God does not command us to live in hair shirts and chains, or to chastise our flesh with scourges, but to love Him above all things and our neighbor as ourselves.
Love conquers all. Let us remain in God’s love, by loving our neighbor as ourselves.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, if we wish to attain heaven, we must be prepared to truly follow Christ by cutting off every and all things that will make us not attain the kingdom of heaven by resisting our evil inclinations. Then through sacrifice, give up things that are needed and that are dearest to our human nature and avoid the temptations of the devil.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, as Jesus reminded us in today’s gospel reading to be the last of all and the servant of all, if we wish to be first, let us become better servants and disciples of Christ by becoming true servants of all in our devotedness to God, in our obedience to Him, by being humble and by being honest in our service to Him and in our dealings with others.
This is my last hour of life, listen to me attentively: if I have held communication with foreigners, it has been for my religion and for my God. It is for Him that I die.
