My Beloved the Benevolent                    December 2023

Grace and peace, wishing you all goodness and blessings

As we approach the end of the year, we evaluate our lives to prepare for the beginning of a new year with sincere repentance and hope in a blessed new year. When we review our lives and follow world events, we are faced with the problem of the existence of evil and wicked people and their occasional success in performing evil deeds.

+This problem is expressed by the prophet David through the Holy Spirit in Psalm 73: “But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; My steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no pangs in their death but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued like other men. Therefore, pride serves as their necklace; Violence covers them like a garment.” Psalm 73:2-6. Then the Prophet David adds, “Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence. For all day long I have been plagued, and chastened every morning.” Psalm 73:13-14

David compared the condition of the wicked to that of a man living a life of purity; but he realizes their end when­ he enters the sanctuaries of God, “Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end. Surely you set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction.” Psalm 73:17-18 Therefore, he expresses the importance of living with God even if we lose everything, “Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:25-26 He concludes by saying, “But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all Your works.” 73:28.

+Jeremiah the prophet also questioned this by saying, “Righteous are You, O Lord, when I plead with You; Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously?” Jeremiah 12:1

+ Therefore, I would like to contemplate with you on the parable of the tares of the field that the Lord Christ mentioned and explained to the disciples to help us understand the problem of the existence of evil and the wicked in the world. The text of the parable can be found in the Gospel of St. Matthew 13:24-30 and the interpretation of the parable by Christ to the disciples can be found in Matthew 13:36-43.

1. The man who sowed good seed in his field, Matthew 13:24: Christ said that “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seed are the sons of the kingdom” Matthew 13:37-38 God created the world and created man in His image and likeness. God is beneficent; all His creation is good and pure. God is the source of all goodness.

2. While men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way Matthew 13:25: Christ explained this by saying, “The tares are the sons of the wicked one and the enemy who sowed them is the devil” Matthew 13:38-39. The source of evil is Satan, who succeeded in sowing evil as a result of human weakness. Satan deceived Adam and Eve, and they fell and disobeyed God’s commandment; death entered into the world with sin and corruption, and many men became evil.

3. Let them both grow together until the harvest: Christ said that the time to harvest is the end of the world. God is allowing evil to stay and grow until the end of the world.  Therefore, He found evil and the wicked in every generation and will allow evil to grow until the end of the world.

4. As the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. Matthew 13:40:  Evil has an end, and the wicked will be cast into eternal fire. God is just, and if He allows the wicked to succeed in the world, it will end for them in eternal punishment. Therefore, we must not envy the wicked, but pray that God will guide them to the way of truth; we must also be careful not to be deceived by the trickery of Satan and become tares ourselves.

We pray that God remove all evil from the world, protect us from evil and the snares of the evil one, and lead the wicked to the path of repentance.

May God bless your gifts to support Santa Verena Charity programs.

Metropolitan Serapion