In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Dear Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are called to reflect on two powerful passages: the calming of the storm in the Gospel of Luke (8:22-25) and the profound teaching on love in St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians (5:25-33). These two readings, though different in their setting and form, reveal to us the depths of God’s love for humanity and how we are called to reflect this divine love in our lives. Through the lens of Orthodox tradition and the wisdom of the saints and elders, we can begin to glimpse the mystery of this divine (agape) love.
In Luke 8:22-25, we find Christ and His disciples in a boat, crossing the Sea of Galilee. A violent storm rises, and the disciples are filled with fear. Jesus, however, is asleep. In their panic, they awaken Him, saying, “Master, we are perishing!” And with a word, Jesus calms the wind and the waves. He turns to them and asks, “Where is your faith?”
The storm, dear brothers and sisters, is not simply an external event. It represents the turmoil and chaos we experience in our lives — fear, suffering, uncertainty, and sin. As Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov writes, “The whole world is a sea… it is always in a storm, and only the word of Christ can still its waves.” When we are caught in the storms of life, how often do we act like the disciples, letting fear consume us, thinking that Christ is asleep, unaware of our struggles? But just as Christ calmed the sea with a word, so too does He calm the storms in our souls when we turn to Him in faith.
Saint Theophan the Recluse reminds us that our faith is often weak because we focus on the winds and waves of life, rather than on Christ Himself. “When our soul is agitated and tossed by the waves of passions,” he writes, “we need to cry out to the Lord as the apostles did in the boat.” This is a profound call to trust in God’s love, even when He seems distant, even when He appears to be “asleep.”
In Ephesians 5:25-33, we hear St. Paul speak of marriage as a reflection of Christ’s love for the Church. “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her.” This is not merely an instruction for marital relationships, but a profound revelation of God’s love for each of us. Christ loves the Church, which means He loves each of us personally, with a love that is sacrificial, self-emptying, and life-giving.
Saint Nikolai Velimirovich, in his Prologue from Ochrid, teaches that Christ’s love for the Church is the perfect image of how we are to love one another: “The love of Christ is not a sentimental or selfish love, but a burning, divine flame that consumes everything unholy and transforms it into holiness.” The love that Christ has for us is a love that leads Him to the Cross, a love that seeks not its own benefit, but the salvation and sanctification of others. This is the love we are called to imitate in our relationships, not just in marriage, but in all aspects of life.
The lives of the Optina Elders, which we celebrate today, offer us a tangible example of this sacrificial love. These holy men, such as Elder Leo, Elder Macarius, Elder Ambrose, and the others, embodied the love of Christ in their selfless devotion to God and to those around them. They lived not for themselves, but for others, bearing the burdens of their spiritual children and giving of themselves entirely in love.
Elder Ambrose, who was renowned for his wisdom and compassion, once said, “The closer one is to God, the more one feels the sufferings of others.” This is the essence of Christian love — to open our hearts to the pain and needs of those around us, just as Christ did for us. The Elders of Optina lived this love daily, offering spiritual guidance, prayers, and even their very lives for the sake of others. Elder Macarius, for example, would spend hours receiving visitors, listening to their struggles, and offering consolation, even when his own health was failing. This is the image of sacrificial love — giving without expecting anything in return.
In this, we see a reflection of the mystery that St. Paul speaks of in Ephesians. Just as Christ gave Himself up for the Church, so too are we called to give ourselves for one another. Elder Nectarius once said, “To live for others is to live for Christ.” This is the path of love to which we are called, whether in marriage, in family life, or in the larger community of the Church. It is a love that sacrifices, that bears burdens, that seeks the good of the other before our own.
Through the calming of the storm and the sacrificial love of Christ for the Church, we see two dimensions of God’s love for us. First, it is a love that is sovereign over all creation, even over the storms that rage in our lives. God’s love is a source of peace and calm in the midst of chaos, and we are called to place our trust in Him, knowing that He is always with us, even in the darkest moments.
Second, God’s love is sacrificial, a love that gives without counting the cost. Christ’s love for us led Him to the Cross, and in the same way, we are called to love others with that same self-emptying love. This is not an easy love; it requires humility, patience, and a willingness to bear the burdens of others. But it is precisely in this sacrificial love that we find true life.
Blessed Theophylact of Ochrid writes that when we imitate Christ’s sacrificial love, we become “living icons of the love of God.” This is the ultimate goal of our Christian life — to become more and more like Christ, reflecting His love in all that we do. The Optina Elders, in their humility, their patience, and their deep love for others, show us what this looks like in practical terms. They did not live for themselves, but for God and for those around them, and in doing so, they became icons of Christ’s love in the world.
Beloved, let us take to heart the words of Christ in today’s Gospel: “Where is your faith?” Let us place our trust in Him, knowing that His love is greater than any storm we may face. And let us remember the call of St. Paul to love one another as Christ loves the Church — sacrificially, humbly, and with a heart open to the needs of others.
May the examples of the holy Optina Elders and the saints inspire us to live out this love in our daily lives, to bear the burdens of one another, and to become, in our own small ways, “icons” of God’s love in the world. Amen.
Sermon on the Feast of the Optina Elders by Priest Nectarios Yangson
