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13
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Concerning the Divine Law
SUNDAY OF St LUKE

Our Lord and Saviour J esus Christ, the Son of God, after
the assurance which He gave to His Disciples, that the Kingdom
of God belongs to those who will accept it with the simplicity of
a childs heart, answers to the question, which all men ask:
What shall I do in order to inherit eternal life?

Man by nature has naturally the tendency to turn towards
eternity. His thought and soul desires constantly to fulfill his
spiritual needs. Wealth and worldly glories, regardless how
abundantly they may be granted, are unable to quench mans
spiritual thirst. They are unable to assure that which he desires
and wants eternal life.

The question arises once again: What shall I do in order
to inherit eternal life? What shall I do to inherit Gods
Kingdom? This question every man, regardless of his
nationality, color of skin and language sets before himself. What
should I do? How should I proceed? To which direction should I
direct my footsteps of life, in order to achieve this outmost and
great gift?

The answer to this vivid question is given from our Lord
and Saviour J esus Christ, the Son of God, Who taught us saying:
You know the Commandments; do not commit adultery, do
not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your
father and mother (Luke 18:20).

Know My Commandments. Know the Law, which I have
given you. Keep the Commandments of God, which were given
to you for your moral and spiritual perfection and sanctification.

The Divine Law is found written in mans conscience and
heart. It is the light, which illuminates in the darkness. It is
the ships steering-wheel, which guides the ship of our life
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through the storming sea, into Gods port of salvation and love.
It is the watchful eye, which oversees us, day and night. It is
the force, which urges us to do good deeds, or prevents us
from doing evil; and no one can do anything without this forces
intervention or and harassment.

But, this implanted instinct, which guides us towards the
Divine Will, is not alone and independent. Gods unwritten
Law is based upon the understanding of Gods Holiness. For
this reason God Himself, on the one hand, gave to His servant
Moses on Mont Sinai the Ten Commandments, signifying the
eternal authority and summarizing the teachings of morality; and
on the other hand, through His Son and Word, the new Law of
the New Testament, the Law of Love, is revealed.

Conscience, Ten Commandments and Evangelical Law
consist the three stages of the revelation of Gods Divine Will.
Consequently, the man who will want to be saved and inherit
eternal life must do good deeds and keep the Divine
Commandments.

It must be noticed, that from the Ten Commandments, our
Lord mentions only five of them. In other words, do not
commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false
witness, honor your father and mother. He does not
mention the rest of them. Not because they are not important,
but because, if one trespasses them, as acts which are related to
God and our neighbor, by right they exclude him from eternal
life.

God Himself, Who on Mont Sinai gave the Ten
Commandments, the same God and now repeats the plan of
Christian morality, which one is obliged to follow as an
individual, as a family and as a society.

But, let us say few words about Christs answer.

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Do not commit adultery. Mans body is according to
the teachings of Holy Scriptures, Gods temple. Thus, we
should not present our members as instruments of uncleanness,
lawlessness and sins of the flesh; but, as sanctified members.
The purity of the body is the fruit of the souls chastisement.
Through this virtue, the body of mortality is transformed into
the temple of the Holy Spirit. On the contrary, the enslavement
of the body to carnal pleasures, makes man like a tomb, which is
full of bones and all kind of uncleanness (Matt. 23:27).

The three next Commandments, do not kill, do not steal,
do not bear false witness, refer to the wider family, society.
The keeping of these laws consist the virtue of J ustice, without
which civilization itself would be lost.

Do not kill your neighbor, neither directly, nor
indirectly; neither by force, nor by suppressing him to a slow
death.

Do not steal and do not embezzle the wealth and
belongings of your neighbor.

Do not bear false witness against your fellowman. Bear
witness always to the truth, for he who bears false witness is like
his father, Satan, who is the father of all lies.

Finally, the Divine Law is dealing with matters concerning
the direct family. Honor your father and mother, in order
that you will be blessed and many years will be added to your
life. Honor your husband as the head of your family, for he
holds the place of Christ. Honor your wife, as Christ honors His
Church. Children, honor your parents, for they struggled to
bring you in life, nurtured you and offered you good standards
of life in todays society. Honor their sacrifices, which they
suffered for your sake. Imitate the Lord, Who was obedient to
His Fathers Will; obedient till death, a death on the Cross.

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The learning of the Divine Law was established by our
Lord and Saviour J esus Christ, the Son of God. We are obliged
to always bear in mind the Divine Commandments. We are
obliged to always to meditate on them, day and night (Psalm
1:2).

But, it is not enough to know Gods Commandments. It is
very important that we should practice them in our daily life.
Blessed is the man who hears the word of God and keeps it.
Because, the Lord shall excluded from His Kingdom all those
who just rely only on His Name (Matt. 7:21). For this reason,
our Lord named as His relatives all those who keep His Divine
Teachings and Law (Matt. 12:48).

My beloved brethren,

With faith, love, devotion and sincere intention, let us
struggle to keep Gods Commandments in our daily life. They
will be for us our shield against sin. They will open for us the
way towards salvation. They will be the wealth of our life,
which treasures heavenly riches in Gods Heavenly Kingdom.
Amen.

ANNOUNCMENTS:
1. To thank all those who participated in preparing,
organizing and working at the J ollification festival.

2. On Monday, 29
th

November. Great Vespers for St Andrew
the First-called of the Apostles. 5-6 pm.
3. On Tuesday, 30
th

November. Divine Liturgy. 8:30-10:30
am. On that morning there will be no Bible Studies.
4. Concerning the nomination of future Council members.

5. Due to the request of members of our Church, the time for Vespers
and Paraclesis is changed form 5-6 pm to 4-5 pm

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