Gospel Reading: Matthew 6:22-33
The Lord said, "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well."
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Трета недела по Педесетница
Евангелско четиво: Матеј 6, 22-33
22. Светило за телото е окото. И така, ако твоето око биде чисто и целото твое тело ќе биде светло; 23. ако, пак, твоето око биде лошо, целото тело ќе ти биде темно. И така, ако светлината, што е во тебе, е темнина, тогаш каква ли ќе е темнината? 24. Никој не може да им слугува на двајца господари: оти, или едниот ќе го замрази, а другиот засака; или кон едниот ќе се приврзе, а другиот ќе го презре. Не можете да им служите на Бога и на Мамона. 25. Затоа ви велам: немојте да се грижите за душата – што ќе јадете или што ќе пиете; ниту за телото, во што ќе се облечете. Зар не чини душата повеќе од храната, и телото – од облеклото? 26. Погледајте ги птиците небески; тие ни сеат, ни жнеат, ниту во амбар собираат; но вашиот Отец ги храни. Зар не сте вие многу поскапи од нив? 27. А кој од вас, грижејќи се, може на својот раст да му придаде макар еден лакот? 28. Зошто се грижите и за облеката? Погледајте ги полските кринови како растат: не се трудат, ниту предат; 29. но ви велам дека ни Соломон, во целата своја слава, не се облече така, како еден од нив; 30. па, ако полската трева, што денеска постои, а утре во оган се фрла, Бог така ја облекува, а колку повеќе вас, маловерни!? 31. Па затоа не грижете се и не говорете: што да јадеме, или што да пиеме, или во што да се облечеме? 32. Зашто сето тоа го бараат незнабошците, а вашиот Отец небесен знае дека за сето ова имате потреба. 33. Но барајте го најнапред царството на Бога и Неговата правда, и се ова ќе ви се придаде.
Thoughts By St. Theophan the Recluse on the Third Sunday After Pentacost
If therefore thine eye be single[1] thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. Here the mind is called the eye, and the entire composition of the soul is called the body. Thus, when the mind is simple then it is light in the soul; when the mind is evil, then it is dark in the soul. What are a simple mind and an evil mind? A simple mind is one which accepts the word of God as is written, and is convinced beyond a doubt that all is indeed as is written. It has no deceit, no wavering, or hesitation. An evil mind is one which approaches the word of God with slyness, artful disputing, and questioning. It cannot directly believe, but subjects the word of God to its sophistry. It approaches the word not as a disciple, but as a judge and critic, to test something stated there, and then either scoffs at it, or says in a haughty manner, “Yes, not bad.” Such a mind has no firm tenets, because it clearly does not believe the word of God, and its own rationale is always unstable—today one way, tomorrow another. It has only wavering, confusion, questions without answers; everything is out of place with it, and it walks in the dark, fumbling its way. A simple mind sees everything clearly: every thing in it has a definite character, determined by the word of God. That is why every thing in it has its place, and it knows exactly how to behave with relation to things—it walks along open, visible roads, with complete assurance that they lead to the true goal.
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