When the Homily is about Immunology

Choosing to lose in order to win

Many thanks to Herman for directing me to THIS account of St. Lazar's seeking and receiving answers in regards to his choice. For those who do not know the story, let me very briefly say that Tsar Lazar was facing a much larger Turkish invasion force when an Angel came to him and offered him victory if he were to chose an earthly kingdom and attack now...BUT if he were to chose the heavenly kingdom he should build a church and then attack later at which time he and his army would be crushed.

Later as he stood (barely) as a severly wounded captive of the Turkish forces we are told he received the vision recounted via the link above. There are a lot of gems in this account, which I've not yet finished, but here is something interesting an Angel tells St. Lazar:


"With regard to their perception of reality men are divided into three groups. The first group looks only with physical eyes at physical things, and thinks that they are seeing reality. They are the truly blind ones. They live in the complete darkness of ignorance, shaded by the dark shadow of created things.
"The second group are those who go beyond the eyes with their human intellect, striving to grasp the meaning of the things, and in the process they trust only in their eyes and their intellect. And these people see nothing as they should, but only perceive a mystery of beings and objects that is incomprehensible to them. They maintain that an imperceptible world exists beyond all the perceptible world — and this is the culmination of their knowledge. Therefore they live in a tormenting twilight of dancing shadows, which hide the truth from them like a motley curtain.
"But the third group does not give much credence to their eyes or to their intellect, but rather with childlike simplicity they accept revelation from the holy heavens, just as you have today. These revelations quench their thirst for earthly kingdoms and dominions, and create an insatiable hunger and thirst for the kingdom of heaven. Such are called 'the children of light.' It has been granted to them to see mysteries and, seeing, to walk the true way in earthly life. Not even they always and continuously see, as we heavenly inhabitants do, but only now and then, according to the will and grace of divine Providence.
"In this third group was also found, in his earthly life, this amazing glorified saint of yours, the holy prophet Amos, together with the other prophets, clairvoyants, apostles, saints and righteous. And so you too, O glorious prince, are numbered in the ranks of these sanctified lovers of God."