Will He find faith on the earth?

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ ” For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’ ” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”
Luke 18:1-8 NIV

We give to God absolutely no more than we have to, than is expected of us, than what will make us look and feel good to ourselves and each other. The Divine Liturgy was particularly beautiful this morning, the chanting and singing strong and bright, all the details of ceremonial were, like the Cross exhibited today for our veneration, in flower. The little, brass hand cross propped up on a tray mounded with daffodils went its round about the perimeter of the church at a brisk trot, held aloft by the hands of the priest. Of course, we all knelt as it went by. At the end of the service, we were handed a daffodil but, strangely, I don’t remember kissing the hand cross held in the priest’s hand while receiving the flower.
Where was the Cross in all this?

Father Marín, our Romanian priest, dropped a whole handful of antídoron into my open palms, while smiling broadly and naming me “Roman” as he did it. And I kissed the hand of Jesus in the hand of His living icon, Marín the presbyter. More than the handful of bread passed between us.

The danger is great that surrounds us, the City of God. The enemy, it seems, has never been stronger or more threatening. With faith I hoped we were singing the feast-day hymn of the Cross of Christ,

“Sóson, Kýrie, ton laón Sou,
kai evlógison tin klirónomían Sou.
Níkas tis vasiléfsi
katá varváron dhoroúmenos,
kai to Son filátton,
dhía tou Stavroú Sou polítevma.”

“Save, O Lord, Your people,
and bless Your inheritance.
Give victory to our princes
against the barbarians,
and protect the commonwealth
through Your Cross.”

We give to God absolutely no more than we have to, than is expected of us, than what will make us look and feel good to ourselves and each other. We fill the church, we even pack it to the doors, but as a people that claims to be the people of God, whom do we really serve? Where is our treasure? What song do our hearts sing inwardly day and night?

“Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God, the Almighty;
He was, He is, He is to come.”
Revelation 4:8 JB

When the worst happens, who will stand? Will it be those who gave their tithe of mint, dill and cumin, but neglected the more important matters of the law, justice, mercy and faithfulness? (cf. Matthew 23:23) Do we build our houses on the Rock, the cornerstone of our lives being Christ, not just listening to His Word, but putting it into practice (cf. Matthew 7:24)? Or is the Word an object for our veneration, too high and holy for us to reach with anything but our lips?

“…when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”
Luke 18:8 NIV

This is the challenge and the threat that comes against the Church in every age, and especially ours. Faith doesn’t just happen to us as if by magic. Faith isn’t a gift given to just a few. We have to make place for it. We have to sell all that we own (our free time), and go and buy that field where the treasure lies hid (cf. Matthew 13:44). We can fool each other, for a time, but we can’t deceive God, who knows the secrets of our hearts, and where our treasure lies.

Like others before us, we can be led away into captivity for honoring Him only with our lips while our hearts are far from Him (cf. Isaiah 29:13). He cannot “give victory to our princes against the barbarians” unless we have the real faith that arms us for the battle, for every attack of the evil one, against the City of God.