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From
a homily attributed to Saint Macarius, bishop
Woe to the soul that does not
have Christ dwelling in it
 hen a house has no master living
in it, it becomes dark, vile and contemptible, choked with filth and disgusting
refuse. So too is a soul which has lost its Master, who once rejoiced there
with His angels. This soul is darkened with sin, its desires are degraded,
and it knows nothing but shame.
Woe to the path that is not walked
on, or along which the voices of men are not heard, for then it becomes the
haunt of wild animals. Woe to the soul if the Lord does not walk within it
to banish with His voice the spiritual beasts of sin. Woe to the house where
no master dwells, to the field where no farmer works, to the pilotless ship,
storm-tossed and sinking. Woe to the soul without Christ as its true pilot;
drifting in the darkness, buffeted by the waves of passion, storm-tossed
at the mercy of evil spirits, its end is destruction. Woe to the soul that
does not have Christ to cultivate it with care to produce the good fruit
of the Holy Spirit. Left to itself, it is choked with thorns and thistles;
instead of fruit it produces only what is fit for burning. Woe to the soul
that does not have Christ dwelling in it; deserted and foul with the filth
of the passions, it becomes a haven for all the vices.
. . . So Christ, our heavenly
king, came to till the soil of mankind devastated by sin. . . . He removed
the thorns and thistles which are the evil spirits and pulled up the weeds
of sin. Into the fire He cast the straw of wickedness. And when He had ploughed
the soul with the wood of the cross, He planted in it a most lovely garden
of the Spirit, that could produce for its Lord and God the sweetest and most
pleasant fruit of every kind.
—Saint Macarius, bishop
Office of Readings,
Wednesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
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