready to die for the smallest detail of the commandments of God. For the word

of God is like a two-edged sword, cutting off and separating the soul from all

bodily desire and sensation. More than that, it is like a blazing fire, because it

stirs up zeal in our souls, and makes us disregard all the sorrows of life, consider

every trial we encounter a joy, and desire and embrace death, so fearful to

others, as life and the means of attaining life.