Seeking the Salvation of my Neighbor

“We cannot be saved by seeking just our own individual salvation; we need to look first to the good of others. In warfare, the soldier who takes to flight to save his own skin brings disaster on himself as well as on the others, whereas the good soldier who takes up arms on behalf of his comrades saves his own life along with theirs. Our life is a warfare, the bitterest of battles. So in loyalty to our King, let us draw up the lines of battle, ready for blood and slaughter, with our eyes on the salvation of all, encouraging the stalwarts and stirring up the laggards. Many of our brothers and sisters have fallen in this battle, wounded and covered with blood, with no one to care for them. There is no one to look after them, no layman, no priest, no comrade, no friend, no brothers, because we are all of us seeking our own individual salvation and thereby spoiling our chance of attaining it. True freedom and glory come from not being concerned with ourselves.”

~ St. John Chrysostom

About Fr Joseph Gleason

I serve as a priest at Christ the King Orthodox Mission in Omaha, Illinois, and am blessed with eight children and one lovely wife. I contribute to On Behalf of All, a simple blog about Orthodox Christianity. I also blog here at The Orthodox Life.
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