Eleventh Sunday after Trinity AD 2026

Saint Paul says in today’s Epistle: «I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received.» It is a self-evident truth that no one can give what he himself does not have. And it should be equally self-evident that no one can possess anything that he has not first received.

This means more than simply admitting, honestly and humbly, that we brought nothing into this world and that everything we have has been given to us. What matters is that, once we understand that everything we have is a gift, we become able to distinguish between what is truly important and what is not.

For Saint Paul, the most important knowledge was, on the one hand, the recognition that he was a sinner, and, on the other, faith in the truth that Jesus Christ has saved us from sin through His death and resurrection—that Christ died for our sins. Without this, everything would be in vain. Saint Paul is convinced that if Christ has not been raised from the dead, then our faith is useless and our situation utterly hopeless. Without the redemption accomplished in Christ, we would still be in our sins and would die in them.

But because Christ has redeemed us through His death and resurrection, we are free. We have become children of God, saved in hope and knowing that nothing can separate us from the love of God. By the grace of God, we are what we are: His beloved children, who may entrust themselves entirely to Him.