In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen.
“Again,” says the Lord, “the Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” (Matthew 13:44) And our generation has taken this to heart: in a secular age, where conversations about religion are discouraged, we have found the treasure, the Pearl of Great Price, (Matthew 13:45–46) and keep it hidden in the field of our hearts.
We justify this, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, by relying on St Seraphim of Sarov’s maxim,
Acquire the Spirit of Peace and a thousand souls around you will be saved.
And we interpret this as, “Serve the Liturgy and a thousand will be saved, … Act as silent witnesses, Be a prayerful member of the wider community, Live a righteous life, and souls around us will be saved.” Yet while thinking in this way, we should also turn St Seraphim’s words around,
If a thousand souls around us are not being saved, we have not acquired the Spirit of Peace.
Because solely serving the Liturgy, or praying, or doing any virtuous thing—while in and of themselves they are positive—is not enough to acquire the Holy Spirit: the Christian life should encompass the totality of our lives.
“You are the light of the world.” This the Lord is saying this morning to you and to me,
A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven.
And having been set to shine from the top of the hill—to shine out across our land as a beacon of hope and love because of our fidelity to the Resurrection—we may truly draw thousands of souls around us.
St Seraphim uses this word, “acquire:” it is an interesting choice; neither gain nor be given, but acquire. It is a business metaphor: we need to work at it, strive for it, invest in it, that we may acquire it. It is no easy thing to be a light—not a low level light to enable us to stumble around in a familiar yet dark room, but a roaring flame which enlightens others and emulates, to the best of our ability, Christ in whom,
was Life, and the Life was the Light of men.
John 1:4–5
And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
Let us then, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, not bury our treasure in the ground where we would not be able to return even the interest a banker would give, but work, strive and invest that we may acquire the Spirit of Peace, the Holy Spirit, and be lights for others that they may see the True Light, that they may receive the heavenly Spirit, that they may find the True Faith, worshipping the undivided Trinity, who has saved them and us that we may all have eternal Life.
To our crucified, risen and glorified God and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Light of the whole world, be all glory, honour and worship, together with his unoriginate Father and the All-holy, Good and Life-creating Spirit. Amen.
Titus, my son, the saying is sure. I desire you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to apply themselves to good deeds; these are excellent and profitable to men. But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels over the law, for they are unprofitable and futile. As for a man who is factious, after admonishing him once or twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is perverted and sinful; he is self-condemned. When I send Artemas or Tychicos to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. And let our people learn to apply themselves to good deeds, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not to be unfruitful. All who are with me send greeting to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.
— Titus 3:8–15
The Lord said to his disciples, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
— Matthew 5:14:19