Eternal treasures.

From the 19^th verse of the 6^th chapter, Saint Matthew describes in his Gospel how the Lord teaches us to seek, above all else, God’s Kingdom and not to be distracted from this pursuit by other concerns — not to worry about accumulating earthly, ephemeral treasures, which are easily exposed to spoilage and disintegration. In having such treasures, a person continually dwells on them with thoughts, desires and feelings; that’s why a Christian - who has to have his whole being in Heaven — shouldn’t engage in earthly accumulations, but strive toward acquiring Heavenly treasures, which are virtues. Therefore, it is essential to guard your heart like the pupil of your eye. We must protect our heart from earthly vices, so that it remains chaste and remains our spiritual guide, Heavenly light, just as the eye is our guide of the physical light. He who intends to serve God and Mammon (Mamona — a Syrian deity; personification of earthly riches) simultaneously, can be likened to a servant trying to satisfy two masters that have contrasting characters and demands, to a point of being diametrically opposed; in this situation he: “he will hate the one or love the other, or else he will be loyal to one and despise the other” (Mat. 6:24).

The Lord leads us toward the heavenly and eternal, while riches — toward earthly and physical. That’s why in order to avoid this duality, which interferes with matters of eternal salvation, it is essential to avoid excessive, needless, anxious and oppressive concerns about sustenance, drink and clothing — those anxieties that devour all our time and attention, and distract us from concerns dealing with the saving of our souls. After all, if God provides food for birds and adorns the flowers in the fields, He will (more so) not leave us without all that is essential to a human being, having created him in His image and summoned to be the inheritor of His Kingdom. Our whole life is in God’s hands and is not subject to our efforts: as an example, can we ourselves increase our hight by even one inch? At the same time, in no way shall it mean that we forsake our concerns altogether and submit ourselves to idleness — just as some heretics concluded from this part in the Sermon. Labours were decreed by God to the human in Paradise, before his fall (Gen. 2:15), which was confirmed anew when Adam was driven out from Paradise (3:19). It is not the labour that is criticised, but the excessive and onerous concern for the future, about tomorrow, which is not in our power and indeed, should we live that long. What’s indicated is the level of value: “But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness,” for which the Lord Himself will reward us with His personal concern, so that we will have everything necessary for our earthly life. Therefore, thoughts about these things should not torture or oppress us like they do the heathens. This part of the Sermon (Mat. 6:25-34) presents to us a marvellous scenario of God’s Providence, concerned for His creations. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things” — meaning that tomorrow is not in our power for us to worry about, inasmuch as we don’t even know what it will bring: perhaps such cares that we didn’t even think about.