When He was alone with His disciples, the apostles asked: “Why could we not cast out the demon?” The Lord answered: “Because of your unbelief” (Matthew 17:20).
The question arises: is it possible that we, baptized Christians, like the disciples who followed the Lord, live close to Christ, receive His blessings, and yet simultaneously be unbelievers? Why did those who were sent to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom, perform miracles, and cast out demons, suddenly find themselves bereft of faith? Is it possible for unbelief to lurk deep within faith? Apparently, yes, my dears. We see this in our very lives. Unbelief can hide beneath the veil of faith—even the faith that seems fervent.
What, then, can give rise to unbelief? Why can't we be confident in our faith? What compelled the Apostle Peter, on the one hand, to confess the Lord as the Son of the Living God (Matthew 16:16), and on the other, to deny Him? If—I address the holy Apostle Peter—the One whom you confessed is the Son of the Living God, how is it that you were afraid to confess Him before a few insignificant people? Can unbelief really lurk at the very heart of faith? Apparently, yes. What can give rise to, nourish, or sustain this unbelief? I think you are all interested in the answer to this question, because we would all like to be truly faithful.
Beloved, first of all, our rationalism , our rationality, is to blame for this. What is rationalism? It is what the Lord speaks of elsewhere: "If you have faith and do not doubt" (Matthew 21:21). "To doubt" ( Greek: δ ιακρίνομαι – to reason ) means "to have unbelief based on one's own reasoning, thought." Rationalism is an attempt to explain the Divine using one's own logic. Further, the Lord says: " If you have faith as a mustard seed" – that is, a small, but living and active faith – "then you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move " (Matthew 17:20). And anyone who seeks a "logical" and "rational" explanation for everything will immediately begin to ask questions: "How can a mountain move from its place and go and fall into the sea? Is this possible?
The rationalist seeks so-called "historical precedents" in everything; he does not rely on the Word of God, but uses his own way of thinking to interpret various phenomena. Rationalism is a disease of the human mind. The ability to reason, human logic, is created by God. But reason, as God's creation, must be able to understand its limitations and know that its ability to comprehend the surrounding world is limited. At some point, the mind must stop and say, "This is beyond my power to comprehend; let us rely on divine love, strength, and wisdom." However, the mind infected with rationalism refuses to stop. And because it is sick, it gives a diseased interpretation of everything. Rationalism is the diseased state of the old, fallen man, who has lost his original integrity. We are talking about the rationalism on which man in general, and especially Western man, relies and lives; rationalism becomes his daily bread. Despite the fact that the West is usually called “Christian,” rationalism often nests in the heart of Western man, which becomes the cause of unbelief, many manifestations of which we observe in the Western world.
But there's another reason that can give rise to unbelief: a depraved life , when a person ostensibly believes in God but lives a vicious life, committing mortal sins. And when they embrace this sinful lifestyle and don't repent of it.
Every person sins. Does this mean we are all weak in faith because we sin? Absolutely not. I'm not talking about sins we repent of and reject. I'm talking about those sins that are "dear" to us and that we want to keep in our lives, and therefore we justify them... Some even go so far as to justify their sins with quotes from the Gospel. The latter is especially tragic. When Holy Scripture is used to justify a sinful life, it's terrible. Terrible!
In such cases, my dears, we might recall what the Word of God, the Apostle and Evangelist John, tells us: “ The light has come into the world, but people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest their deeds should be exposed ” (John 3:19-20 ) . This very accurately describes the psychology of a hardened sinner. “Everyone who does evil,” says the Evangelist John, “hates the light. Why? He stubbornly desires to lead a sinful life, but if he approaches the light, which is Christ, his life will become clear to everyone, his sinfulness will be exposed, he will be covered with shame and contempt. That is why he does not come to the light. And not only does he not come, but he also hates it. He rebels against the light, wanting to crucify it and banish it from his life forever, so that nothing remains to incriminate his conscience.
