An Exposition On St. Theophan’s Most Powerful Quote

The quote I’m referencing as the subject of today’s topic is one by my patron saint, St. Theophan the Recluse. He has numerous insightful and edifying sayings but there is one that has struck me so deeply to contemplate the depth of paradox within it.

“All Christians are called; chosen are those Christians who believe and live in a Christian manner.”

St. Theophan is going off of the biblical verse in Matthew 22:14, “Many are called but few are chosen.” His words illuminate this passage more clearly, and in paradoxical manner, you choose to be chosen. Just like the Bible is full of paradoxes, want to be the greatest? Be the least. Want to be exalted? Humble yourself. Want to find your life? Lose it. Want to live? Die. It goes on and on. Want to be chosen? Choose to be.

God calls every man to Himself, and also respects our free will to answer this call on our lives. We need to not just be Christian in name, but actually found to be Christians as St. Ignatius of Antioch would say. And the rest of St. Theophan’s words warn of the same, “But our educational system allows un-Christian principles. Un-Christian customs have sneaked into our daily lives and continue the corruption we were fed in our schools. What will come next? If things will not change, then more and more, true Christianity will weaken. Finally it will disappear completely. Only the name of Christianity will remain, but the spirit of Christianity will no longer exist. Everyone will be filled with the spirit of the world.”

God in His steadfast never leaves us, even if we are in hell, He is there. He is waiting for us to answer the call to partner with Him, He has already chosen us, He is waiting for us to choose Him back: and in doing so become chosen. Being chosen means becoming like Christ, preserving the true Christianity, and following God’s commandments and His will above our own.

This chapter in the book of Matthew beforehand speaks of the parable of the wedding feast. Firstly; the King sends out His messengers to come to the wedding feast, and they respond by not only refusing but killing the messengers. This is representative of the Jews and Pharisees, the messengers that were killed were the prophets. The King is God.

The second part of the parable deals with the King then sending out more messengers to invite everyone, the good and the bad. Many end up arriving at the banquet. This is representative of the new messengers, the apostles, who call all men to repentance through Jesus Christ, and the multitude of Gentiles end up arriving at the wedding feast.

The third and final part of the parable is when the King notices a man who is at the feast but is not properly dressed in his wedding garment, and the guest is then thrown out into outer darkness. This is representative of those who accept the name of Christian, but do not actually live as Christian.

And this further illumines St. Theophan’s quote, we are all given the call like in the second part of the parable, we are all invited to the wedding with God. “Few are chosen” means few are those who have are properly prepared to enter the wedding, who live in a Christian manner. Those who are not found in their wedding garment are cast out of the feast. And the gravity that we play a part in making sure we are wearing our wedding garment, keeping it clean and prepared etc is something we often don’t think about. The King wants to see that we have made the choice to be chosen, and not just called.

May God have mercy on us all and count us worthy to be numbered in His chosen flock. And may we truly do our best to live like Christ and become like Him. May we choose back He Who chose us.

Being chosen then requires synergy. It’s certainly not by my own hand and power and it’s also not just God overruling my free will at every moment in life. Like St. Paul says, we are coworkers with God (1 Corinthians 3:9). St. Maximus the Confessor echoes the same sentiment when he says, “The mystery of salvation belongs to those who choose it, not to those who are compelled by force.”

So how do we practically choose to be chosen? In dying to ourselves daily, dying to our own will, and following God’s will. He knows the things that are needful for us. “Live in such a way that the God of love will love thee with eternal love. Go forth to thy commerce, but watch, so as not to sell thy soul to the world through the acquisition of worldly goods. Go forth to thy fields, fertilize thy land and sow seed in it, so that with its fruits thou mayest strengthen thy body; but especially sow in the field the fruits of eternal life. Preserve the garment received in Holy Baptism pure and spotless until the end of thy life, that thou mayest be a worthy partaker of the heavenly bridal chamber, wherein only those enter who have a pure garment and burning lamps in their hands.” - St. Theophan