The Second Sunday in Lent AD 2025

St. Paul begins today’s Epistle by saying: “We beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.” He then clarifies what he means by a life that pleases God: we must avoid fornication and live honourably and honestly, caring for our neighbors and loving everyone, especially our brothers, that is, our fellow believers.

It is interesting that the admonition to live a life pleasing to God is followed by encouragement: “I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” This seems to be an answer to the questions, such as: “What good is this godly life of yours if you are going to die anyway? Wouldn’t it be wiser to enjoy life to the fullest and make the most of every opportunity, rather than to live a boring and pleasureless life by restricting your desires?!”

As Christ’s redeemed, we look forward to eternal life in heaven, in the Kingdom of God. The fullness of life that God has promised us in Christ surpasses anything we can even dream of. The happiness and joy that we hope to experience in heaven is pure and free from any corruption. In the midst of the realities of our earthly life, it is difficult for us to understand this, because we are so accustomed to the fact that our joys and pleasures inevitably have a certain taste of sin.

Now, how do we, sinners, get into that kingdom of purity? Not by our own strength or merit, but only through the grace of God in Jesus Christ, our crucified and risen Saviour, whose death has brought us forgiveness and reconciliation. However, in order for us to truly share in the joy of eternal life, it is not enough to affirm and accept divine forgiveness, we must also be completely transformed by the grace of God. Our way of life must begin to reflect the reality of the Kingdom of Heaven already here on earth: just as the joys there are pure, so here we must strive to be free from all impurity; just as there is no room for falsehood, so here we must live honourably and honestly; just as love triumphs there, so here we must get rid of selfishness and grow in love.

St. Paul exhorts us to progress in a life pleasing to God – a God who wants to give us the fullness of love and eternal life.