Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel that the righteousness of His disciples must “exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.” And here we encounter a tragic paradox. These words ought to humble us, for they reveal how far we fall short of the perfect righteousness of God. Yet instead, they may become an occasion of pride, tempting us to congratulate ourselves that, at least, we are better than the scribes and Pharisees.

“Love as brethren, not rendering evil for evil, but contrariwise blessing.” With these words, Saint Peter sums up the very essence of our Christian faith. For this is exactly what God has done for us, and how He has dealt with us: He has loved us so greatly that He has not rewarded us according to our sins and iniquities, but has given us, in His only begotten Son, the fullness of His blessing and the gift of immortal life.

The suffering of this present age is an unavoidable part of life in a fallen world: separation from God leads to corruption and death. This is true not only of human beings, but of all God’s creation, which, together with us, awaits the revelation of the glorious liberty of the children of God.

In the words of St. Paul, the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. This, however, is easier said than lived. We tend to take the good for granted, while experiencing evil as something always unexpected, unjust, and difficult to accept.

“Be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” True humility means being honest about ourselves: we are poor, miserable sinners. This is why a truly humble person, when accused of wrongdoing, will not look for excuses but will ask for forgiveness, acknowledging that he has sinned—even if not this time, then at some other time.

What gives us confidence toward God? In today’s Epistle, Saint John tells us that our confidence rests on two things: faith in the name of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, and love for one another.

To believe in the name of Jesus means, first of all, to trust that He is our Saviour. This is, after all, what His name means: The Lord saves. The fact that we must believe in Him in order to be saved does not mean that salvation is somehow our own achievement. Quite the contrary. We are saved by the grace of God, who gave His only begotten Son to bear our sins on the cross of Calvary, winning for us the forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life.