Sunday of Meatfare

Title

What Commends Us to God?

Outline

As we get closer to the Great Fast on this Meatfare Sunday it is good to ask what God is looking for?

For some it is pious actions

Prayers in the home

Attendance at the Divine Liturgy

Keeping the Great Fast

But Paul says, “Food will not commend us to God.” Nor will physical presence at the Liturgy or other pious actions, such as the Prayer Rule of St Seraphim of Sarov.

It is not that these are not important, but that they are tools to a greater end, that of love of God and neighbor, in other words, entering into the love that God is.

Prayers in the home lead the family into a relationship with God, if done with such a heart

Attendance at the Divine Liturgy is part prayer to God and for our neighbor, an act of love, and part sacramental enabling of those loving relationships - although it is also more than just two things. But this is only true if we try to focus as much as our family circumstances allow.

Keeping the Great Fast started as joining with the catechumens preparing for baptism, an act of love of neighbor, and developed into a time of exercising the virtue of self-control, of penance, and of quieting our bodies to focus on God. Meat in particular was thought of as exciting the passions.

That brings us to our Gospel

The scene is that of the Son of Man as a Roman emperor making a parousia and, having marched into a city, setting up his throne in the city square or perhaps the gate. He is going to reward the loyal citizens and, of course, punish those not.

In that sense it is not like the picture in the Stone Chapel of Lanier Library

The loyal are not especially aware of their loyalty, but they are rewarded: “‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’” Yet they are surprised by the commendation - it is all about loving the other. What is more, Jesus says that he met them in the other. The other is defined as “‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’” In other words, love of Jesus and love of others coincide, for God is love and one cannot love him without loving what he loves.

They disloyal are certainly not aware of their failings. They took part in the patriotic assemblies and said all the right words honoring the Emperor, so to speak. However, what they did not do is enter into God’s love; they have not loved the other and so they have not loved Jesus. Love, of course, is seeking the good of the other.

As a result they go to the place of non-love, of self: “‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Notice that the place is not prepared for any people, but that people can choose to live in non-love, in self, and so make that place their home, despite God’s not wanting anyone to do so (2 Peter).

That tells us how to use our pious practices rightly

We see them as the practices that the Church has discovered to be most useful in helping us turn from self and immerse ourselves in the love of God.

When we do not eat something, or when we cut down on what we eat, think of it as an act of repentance, as a calling on God to break the power of some self-centered desire in us. And, if it save us money, ask God how we can use the savings, not for ourselves, but for others.

Do the same with your other pious practices - the New Testament is certainly not against piety - ask God how to use them to orient your heart to God, to Jesus, to the One who is love, and then to love those he loves. That may mean coupling a practical action to the pious practice or it may mean praying for others during the pious practice.

If this orientation becomes internalized in our lives, we likely will not gain accolades here and we may not recognize ourselves how we are growing in love, but when we are before Jesus he will reveal that to us, for nothing done for him, that is, in his love, goes unnoticed.

Praise be to you, Lord Jesus Christ

Readings

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 2-27-2022: Meatfare Sunday or Judgment Sunday

EPISTLE

1 Corinthians 8:8–9:2

8  Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9  Only take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if any one sees you, a man of knowledge, at table in an idol’s temple, might he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11  And so by your knowledge this weak man is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12  Thus, sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13  Therefore, if food is a cause of my brother’s falling, I will never eat meat, lest I cause my brother to fall.

9  Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my workmanship in the Lord? 2 If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 2-27-2022: Meatfare Sunday or Judgment Sunday

GOSPEL

Matthew 25:31–46

31 “When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32  Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. 34  Then the King will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35  for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40  And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’ 41  Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.’ 46  And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Notes

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) (2-20-2022: Meatfare Sunday or Judgment Sunday)

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2022 | TRIODION AND GREAT LENT MEATFARE SUNDAY OR JUDGMENT SUNDAY

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) (2-20-2022: Meatfare Sunday or Judgment Sunday)

Matins Gospel Mark 16:9–20 (36th Sunday)

Epistle 1 Corinthians 8:8–9:2

Gospel Matthew 25:31–46