The state of a person's soul who chooses to remain in sin without repentance is terrifying. This defines them as unbelievers. Ultimately, they remain unbelievers. When you suggest that they renounce the sinful acts that are so dear to them, they will answer, "Where is that written?" "But Christ Himself said so." "I doubt it." "Do you believe in Christ?" "Absolutely!" "But how can you believe in Christ if you doubt His words?" Believing in Christ means believing His words and keeping His commandments. Here we see a discrepancy between faith and life. How can one consider oneself a believer and yet doubt the word of Christ? Do you understand how a person strives to sin?
Remember the words from the psalm: “ The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God ’” (Psalm 14 :1 ) . Who is this fool? A sinful person who declares that God does not exist. So, if someone says today that God does not exist, what does that mean? The word “fool” (Greek: ἄφρων) means two things . First , it literally means “a person who does not possess reason ” (which says a lot about the essence of atheism). And second, the word “fool” here means a sinner . “The fool has said in his heart . ” Why does he say “in the heart”? Because the heart , according to the Lord , is the source of thoughts , desires , and everything that a person subsequently expresses through his actions . “ Out of the heart come adultery , fornication , theft , ” the Lord Himself said ( see Matthew 15:19) .
St. Augustine says these remarkable words: "No one denies God except those who are interested in His non-existence." And here is what St. Theophilus of Antioch (second century) writes in his first letter to Autolycus, an idolater who doubted the existence of God:
"If you say, 'Show me your God,' I will answer you, 'Show me your man ( i.e., your life ), and I will show you my God... Show yourself, whether you are an adulterer, a fornicator, a thief, a robber, a kidnapper... envious, arrogant, proud, violent, a lover of money... For God does not reveal himself to those who do these things, unless they first cleanse themselves of all impurity. All this brings darkness, and just as an illness in the eyes does not allow them to turn to the light of the sun, so you, my friend, are darkened by iniquities so that you cannot see God."
And another important point—this is not an example, but a reality (unfortunately, I cannot explain it in more detail now). St. Theophilus says: “The human soul is like a mirror. If the mirror’s surface is covered with rust, it cannot reflect light.” All gifts, all divine energies descend to man from God. Love is nothing other than the energy-action of God, sent by Him to man. Man cannot love unless God grants him His energy—His uncreated energy. The same is true of faith. The Bible contains numerous passages that confirm this. Remember what Christ says: “No one can come to Me unless the Father draws him” (John 6:44). The word “draw” means that God must send us His divine uncreated energy, which will evoke in us an attraction to faith. Otherwise, man will not believe. “Does this mean,” some will say, “that I was not involved, and therefore I do not believe?”
That's not quite it. Since I'm talking about attraction now, let me use a magnet as an example. My brother, if you are made of iron, then the magnet will attract you. But if you are made of bronze or aluminum, the magnet will have no effect on you. The magnet doesn't lose its ability to attract. It's all about you. It doesn't affect you because you are something else.
St. Theophilus makes another very important observation: " A person must have a soul as pure as a shining mirror. When a mirror is rusty, a person's face cannot be seen in it; so too, when a person has sin in him, he cannot contemplate God ."
Divine rays, divine uncreated energies approach the soul to be reflected and returned... What is "reflection"? My dears, "reflection" means that when God sends you the energy of faith, you must respond to it and say, "I believe, Lord." The reflection of divine rays will only occur if the mirror of your soul is clean and smooth. But it also happens that the mirror of the soul becomes covered in rust. Because of sins committed intentionally, by one's own corrupted will, because of deep-rooted egoism. In such a case, the mirror of the soul will be unable to reflect divine energy. This is why the Lord said, " Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God " (Matthew 5:8). And I, too, repeat these words to you all the time...
