Sermon about Gifts
My Beloved,
The discussion about gifts, about spiritual gifts, is theological one. Because the spiritual gifts have their source in God, and we become partakers of them insofar as we cleanse our sins.
Therefore the spiritual gifts are not suspicious appearances that we cannot explain but, on the contrary, which explains itself, through that sees in them the grace, the God’s work.
And because they are from God, are His gifts, therefore we are responsible towards the mode in that we use them.
For that the spiritual gifts build the Church and, in the same time, they build us. And for this we are responsible for all our religious manifestations.
But the problem number one is that of to differentiate the true gifts from the false. Who does this thing in the Orthodox Church? Who can to do?
And the answer would be: the spiritual people. People with great theological and spiritual experience.
And now it’s word to have the mystical experiences, of to make wonders, of to see before. To finesse things.
For that, in general, when someone can translate and sing and compose music, almost no one denies the reality of gifts.
And, unfortunately, we deny God’s gifts of people for that we do not understand them. And understanding has theological bases.
For then when we do not understand if a wonder it’s true or false, in fact, we do not look at its fruits [Matt. 12, 33].
For that the wonder strengthens the man in the right-faith and the clairvoyance illuminates him in interior. And who sees the glory of God does not become an omniscient but a man who sees his sins.
For the main thing is a real view of self and a good knowledge, through love, of God.
Therefore I think the most important thing in the Church is to find of us as persons in communion, that we need others as we have for us. And all our gifts to be the joy of one to another, through that to learn who we are and what we want.
And the fact that this thing is not a fairytale is seen from the lives of Saints. For that in Saints the grace of God is a reality and after their dormition. Sign that so they stood the things in their lives.
Thus, we must to talk about spiritual gifts as about permanent interior realities, for that only thus we can talk about to have gifts.
God’s gifts are not hocks-pocks, because they are fruit-bearings of life and the sign that God is present in our lives.
The spiritual gifts, then, are related to God and true faith. God works miracles, but not to lead men into error. He wants to enlighten people, to lift them from their sins and not to sink and worse in them.
So God does not promote heresy and does not want strife. The strife on truths is a waste of time and a sign of infatuation.
For to build spiritually is needed the shunning of passions and not controversy. And in measure in that we fill us of grace in that measure we are responsible for the life which we have with God. A responsibility of ours to Him.
But because we are people of the Church, our responsibility is, in the same time, and a responsibility to people.
In the sense that, we cannot profit from follow of our spiritual gifts. We cannot lie to people that we have visions for them if we do not have or to make them believe that we work miracles with power from us and not from God.
But then when we have something to give people, from part of God, to give it with the humble heart and with the joy that we serve at the salvation of our brethren.
Therefore I am glad to ask you to be sacrificing in the life of the Church and the world, for to be yourself!
For God, Who works in us all, will fill us with His glory, for us and for our salvation. Amen!