NOW IS THE TIME OF SALVATION

Fr Luke A Veronis

Do not to accept the grace of God in vain!

For every person who has been baptized as an Orthodox Christian, we need to take care “not to accept the grace of God in vain.” We have been blessed with the greatest treasure of life. Through the Mystery of our Baptism and Chrismation we have become a new creation, where we have put off the old man and all the power and influence of this fallen world. We have been made new by being “born from on high” or “born again,” as some call it.

We have been given the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven within the Church and shown the path that leads into His eternal Kingdom of Divine Love. This treasure of faith gives life its ultimate purpose and deepest meaning, because we now know that we are the most beloved children of the Lord Most High, His heirs tasked with a grave responsibility—not only to live under His reign of love, mercy, and grace, but to act as His ambassadors in sharing this Good News with the world and inviting all people to discover this priceless treasure.

If we truly understand and believe this treasure we have received, then Saint Paul bluntly offers us today’s warning: “Take care not to accept the grace of God in vain!” Don’t be careless or indifferent to the gift that has been given to you. Act today and fulfill your calling. “Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

Paul tells us: don’t wait until tomorrow. Don’t delay your response to God. And today’s Gospel gives us a perfect illustration.

Peter and his companions had fished all night, tired and frustrated from catching nothing. Then Christ enters their weariness and says, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” It makes no sense, but Peter obeys: “At Your word, Lord, I will let down the nets.” Suddenly, their nets are overflowing. In awe, Peter falls to his knees. And instead of turning him away, Christ gives him a mission: “Do not be afraid. From now on you will be fishing for men.”

And then we hear the most striking line: “When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.”

Think about that. They left behind their boats—their source of income, their security, their way of life. They left their families and all they were familiar with. They left behind their nets—their tools of survival, their identity as fishermen. They even left behind the greatest catch of their lives. Why? Because they recognized that this was the moment. Now was the day of salvation.

And this is where the Gospel challenges us: what are the “nets” that we hold on to today, the things that keep us from following Christ wholeheartedly?

• The net of busyness. Many of us live over-scheduled, frantic lives. Work, school, sports, activities—our calendars are so full that prayer and worship become optional, our relationship with God is squeezed in only if there’s time left. How many times do we hear Christ calling us deeper, yet we answer, “Lord, I’m too busy right now”?
• The net of comfort and complacency. We like things the way they are. We are comfortable. We don’t want to be challenged. We don’t want to go “into the deep” because it feels risky. Following Christ always involves stepping beyond what feels safe and easy.
• The net of materialism. In a consumer-driven culture, it is easy to think that happiness comes from having more - more money, more possessions, more security. But if we cling too tightly to these things, our hands aren’t free to grasp the life Christ offers us.
• The net of grudges and unforgiveness. Sometimes what holds us back most is the hurt we carry. We say we follow Christ, but we refuse to forgive. Those knots of bad memories in our nets weigh us down and keep us from moving forward.
• The net of distraction. We live in an age of constant noise—phones, news, social media, entertainment. These things are not evil in themselves, but they can so fill our minds and hearts that we have no silence or time left to hear the voice of God.

These are just some of the nets that entangle us today. And the Gospel asks us: are we willing to let them go? Are we willing to hear Christ’s voice and respond—not later, not someday, but now?

Because as Saint Paul reminds us, “Now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation.”

Today Christ comes to us in the Divine Liturgy. He speaks His Word to us. He fills our emptiness with His Body and Blood. He calls us to follow Him more deeply, to live as His ambassadors in the world, to invite others into this treasure of faith.

The question is: will we respond like Peter, James, and John—leaving behind our nets to follow Him? Or will we hold back, clinging to the things that ultimately cannot save us?

May we have the courage today to say, like Peter, “At Your word, Lord, I will let down the nets.” And may we discover, as the disciples did, the abundance of life that only Christ can give.

Be careful. Do not to accept the grace of God in vain! We have been given a gift, a priceless treasure. Let us make a decision today. Now is the acceptable time; now is our day of salvation!