The lesson for this Sunday comes from the Gospel of St. Luke Chapter 6:31-36, which provides the simplest principle of moral conduct, the Golden Rule as taught by Jesus.
It is primarily a case of simple justice, “to return like for like in positive terms”. There is also a negative version of the Golden Rule which says, “do not do to others whatever you do not wish them to do to you”. As a universal ethical principle the Golden Rule seeks to guide people to fulfill their needs, desires, and dreams without tremendous conflicts causing hurt among them.
Let us understand as important as the Golden Rule is, Christian morality involves something more than the idea of fairness. In Christian understanding it means to treat others with love, goodness and compassion no matter how they behave. St. Paul teaches that the primary goal of the growing Christian is to please others, not himself or herself. This is the essence of this gospel lesson for the second Sunday of St. Luke.
Today also marks one week since our parish’s 50th anniversary celebration. Though we may be tired and somewhat exhausted with the preparation during the last year, we pray to Almighty God to re-invigorate us as we resume and continue our journey towards Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Yes, we have had a glorious celebration of our past 50 years but more importantly it is a reminder of the tremendous amount of work that lies before us.
Let us give thanks to God and our beloved Father Herman of Alaska as we continue in our dedication in our Holy Orthodox Church.