My friends, there is a third reason that undermines faith from within— snobbery. ( The word "snobbery" has the following meanings: 1. The desire to keep up with fashion and constantly adhere to the behavior, manners, and way of thinking of an aristocratic circle, "high society." 2. Behavior, manners, and way of thinking that claims high intellect, refined taste, or authority in some field, and at the same time an arrogant attitude toward those who allegedly lack these virtues—translator's note ). By this not very pleasant word, I mean, first and foremost, blind imitation. It is important to understand: there is nothing wrong with copying the beautiful and worthy, but snobbery is imitation of meaningless, unreasonable things. It is a renunciation of one's own judgment in favor of the crowd... Today, women wear clothes that would previously have been embarrassing to leave the bedroom for the living room, and yet they walk around like that on the street. Someone will ask, "Dear lady, aren't you ashamed to leave the house dressed like that?" She will answer (if she's honest): "I understand." "Then why do you dress like that?" "But everyone does." It's a great misfortune when a person mindlessly imitates others, being naturally a rational person.
Today, my dears, phenomena such as unbelief and atheism are widespread in our homeland, Greece—I won't go any further and will remain within the borders of our country. If you ask people why they abandoned their faith, many will honestly admit, "That's just the way it is now." But where is your individuality, oh man? Are you really ready to blindly follow the crowd, without having your own opinion? This is a sad phenomenon—a kind of "mystery of lawlessness" in action, when people compete with each other to see who can show the greatest disregard for God. This is a true spiritual decline for a country with such a rich Christian heritage...
What does this mean? Our society is in a state of profound crisis, accompanied by moral and spiritual exhaustion. Atheism has become a fashionable form of snobbery. And in the family? Yes, even in the family! Faith in the family is beginning to weaken, and unbelief is taking its place. The tradition of prayer is fading. Parents don't teach their children from an early age to pray, to make the sign of the cross at the table, to receive communion, to confess, to go to church. And in society? What can I say? What is the situation in schools—where the future generation is being formed? Icons are being removed from the walls, and teachers either speak of Christ with disdain or, concealing their venom behind polite words, speak only of Christ's humanity, denying His divinity. This widespread apostasy from faith—in the family, in school, and in society—is a cause for profound sorrow.
There are only nine million of us Greeks—a very small number. But if we finally throw off the shackles of snobbery and muster up the courage, we'll realize it's time to stop fudging concepts. Many today call "tradition" only external trappings: songs and dances to the bouzouki, folk festivals, and the playing of the cymbals, endlessly broadcast on television. But is that really the point, poor people? True tradition isn't external events, but the preservation of the soul of a people. And the soul of our people is faith in Christ and love for our homeland . By losing this faith, we lose our soul.
Saint Cosmas of Aetolia taught that no torment or threat should force us to betray Christ and lose our souls. This is what "tradition" or "tradition" is. It is what Saint Paul the Apostle says to Timothy: "Keep that which has been committed to your trust" (1 Tim. 6:20). Tradition is a sacred gift passed down from generation to generation: from Christ to the Apostles, from them to our fathers, and from our fathers to us. What does Christ say in Revelation? "Hold fast what you have" (Rev. 3:11). Those who have grasped this truth are not tempted by vain snobbery and the demonic trends of the times, but steadfastly preserve the faith of the Fathers, understanding that this is the only tradition worth dying for.
If we resist the temptations of our times and do not exchange our faith for the lentil soup of temporary blessings and sinful pleasures, then perhaps God will have mercy on us, and our country will endure. But if we all reach the point of apostasy, then our country will disappear from the course of history. I would never want to predict disaster, but let us at least follow the example of Abraham, who prayed, " If even a few righteous people are found in Sodom, let these cities not perish " (see Genesis 18:28-32). Do you understand, my dears, what a burden falls on our shoulders, what a burden we all bear? We are all clergy and laity, that is, all believers. We bear a great responsibility. We must shoulder what others cannot. And not only them, but also those standing nearby. The burden is very heavy, and it is beyond the strength of one person to bear, but Christ will help us. And if, my dears, we take on this burden — to be faithful to God, despite the currents of the times — it will not only be our salvation, but also the most faithful proof of our selfless, genuine, and great love for our compatriots and our homeland. A love founded on profound faith.
Source: https://myrophoros.blogspot.com/2026/08/blog-post_13.html