Lecture 5

The Catechetical Lectures of St. Cyril of Jerusalem

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. (Hebrews 11:1,2)

How great the dignity is which the Lord bestows on you, in transferring you from the order of Catechumens to that of the Faithful, Paul the Apostle sets before you, saying, God is Faithful, by whom you were called to the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ. For as God is called Faithful, you likewise receive this title, receiving in it a great dignity. Fo as God is called Good, Just, Almighty, the Shokunin of the Universe, so also He is called Faithful; think then to how great a dignity you are rising, being on the eve of sharing a title of God.

The Notorious B.I.G., and later Black Star, asked “What’s Beef?” What’s faith? Think about it for a second. Say your own answer in your head, and even better aloud, whether alone or in a crowd. Then, be ready to submit to the Semitic scriptural answer to this question for the ages. Faith is superlative trust in God, which sustains you from one moment to the next, till kingdom come.

One of the eight weeks of the Great Fast is entitled ገብር:ኄር (gebr hér), after the good and faithful bondservant in contradistinction to the evil and slothful bondservant, found in the second of three parables in the Gospel According to St. Matthew Chapter 25. Each breath you take in-and-out is an opportune-moment for you to be like the good and faithful bondservant, and not like the evil and slothful bondservant; for which is reserved the outer darkness and a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. Sorry not sorry D.B.H.

Will you seize this opportune-moment? Or let it go?

Now then it is only required, that a man be found amongst you faithful in his conscience: for a faithful man, says Scripture, who can find? Not that you should show your conscience to me: for you are not to be judged of man’s judgment; but that you manifest to God a guileless faith, who tries the reins and the hearts, and knows the thoughts of men. A faithful man is something great, and wealthier than any wealthy. For to the faithful man belongs the whole world of riches, in that he thinks lightly of them, and tramples them under foot. For those who in appearance are wealthy, and possess much, yet are poor in soul: for in proportion as they amass, do they pine from longing for what is still wanting. But the faithful man, most wondrously, in poverty is rich; for knowing that we need only to have raiment and food, and being content with these, he has put riches under foot.

I recently had Charles Haywood back on the Philosophy of Art & Science podcast. He wrote a boldly self-scathing review of St. John Goldenmouth’s On Wealth & Poverty, and was in the middle of reading the similarly themed Social Justice (no relation to 21st Century political Progressivism) by St. Basil the Great. As I encourage you to go watch and/or hear that discussion, if you haven’t already, I will say hither that he is a retired shampoo magnate who is quite wealthy according to the pattern of this world, but even better, he is also wealthy according to faith.

Being successful in your career is not a sin. To the contrary, greatness and excellence can open doors of testimony to your faith amongst the nations. It is a sin to be rich and unwilling to part with your riches for the sake of the kingdom. You can lie to your priest, but I would not recommend that (Acts 5:1-11). You can lie to yourself, and you may even succeed. But you cannot lie to God who hears you more clearly than the latest surround-sound technology, and searches your thoughts more thoroughly than a T.S.A. agent looking for a promotion or a policeman trying to make his quota for D.U.I. tickets of the month.

There is nowhere to hide. The heavens and the earth, and the fulness thereof, belong to him. He is their sole proprietor. So, have faith in him, and let go. But do not use that as an excuse to not be excellent at whatever you do (Colossians 3:23). God grant us the faith to only need food and clothing (1 Timothy 6:8).

Nor is it only amongst us, who bear the title of Christ, that the dignity of faith is great: for likewise all that is accomplished in the world, even by those who are aliens from the Church, is accomplished by faith. By faith, marriage laws knit together persons unknown one to another: and one who is strange to us, through the faith placed in marriage compacts, becomes a sharer in strange persons and strange possessions. By faith is farming also upheld: for he who does not believe he shall receive a harvest, endures not its toils. By faith sea-faring men, putting their trust in a very slender plank, exchange that most solid element the earth, for the unsteady motion of the waves; yielding themselves to uncertain hopes, and carrying with them as something surer than any anchor, their faith. By faith then most affairs of men hold together: and this not amongst us only, but likewise among those who are without, as hath been said; for though they receive not the Scriptures, but bring forward doctrines of their own, yet these also do they receive by faith.

Faith is behind everything, visible and invisible, secular and sacred. It takes faith, especially in this crooked generation that has greater access to digital and physical adultery than any generation before it, to be faithful to your lawfully wedded wife or husband. To even commit to monogamy. Let alone to not be bogged down in the little things like toothpaste caps, toilet seats, dish washing, and decorations in the home and for parties. It takes faith to travel by sea, yes, our cousins the Somali Pirates are back at it again. But those of you who drive and ride motor vehicles on land should know it takes faith to do so as well. Have you ever seen the automobile deaths per year on the highway? Tens of thousands. A number of biblical proportions. And what of those who travel by air in commercial airliners? And those who travel to space?

God bless the Russian Orthodox Christians who bring icons into space. All of this takes faith.

To that faith which is true, the lesson which was read today likewise calls you, setting before you, how you also must please God; for, He says, without faith it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6). For when will a man set himself to serve God, unless he believes that He is a rewarder? When will a young woman choose a virgin life, or a young man be sober minded, unless they believe that chastity has a crown unfading? Faith is the eye which enlightens the whole conscience, and creates in it understanding; for the Prophet says, And if you believe not, neither shall you understand (Isaiah 7:9). Faith stops the mouths of lions, according to Daniel; for the Scripture says concerning him, that Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God (Daniel 6:23). Is there aught more fearful than the devil? But even against him we have no other weapon than faith, an impalpable buckler against an unseen foe. For he discharges manifold darts, and shoots in the darkness those who are not watching; but, since the foe is unseen, we have, as a stout defense, faith, according to the saying of the Apostle, above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (Ephesians 6:16). For when, as oft-times happens, a fiery dart of desire of base indulgence is hurled by the devil, faith, shadowing forth the judgment, cools the soul, and quenches it.

Our goal in life is not to avoid Hell and get into Heaven. Our goal in life is to please Him continually. A sister in Christ once asked me if she could be a good woman without receiving ቍርባን (qwrban) holy communion? ፈያታዊ:ዘየማን (feyatawee ze’yeman) the criminal crucified on the right side of the Lord Jesus was told to enter paradise without the mysteries or sacraments of the church. This is the exception, not the rule. This is mercy, not justice. Unless we are living in Siberia or Antarctica, we do not have an excuse. We must receive holy communion and live a life of repentance worthy thereof. And the Russian Orthodox, as oikonomia, will probably provide you with holy communion in Siberia and Antarctica.

Ask and ye shall receive.