The honor of God is infinitely greater than the honor of men

Where the Kingdom of God has touched man and where man has called this Kingdom through his humility, through his love and the Kingdom of Heaven has touched the earth, those things never die. This is what God promises us. In the end, what God’s commandment does remains more known and more powerful even in this world than those who seek only their honor and pride and their money.

The honor of God is infinitely greater than the honor of men. The honor and trust and faith of men in us and their love is so fleeting! Today men praise you, tomorrow they gossip about you, they judge you with incredible ease! On Palm Sunday they received Him and honored Him with branches and laid their clothes before Him and five days later they cried: Crucify Him, crucify Him! These are men, we are all like that.

Now, how can people, says the Savior in one place – I paraphrase – how can people seek the honor of people, which is fleeting and false, and not the honor of God? Well, the honor of God is impermanent and untrue, God does not play with words, He does not rush to judge you, He rewards a thousandfold for the little you give! People hardly reward you in the same measure; those who give more than you gave them in a gesture of kindness are rare people. And you reject the honor and love of God for the honor of people and seek this false love, because, through our desire to seek the honor and praise of people, we come across false or at least half-false love, with half-truths.

So whoever has courage, it is a great courage to do this, to follow the word of Christ, to follow Him! Whoever wants to be greater, let him be a servant to all. To know about the pain of each one, to wait for each one, to tolerate it, to endure it, to forget about oneself, to deny oneself and to seek the pain and sorrow of another, at least in part. If you are in the midst of a pain and someone comes to you with another pain, forget in part about your own pain to listen to him and help him as much as you can. Let each do our part, but the more valuable the gold that you will work by obeying God's commandment is, the more it is impermanent. And it is an eternal exchange value both on earth and beyond.

Father Ciprian Negreanu

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