A child developmental psychologist once stated that if you don’t believe that a baby is a genius, then try learning a language. Having worked on Spanish for many years, I know this to be true. One of the first things you learn are commands – come, sit, sleep, eat – just to mention a few. Babies begin to learn language in much the same way. I think dogs learn from commands as well.
In I Corinthians 16, St. Paul gives us some simple commands. By these, we might begin to learn the language of Faith. The commands he gives are watch, stand, have courage, be strong, and love.
Watch
This might seem like an odd command to start with, but in fact it is very important. The Lord taught that the servant of the house should watch for the master’s return, and not fall asleep. He also said that if we know that someone is coming to rob us in our home, we would watch for them so that we could catch them. So, are we awake and watching, or are we asleep? What are we to watch? We are to watch and guard the mind so that thoughts do not steal our minds from us. We are to watch and guard our senses so that our passions do not use our bodies against us. We are to watch and guard the heart so that it doesn’t become hard and unfeeling. We are to watch and guard our soul so that the devil doesn’t steal it from us. We are to watch the world, so that we know what is coming. Finally, we are to watch for the coming of the Lord, so that we never lose hope. Yes, to watch is a very important command.
Stand in the Faith
Even if we are watchful, we know that the unexpected happens and we cannot escape it. It is surprising then that when it happens, we are shocked. Depending on what happens, we can lose faith. Let me give you an example. The Fathers teach us that we should keep before us the remembrance of death. This remembrance is not meant to depress us, but it helps us to be free from fear and from foolishness. Death should not surprise Orthodox people. Yet, I have seen Orthodox people lose faith when they lose a loved one. It is at the very moment of death that we should stand strong in the Faith. We certainly weep and mourn, but we do not mourn like those who have no faith. St. Paul knew what was coming for the Christians of his time, so he commanded them to stand in the Faith.
Courage
Courage is a theme that you find in many movies old and new. What is taught in these movies is that courage does not mean a lack of fear. In fact, courage is at its best when something is done despite the presence of overwhelming fear. The courage of the martyrs of the past inspire us, but they make us wonder how they faced such hatred, pain, and terror. Did they feel fear? I think they did, but it did not make them deny Christ. We witness courage in the martyrs of the Islamic yoke and we marvel at it. Could you and I have such courage? I think we could, but we don’t have to wait for martyrdom to know it. We need courage to live as a Christian where we are. We need the courage to witness to our faith in a way that is loving, but does not compromise the truth. We need the courage to live this witness in a way that others can see a Faith that is genuine. If the world becomes more secular, it will take courage to do this.
Be Strong
St. Paul commands us to be strong and I don’t think he meant for the Corinthians to go to the nearest YMCA. Of course, physical strength and good health are a wonderful gift, but I think St. Paul is talking about spiritual strength. If we feel weak and lacking in spiritual strength, how do we get it? The answer is the same as it is for the body – we must exercise. Scientists tell us that if we don’t get off the couch and exercise, our physical future is grim. Spiritual laziness will also kill us. The Church has given us exercises to do, not to make God love us, but so that we might get spiritual muscles. Our exercises are fasting, prayer, studying the scriptures, attending services, doing good deeds, etc. Failure to exercise spiritually means that we will have no strength when the time of struggle comes to us.
Love
The last command is love without which all the rest is fruitless. It is love that compels me to watch. It is love that makes to stand. It is love that gives me courage. It is love that gives me strength. It is love that makes me study. It is love that moves me to pray. It is love that gets me to Church. It is love that moves me to fast. It is love shows me the needs of others and moves me to help them. Love teaches me the language of Faith because faith works through love. Love is the beginning and the end of it all.
And with that, I will end.
