Brothers and parents, God has shown us many ways in which we may work towards our salvation. One, and the most important, of these ways is gratitude; for the Apostle says: ‘First of all, I give thanks to my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the world’ (Romans 1:8). And everywhere [the Apostle] shows himself to be grateful. [Saint John] also says in The Ladder that thanksgiving must take precedence over prayer. Let us therefore give thanks to God, first of all, for bringing us out of non-existence into being and ‘having predestined us for good works, which He prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them’ (Ephesians 2:10); let us give thanks to Him for bringing us to adoption through Holy Baptism. For it is written: ‘To all who received Him, He gave the right to become children of God—who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God’ (John 1:12–13). Let us give thanks to Him for bringing us to monastic perfection, for He says: ‘If you wish to be perfect, sell your possessions and give to the poor – and take up your cross – and come, follow Me!’ (Matthew 19:21); let us give thanks to Him, for, after the confession of the past, He has brought us to the confession of the present. And we are neither deceived nor led astray; and we know that the Only-Begotten Son of God, having become flesh, as John proclaims, is depicted 1 in the flesh and has an icon, and is even worshipped in the icon. For how many people, outside the Gospel, find themselves in the error of unbelief? And others, within the Gospel, are led astray in matters of faith, their ships shipwrecked, like the iconoclasts 2, who refuse to acknowledge that Christ is depicted [in an icon], nor that He has an icon, nor that He may be worshipped in an icon, and who, to their own detriment, turn away from His saving economy. Understanding this, brothers, let us sharpen our senses and give thanks to the Lord, and through thanksgiving let us pierce our hearts; through the piercing of our hearts let us weep; through weeping let us be enlightened; through enlightenment let us attain salvation, as the Word has promised us. Let us not simply assume that we have faith; it is one, it is true, but nevertheless it grows and diminishes, through understanding or through a lack of understanding. For it is said: ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’ (Matthew 14:31) and, elsewhere: ‘Great is your faith; let it be done for you as you have believed!’ (Matthew 15:28), and again: ‘Not even in Israel have I found such faith!’ (Matthew 8:10). Behold, then, how it increases and diminishes. Let no one say: ‘I am an uneducated man; how could I possibly understand faith?’ The good God extends the rays of His goodness to all. What does the Apostle say? ‘Consider, brothers, your calling: not many of you are wise by human standards, not many are powerful, not many are of noble birth; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world, to put to shame the strong; and God has chosen the lowly things of the world and the things that are despised, and the things that are not, to bring to nothing the things that are’ (1 Corinthians 1:26–28).
Do you not see this saying [fulfilled] in yourselves? Do you not remember our blessed brother Thaddeus, not to mention the others? Was he not a Scythian? Did we not all know him as a slave amongst men? And indeed, after he was set free, did he not become a monk? Has he not gone before us in his witness, both in the past and now? And, having fully understood his faith and been crowned with glory, advancing along its path as is fitting, he was deemed worthy to receive the crown of martyrdom as well, departing from this life after three days of struggle. Let us therefore, brothers, also live our lives in such a way that we do not take a lack of instruction as an excuse, but persevere in study and learning and grow in our faith. This might be so, if the good life 3 were closely accompanied by faith; for ‘faith working through love’ (Galatians 5:6) perfects our salvation. For in both lies the salvation of the soul: neither can faith save by itself alone, nor a [pure] life by itself alone, but one must hold fast to the other and walk together with it, just as we, holding fast [together], may we attain ‘the measure of the full stature of Christ’ (Ephesians 4:13) and may we be deemed worthy to obtain, together with the Saints, the blessings promised in Christ Jesus, our Lord, to whom be glory and power, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever and ever. Amen!
Translated from the Greek by Octavian Gordon