Father Nikola Todorović: Christ seeks substance, not formal observance
Father Nikola Todorović addresses the gap between outward profession and inner reality. He asks how someone can claim to love another while not loving God, and warns that friends who gossip about each other in different company reveal a deeper spiritual disorder. He turns to the Gospel account of the rich young man who kept all the commandments yet lacked a pure heart ready to receive God.
Christ saw that the man's heart was attached to wealth and the passing things of this world. Christ did not simply tell him to sell everything, give to the poor, and remain where he was; He said to sell all and come, follow Me. Without that call to take up the cross and follow Christ, people remain at the level of the Old Testament, satisfied with formal observance of the law, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not commit adultery, love your neighbour.
Father Nikola explains that Christ came because the world is perishing in evil, and He will come again because we have not truly fulfilled the law but only observe it formally.
Key moments
- How can you love me if you do not love your God?
- When friends speak to each other, be sure they gossip, and in the next company they continue the same.
- Christ said to the young man: Excellent, you have kept all this, but in what form? His heart was not pure, not ready to receive God.
- Christ knew his heart was attached to wealth and transience, to all the gods of this world.
- Christ says: go sell all and come with me, not sell all, give to the poor, and stay where you are, but come with me.
- If Christ does not call us to take up our cross and follow Him, we are left with only: do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not commit adultery, love your neighbor.
- Without that call we remain at the level of the Old Testament, satisfied and satisfying ourselves with what we do.
- Christ came because this world perishes in evil, and He will come again because we have not fulfilled the law or only fulfill it formally.