27th Sunday after Pentecost

St Stephen the Younger, Venerable Martyr (m 766); St Irenaeus and 7 women with him (m 292)

Title

Your Enemy is Not Your Enemy

Outline

I have been listening to Pope Benedict XVI’s Last Testament.

Besides readers occasionally having problem with German terms, it is striking to reflect on his response to the Nazi period.

I do not experience him as blaming those who attacked the Catholic Church for not resisting the Nazis - he simply explains that that was not the way it was

I do not experience him as criticizing his opponents at various phases of his career - he realizes that dark forces were at work, but he has a deeper awareness of how God was more powerfully at work for his good

In other words, he will not demonize enemies because he is aware that the important forces at work are spiritual

That is what we see in our readings

The real battle in life is on the spiritual plane

“we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Therefore we need to be aware of this and use God’s means to stand firmly on his side: “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

The equipment is “truth” “righteousness” “the good news of peace” “faith” “salvation” and “the word of God” - now these can be variously interpreted, but they are clearly “spiritual” - they are not this worldly, such as political power, organizing, mass media, demonizing argument, and the like, which are this-worldly

Then we look at Jesus

Jesus is in a synagogue on the sabbath, which was interpreted as a time that the only medical treatment that was licit was treating a person in imminent danger of death

There in the synagogue was a woman who was bent over. Since the condition had persisted for 18 years, she was not in imminent danger of death.

Jesus apparently perceives that the cause was a “spirit of infirmity” - he frees her, healing her, and she praises God

But there was someone else bound in that synagogue, i.e. the ruler, who criticizes Jesus for breaking the rules, which were human implications of the Torah, not anything the Torah said

Jesus frees him (if he accepted) and the people from the demonic bondage (i.e. its source was in the dark world) by a qol we homer argument: one unbinds a dumb animal on the Sabbath just to give it a drink. How much more should one unbind a “daughter of Abraham” (not a sinner or outcast, but part of the family) bound, not by God’s Torah but by Satan on the day that means “release” or “rest” or “stop”? The people get the point and they praise God - they are released.

What does it mean for us?

Our enemies (corporately or individually) are not our enemies. They are themselves in more or less bondage to dark powers, which may be ideas or actual spiritual forces. They are probably in themselves in darkness.

That means that our means of dealing with them must be itself spiritual: listening to God, trust in God, righteous living, a calm speaking of God’s word of truth, etc. Trying to use typical human means will backfire.

Our goals are God’s goals of love - seeking their good - which includes our human enemies, even if we are not guaranteed success for they may choose to stay bound. We will see more success in “the people,” those who are themselves to some degree oppressed - they may end up praising God

(Think of Evagrius)

Our struggle is to keep this mindset in us and not get sucked into anger or taking sides in worldly conflicts.

When we are directed by the right commanding officer and know who the real enemy is, then we can be good soldiers in the battle.

Readings

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 1-8-2022: Saturday after Theophany

EPISTLE

Ephesians 6:10–17

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14  Stand therefore, having fastened the belt of truth around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15  and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; 16 besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the Evil One. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 12-5-2021: Sabbas the Sanctified

GOSPEL

Option A

(27th Sunday, Greek)

Luke 13:10–17

10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. 11 And there was a woman who had had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years; she was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. 12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your infirmity.” 13 And he laid his hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight, and she praised God. 14  But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.” 15  Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to water it? 16  And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?” 17 As he said this, all his adversaries were put to shame; and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.

Notes

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) (12-10-2023: Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost)

SUNDAY, November 28, 2021 | OCTOECHOS TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Dark Vestments

Matins Gospel Luke 24:12–35

Epistle Ephesians 6:10–17

Gospel Luke 13:10–17 (27th Sunday, Greek) or Luke 17:12–19 (29th Sunday, Slavic)