02/17/2026
A worthy read.
https://www.facebook.com/share/18EZUWoY3m/
You Are Not an Individual
The Lord Jesus Christ tells us about the Final Judgment, and here, He doesn’t use a parable. He uses a simple analogy. The Judgment will be like a shepherd separating sheep from goats. Judgment “krisis” in the Greek from which we get the world “crisis” refers to a sorting, putting things where they belong, establishing balance. In our current state, the wicked are intermingled with the righteous, move among them and do wickedness. The righteous do righteousness where they are. In the final sorting, everyone will be put where they belong. The righteous will be sorted into that place, into that state for which they were created as the Lord Jesus Christ says, “from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). And those who are wicked will be sorted into a place, into a state for which they were not made but which was made for the devil and his angels (41).
And regarding the criteria for this judgment, dear ones, the Lord Jesus Christ is so merciful and so clear as to how the judgment will proceed. The criteria for the Judgment are our works, our faithfulness, what we did for those whom God put in our paths as well as what we did not do. The Lord Jesus Christ makes it very plain, but, dear ones, we have a problem. We have inserted an obstacle between ourselves and what it is we are meant to accomplish. And this obstacle is a belief which all of us were taught to be faithful to from the time that we could understand. What is this belief? This belief is that each of us is an individual, a sovereign being with ultimate authority. Where does the buck stop? Right here. An individual believes that he identifies himself in terms of what he thinks, in terms of what he prefers, in terms of his appetites. So, we are conservatives. We are progressives. We’re heterosexuals. We’re transgender. We are golfers. We’re dancers. We are fitness freaks. We are body-positive overeaters. And even the search for truth, beloved, can be little more than an individual quest for self-actualization. Indeed, coming to the Orthodox Church can simply be the addition of a bullet point onto the list of one’s self-proclaimed identity.
Now, please don’t misunderstand. You think of yourself as an individual. I am not blaming you for this. It’s not your fault. You were raised to think this way. Everybody was. I was. In the modern world, it’s unavoidable. What I’m telling you is that this is a false belief. Our identity is not our own construction. For all of human history, human beings have conceived as their identity in terms of their relationships, external factors. Your identity is determined for you by your family, your clan, your tribe, your village, your town, your city, your lord, your prince, your king, your queen. And you, when interacting with others, serve as a representative of those relationships seeking to make that representation a good one.
But then, we look at our reality. Many of us don’t have these relationships. We don’t have a king or a queen. We don’t have a tribe. Many of us don’t even have families. So, what are we to do? What we are to do, beloved, is understand the Source of our identity. As many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Galatians 3:27). Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? You, beloved, are Christians. Your identity is in Christ Jesus our Lord. By being baptized into Christ, you have put on Christ. You are attached to Him, and you are to live His life. Having received the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, the Blood of Jesus Christ flows in your veins! His Flesh is your flesh! And you are tasked, dear ones, with doing His works.
Now, because you are the body of Christ, and you understand that this is not a metaphor, it is the description of a very concrete reality. Because you are the body of Christ, you must live as the body of Christ. The body of Christ has many members. Each of you is a member of the body of Christ, and the members of the body must live together and work together to do the work of Christ. And because this is the case, dear ones, this should cast any notions that we are individuals into the pits of hell from which it came. Yours is a royal calling, a priestly calling. You are to serve each other. You are to intercede for the world, but because this is the case, we need to know one another, beloved.
As this community grows, there are people you don’t know. Shall you passively accept this fact that there are people you simply don’t know? No, you must not. You need to know these people because these people are your brothers and sisters in Christ. So, I have an assignment for everyone today. For all of you who are members of the Church, I want you to learn the name of a person you don’t know today, and by that, I don’t mean, “Hi, what’s your name? Okay, thanks, bye.” I want you to sit and eat with that person today. I know you have friends. I know you have the people you like to commune with. I know that you have your crowd, and that’s wonderful that you do, but you need to know all your brothers and sisters in Christ. So, members, do this. Catechumens, inquirers, visitors, come for fellowship. Come for the coffee hour. Don’t skedaddle afterwards. I know it’s cramped. I know it’s loud, but you need to let these who are going to be your brothers and sisters in Christ get to know you.
If we know one another, beloved, we can help one another. We can lift each other up in prayer. We can serve one another, and our lives as members of the body of Christ we will be rich and full of the love of Christ. In the west, people speak of the things that they’re giving up for Lent. I’m asking you to give something up, but I’m asking you to never pick it up again. Get rid of the idea that you are an individual. You belong to Christ, and in belonging to Christ, you understand that those around you are made in His image, and you can minister accordingly. Again, remember the criteria for the Judgment. What did we do for those whom God gave us? It’s not what you think. It’s not what did you agree with. It’s not what correct opinion we had. It’s - what did we do? I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was a stranger, and you took me in. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me (Matthew 25:31-46). It must not be the case, beloved, that your brothers and sisters are not being ministered to because nobody knows them! That is unacceptable. Fix it. Do it today. God bless you and strengthen you to this work which is not hard, maybe a little uncomfortable, but not hard for which you will be blessed. And to God is due all glory, honor, and worship to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit now and ever and unto the ages of ages, Amen.
https://stsavaoca.org/2026/02/15/you-are-not-an-individual-fr-photius-avant/
Photo credit: Jeff Turner
