". . .In as much as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:40)


Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

These brief verses from the Gospel of Saint Matthew show us the complete and perfect lifestyle of a Christian. Throughout Holy Scriptures, we find our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ declaring the importance of giving to all who are in need. It is not enough to show love only toward those who love us but to all of the Father’s children. Accordingly, we are exhorted to do what w can in ministering to others. We are also reminded that all that we have are gifts from Him. Our times, talents and treasures, literally our very lives were all given to us by our Creator.

Before His crucifixion, Jesus said that we will always have the poor among us. Here in the Valley of the Sun we see poverty, hunger, a growing social assistance or welfare system, an increase in homelessness, and a crime rate that has gone wild.  Despite all of the programs at the national, state and local levels to alleviate these problems, we see that the results have fallen far short of their desired goals.

History shows us that the Orthodox Church, has had a very illustrious, successful history in the area of ministering to those in need. You might recall that in the early Church, all things were held in common, and that the first deacons were appointed to assist the poor. At the time of Constantine the Great, the Church was finally "legalized" within the Roman Empire. Christianity became the Empire’s principal and predominant faith. Constantine understood that the foremost    

administrators who could be relied upon not only to get the job done, but also in terms of personal integrity and sincerity were the Christians. The Empire began to be built around their beliefs.

The poor, the elderly and even the incarcerated were ministered to by the Church. Institutions such as the schools, hospitals, orphanages, libraries and many others were administered by the Church, and not merely by the state. The ministries were, of course, highly successful. The poor, the naked and the hungry were well cared for, and the institutions were well run.

In reading Matthew 25, vs. 31-46, we see our Lord and Savior focusing in on the Last Judgment. This passage teaches us to show our love through good works, such as feeding the hungry, giving shelter to the stranger, clothing the naked, visiting the imprisoned, and so on—in short to do all we can for others who are in need. Jesus promises us the reward of eternal life if we do it "even unto the least" of His brethren. Failing to carry out His commandments of love "even unto the least" of His brethren when we have the capabilities of doing so, we can only look to everlasting punishment. These are the promises, (and warning) of God Himself.

We read in the Epistle of James, Chapter 2, ". . .show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works" and that, ". . .faith without works is dead." He also says, ". . .that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." We see here that we must always keep our attention focused upon the good works that our Lord Jesus Christ intended for us to do—as individuals and as a parish community—even unto the least of His brothers.

With love in the Lord,

Father David