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Continuing the idea from the entire series “The Gospel Image of the Christian,” namely that the Savior wants us to be like Him, the spiritual evening of March brought in the foreground the way in which we can apply the Savior’s exhortation, “Learn from Me” (Matthew 11:29). Iin particular, it was an invitation for each of us to reflect on the person of the Savior, and through this to see what we can learn from Him. 

The Savior taught us through words, exhortations, commandments, behaviors, attitudes, and His state of being, etc. The first teachings are summarized in His words. Through these words, He communicates Himself. He shows us how He is. Therefore, when He gives us the commandments, He is explaining in human language how He is. Through these commandments He not only communicates Himself, but He also tells us to be like Him. Therefore, in the Philokalia we find this teaching of Saint Mark the Ascetic: “The Lord is hidden in His own commandments, and He is to be found there in the measure that He is sought.”

The Sermon on the Mount comprises the Savior’s commandments. Meaning, His way of being and the way He wants us to be. From the first commandment, “and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matthew 5:22), we understand firstly that this is how He is, just how He tells us to be. Particularly He is gentle, does not insult, does not hurt, and especially does not push away anyone who comes to Him with repentance. Usually when we do wrong, the enemy takes advantage of our Christian conscience and terrorizes us with thoughts like, “You have no more chances! How can you approach God when you’re such a sinner?! You’re a wretch! etc.” But the Savior is not so, because just as He tells us to not judge our brother, neither will He judge us, no matter how sinful we are, cf. Isaiah 42:3: “A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench.” The Savior never rebukes the sinner who admits his fault. 

In the third commandment, “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37), we see Him mirrored again. For Him, things are not changeable. He does not talk much, but when He speaks, He does not go back on His word. There are more instances of the Savior’s words that we should take as such and rely on them. “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20), “For without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). We must believe these words, rely on them, and thereby make God present in our lives. If the Savior said He is with us, He did not lie. We must seek him, just like Prophet Jeremiah urges us: “Where are You, Lord?” (Jeremiah 2:6). He spoke the truth. Why do we not live this truth? This must be for us a source of search and prayer. 

Or another word of His, “The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out,” (John 6:37), even if we are horrible! But just as we said, the enemy tells us: “There is no salvation for him in his God” (Psalm 3:2). The enemy terrorizes and discourages us. But if the Savior told us that the one who comes to Him, He will not cast out, this means it is so. He will neither offend us, nor will He cast us out. 

In the fifth commandment He urges us to love our enemies. We all must apply this to those around us. When we see the one next to us in temptation, we must not expect them to realize this because we will only frustrate ourselves even more. What we must do is have the lucidity to understand that the enemy is attacking us through their weakness. As soon as we understand this, we must put into practice the Savior’s teaching of not resisting evil (cf. Matei 5:39). Under no circumstances should we respond with the same treatment. We must be patient and pray. To admit that it surpasses me, to humble myself, and to pray. And after the temptation, we struggle with all our strength to regain the connection of communion and love with the other. However, to be able to do this I must know who I am – the servant of Christ, for Whom I do and endure all, that is for Him and because the one who opposes me is the enemy.

The Savior’s exhortations also represent the way in which we must be. “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5). This exhortation shows that salvation is something organic, though which we must unite ourselves with Christ. All hardships have this aim: “to graft ourselves in Him,” wound upon wound. “For if we have been united together in the likeness of his death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection” (Romans 6:5).

Finally, the last exhortation refers to peace: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). He utters these words before His Passion. Therefore, peace and joy are the sign of His presence in our heart.