Homily: on Christ’s dwelling in the hearts of the faithfulby Saint Nikolai Velimirovič

  … that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye [may be] rooted and grounded in love (Ephesians 3:17).

With faith, Christ comes into the heart, and with Christ comes love. Thus man is rooted and grounded in love. First then, there is faith; then with faith comes Christ’s presence in the heart; then with Christ’s presence, the presence of love; and with love, all ineffable goodness. In a few words, the Apostle delineates the whole ladder of perfection.

The beginning is faith and the end is love; and faith and love are joined in a living, undivided unity by the Living Lord Jesus Christ’s presence in the heart. By strengthening faith, we further abolish the distance between ourselves and the Lord Jesus Christ. The stronger one’s faith, the closer one is to Christ.

Ultimately, one’s heart is filled with Christ and cannot be separated from Christ, just as one’s lung cannot be separated from the air. Then a man may, with tears of joy, communicate with Christ by the prayer of the heart-“Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner”-and the heart is imperceptibly filled with light and ardent love. In this way, love is united with faith and hope; and when they are united, the boundaries between them are lost, so that man cannot even think of determining of how far faith goes, and where hope and love begin. When the living Christ dwells in a man, then he no longer perceives faith, hope or love in himself, nor does he name them. Instead, he sees only Christ and names only Him. This is just like a fruit-grower in autumn who considers the ripe fruit on the tree, and speaks no more of blossoms and leaves but of fruit, ripe fruit.

O Lord Jesus Christ, supreme height of all our endeavors and the destination of all our travels, draw near to us and save us.

To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.

The Prologue from Ohrid: Lives of Saints by Saint Nikolai Velimirovič

- Prologue