As we start the new school year a beautiful story to reflect on is in the Gospel of Luke in chapter 7 verses 36-50 which is the story of the repentant woman. One of the most beautiful things that our Lord reveals to us in this story is how to reflect the love that He gives us unto other people when He says, “But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little” (Luke 7:47). So our Lord reveals to us that to truly love Him and to truly love those whom we serve, we must first feel forgiven. But How? How do we obtain this forgiveness? At the end of the day, our Lord Himself, when He was speaking to Peter told him that he should forgive his brother not 7 times, but up to 70 times 7, so surely He must also forgive us. This feeling of forgiveness, preceding the Mystery of Repentance and Confession, is obtained through spending time with God. Spending time with Forgiveness Himself. Mar Isaac the Syrian once said that “No one is able to draw near to God without leaving the world far behind”. This is the dilemma that we, as college students, face all the time. It’s simply finding the time to spend with God, actively seeking time out of your day dedicated just to Him. Our Lord instructed us Himself in the Gospel of Matthew, “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” (Matthew 6:6). Closing the door of your room and opening the door of your heart for Him in your 4 x 4 college dorm is the equivalent of leaving the world far behind during these years as Mar Isaac said. Now let’s put the puzzle pieces together, we know from 1 John 4:8 that God is love, and we know that as advocates of Christ we want to share this love with everyone, and for that love that He gives us to overflow unto other people, we first need to feel forgiven as our Lord told Simon the Pharisee, and this forgiveness all ultimately boils down to spending alone time with Him. These next few years, on top of being college students, we are advocates for Christ, we are wingmen and women for the True Bridegroom. I would be the worst wingman and woman if I’ve only hung out with the Bridegroom in a group setting. I need to sit down with Him and learn about Him and understand the magnitude of love that He has so that I could advocate for it as His wingman or woman.
Let us also be very cautious as to not put school before God. Let us give God His time, and He will give understanding. Many faithful servants before us had duties that should have taken all their time, St. Katherine studied philosophy, St. Verena was a nurse and His Holiness Pope Shenouda III was a teacher, etc. all these faithful servants succeeded in their trade and studies because they made time for Him and were faithful advocates of Christ. Just like these faithful advocates of Christ, after spending time with God alone, we will slowly but surely find ourselves subconsciously conversing with Him as one does a friend throughout the day. Slowly joining the divine choir as St. Clement of Alexandria says, “The whole life of the spiritual man is a holy festival. His sacrifices are prayers, praises, and readings in Scriptures before meals. They are psalms and hymns during meals and before bed—and prayers also again during the night. By these, the spiritual man unites himself to the divine choir.” May God allow us to see Him in everything, allow us to bear fitting fruit, and to always preach His word without ever uttering a single word, to Him is due all glory. Amen.
“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be unwise but understand what the Will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15-17).