Today, Sunday, is the first Sunday of the Great Lent and the church calls it the Sunday of the treasures and some people calls as the One Choice Sunday. This is because the Lord says “Mat 6:19-20 Do not lay up treasures on earth for yourselves, where moth and rust corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up treasures in Heaven for yourselves, where neither moth nor rust corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.” The one should choose the treasure that is on the Heaven and not the one on the Earth. HE also says “Mat 6:24 No one can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” you have to choose one either God or money.
In the Gospel you will find two commandments that are repeated throughout the Lent, these two commandments follows us all the time.
One is do not worry and the other is do not judge.
In the beginning of this fast, the LORD JESUS is telling us not to be worried about our food, drinks, clothes or money and HE is giving to me a very logical argument and telling me ; and all these things shall be added to you.” So why are you so worried? Even If you are worried about your children, the Lord consoles us when He says they are more precious to me than they are to you. “Mat 7:11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him?” Then HE gives me another promise “Mat 6:32 “For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things.” Why are you so worried then? HE knows…..GOD knows quite well all what you need so we should not be troubled.
The commandment of do not judge does not only mean that you should not condemn others by words only, you are judging people by your eyes or by your thoughts even if you say nothing, but unfortunately we always talk.
The LORD JESUS when they brought to HIM the woman who was caught in the very act, all the people saw her as a sinner who deserves to be stoned, but our LORD JESUS did not concentrate on her sin but on how to save her and how to defend her……..all the people were there with the stones ready in their hands to stone her. The LORD JESUS made it clear for them that if you want to stone her then you will have to stone yourselves first, HE said to them “John 8:7 He who is without sin among you.” She is a sinner and so are you, she deserves to be stoned and so are you, so let he who is without a sin stone her, and so they all went out.
. During this holy fast, we need to rid ourselves of the two great sins of worry and condemnation of others.
It is not right that I fast, attend the Holy Liturgy, have the Holy Communion and read the Bible daily and still worry (work, children, food, drinks and clothes), also it is not right to be in the Church and fasting while I am looking at all the congregation members judging them, exactly like what the Pharisee did with the tax collector, by doing this you have lost the fast and the prayer because you don’t know how to love the others around you.
So from the beginning of this holy lent fast, it is highly important to remember this two commandments of do not worry and do not judge. The person who fasts and forgets about food and drink should also forget about worry and leave matters in the Lord’s hands.
The person who fasts should know how to love people, show them mercy, accept them and defend them.
May the LORD grant us a blessed and holy fast. Good News
In the Gospel you will find two commandments that are repeated throughout the Lent, these two commandments follows us all the time.
One is do not worry and the other is do not judge.
In the beginning of this fast, the LORD JESUS is telling us not to be worried about our food, drinks, clothes or money and HE is giving to me a very logical argument and telling me ; and all these things shall be added to you.” So why are you so worried? Even If you are worried about your children, the Lord consoles us when He says they are more precious to me than they are to you. “Mat 7:11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him?” Then HE gives me another promise “Mat 6:32 “For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things.” Why are you so worried then? HE knows…..GOD knows quite well all what you need so we should not be troubled.
The commandment of do not judge does not only mean that you should not condemn others by words only, you are judging people by your eyes or by your thoughts even if you say nothing, but unfortunately we always talk.
The LORD JESUS when they brought to HIM the woman who was caught in the very act, all the people saw her as a sinner who deserves to be stoned, but our LORD JESUS did not concentrate on her sin but on how to save her and how to defend her……..all the people were there with the stones ready in their hands to stone her. The LORD JESUS made it clear for them that if you want to stone her then you will have to stone yourselves first, HE said to them “John 8:7 He who is without sin among you.” She is a sinner and so are you, she deserves to be stoned and so are you, so let he who is without a sin stone her, and so they all went out.
. During this holy fast, we need to rid ourselves of the two great sins of worry and condemnation of others.
It is not right that I fast, attend the Holy Liturgy, have the Holy Communion and read the Bible daily and still worry (work, children, food, drinks and clothes), also it is not right to be in the Church and fasting while I am looking at all the congregation members judging them, exactly like what the Pharisee did with the tax collector, by doing this you have lost the fast and the prayer because you don’t know how to love the others around you.
So from the beginning of this holy lent fast, it is highly important to remember this two commandments of do not worry and do not judge. The person who fasts and forgets about food and drink should also forget about worry and leave matters in the Lord’s hands.
The person who fasts should know how to love people, show them mercy, accept them and defend them.
May the LORD grant us a blessed and holy fast. Good News