Convenient Forgetfulness

   Today’s Gospel reading (Mat 25:31-46) is referred to by some as another of our Lord’s parables.  However, nothing could be further from the truth.  It is in fact prophecy.  What is presented is our Lord's knowledge of the scene that He has already seen on that Last Day.  He knows what lay in our future, He sees it as clearly as we can see the words on this page right now.  So this is not some kind of “story” which the Lord gives us to bring us to good conclusions.  It is a factual recounting of what we all will experience when He calls all to judgment on that Last Day.  The words of the Gospel show this when Christ begins with the words, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him…”

Because of this, today’s Gospel is one account that should remain with us every day of our lives, and it should be this way for minimally two very important reasons:

First:  In this account, Jesus, as the Just Judge, outlines the details against which all of us will be judged. 

It all seems so very simple!  The requirements are only six:  1) feed the hungry; 2) give drink to the thirsty; 3) welcome the stranger; 4) clothe the naked; 5) visit the sick; 6) care for the imprisoned. 

Our Lord then carefully crafts His instructions about these details.  He first indicates that we are to do these for Him.  But then Jesus follows this up with the connection that He is to be seen by us as the person He describes as the least of My brethren.  We must analyze these words, we must attempt to study them with great care, for within them lay our eternal salvation!

“Least”, in Greek ‘elachistos’, meaning short or little, yes, but also meaning low in dignity.  It calls to mind the words of the Apostle Paul from 1Cor 4:13 when he refers to us as being the offscouring of all things, the scum that is rejected.  It is these to whom our Lord points and for whom He instructs us to be servants!

Jesus refers to these same people as His brethren.  The Greek word is ‘adelphos’, yes brothers, but literally from the same womb, sharing in all things related to our humanity.

Second:  From the “test” of our faithfulness to meet our Lord’s instructions to us for life in this world, our eternal disposition will be determined.  This judgment will not be something arbitrary, as is often the case before worldly judges.  In this case, the judgment will be clear and unequivocal.  We will see the judgment ourselves.  It won’t require the pronouncement—it will be totally clear, to us, and to all.  Our Lord told us, I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father Who sent Me. (John 5:30)

In our world, these pesky details are allowed to be relegated to the background of the Gospels.  They’re easy to forget, or to at least relegate to a place of unimportance in our daily affairs.  But we must daily ask ourselves—How can we allow ourselves to make insignificant that which has everything to do with our eternal salvation, our place in the Kingdom of Heaven?

We can’t!  Don’t allow it!!!

Sunday of the Prodigal Son

 

The Recklessness of Youth

   We have comparatively few in our congregation who would fall into the age bracket of today’s Prodigal. 

For those of us who have crossed that threshold and been in that situation, we’ll no doubt remember some things that today we find troubling.  Then we used the word “carefree.”  Today, we’d couch the attitude to be careless!  We were “fun loving” when we should have been sober minded.  We thought we would live forever, only to find that our best friends began to perish around us, leaving us devoid of friendship in years when we perhaps need it the most.  And so today we mistakenly think we have the wisdom of the ages while we continue to live lives that remain focused on self, on wants, on consumption.

We were prodigals then, and we remain prodigals now.  Let’s again go to definitions:

prodigal: adj, rashly or wastefully extravagant.

Yes, that pretty much describes me, along with most of the generation that I grew up with, who by the grace of God remain living and breathing on this earth.

How do we (I) differ from the youth in today’s Gospel?  I dare say not by very much.  He was selfish.  So am I.  He was wed to the pleasures of the world.  So am I.  He was self-serving.  So am I.  He didn’t see the love given him by those closest to him.  Nor do I.  He recklessly squandered the good things his Father gifted to him.  So have I.  Indeed, not much separates us from one another!

Until, that is, when extreme hardship hits.  Unlike him, I am not in peril of dying from hunger.  And yet, with all the trouble and hardship we see in the world, do we not understand (yet) that it doesn’t take very much to lay waste to all the ‘good’ that surrounds us?  A year ago, Ukraine was a beautiful land, with many spiritual resources, a prosperous economy, safety in the homes and streets.  Now, much is laid waste.  Several days ago, Turkey was operating ‘normally.’  In one ‘natural disaster,’ over 25,000 are dead, families torn asunder, with poverty, homelessness, hunger, and disease now the order of the day.

The Prodigal had his world fall apart on him as well.  When it happened, there were two possible paths for him to take: 1) to continue to live in misery and want; 2) to repent and admit guilt over the way of life he’d chosen, and to go home.

Turkey is a study in how fast things around us can change.  Ukraine is a study in sin eroding the morals of a society that was once focused on love, but now on hate—a situation that can only be remedied by repentance, the repentance of fellow Orthodox Christians on both sides!

The Father in today’s parable is the single greatest example our Lord has given us on how we should view our heavenly Father.  He is the definition of love.  He loves us so much that He gives us leave to live as we choose, so that we might, like the Prodigal, “come to our senses” and return to Him, to seek Him in that same repentant state, not asking for anything more than to be a servant—the state we should have embraced as our own from the beginning.  For truly, there IS no higher calling than this!

Man's Thinking vs God's Wisdom

 We like to think of ourselves as having well-grounded intellects, as having the ability to see right from wrong, as being good and sound judges of character.

All too often we ‘pre-judge’ situations based on totally irrelevant things.  There are categories of people whom we’ve historically pre-judged as being worthy of our trust—teachers, police officers, doctors, priests.  And yet we know in our own days (and even recent days) how some outlier members of these ‘categories’ have shown themselves to be unworthy of such trust.  We live in a fallen world!  Only God truly knows the hearts of those He has created!

And this brings us to the image painted lovingly by our Lord in today’s parable (Luke 18:10-14).  From the superficial categorically based kind of pre-judgment, those of that time would have seen anyone whose profession was ‘publican’ to be completely untrustworthy.  They were seen as thieves, scoundrels.  They misused the authority given them by Rome to steal, not only from the rich, but from any whom they thought they could steal!  It’s the image of last Sunday’s Zacchaeus, as well as many others who were set in place and protected by the Roman authorities to extract a tax from the citizenry in their area.  And a corrupt government allowed thier appointed publicans to take whatever else they chose to take—as long as the government got their ‘quota’ - first!

Meanwhile, those known as Pharisees were seen as above reproach, “men of God” who would never consider a misstep or to plot anything sinful or harmful to others.  They were the ones trusted to arbitrate civil affairs.  They interpreted the Law of Moses.  They settled disputes.

When taking a superficial look at the Lord’s parable for this day, one would immediately jump to exactly the opposite conclusion from that which He shows us in the end.

What is it that makes the Pharisee ‘bad’ within the parable?  It is precisely his focus on his own belief in the aforementioned pre-judgment, actually believing it of himself.  And from the text of the parable, there is much to support such a perspective, if it is true.  He does not extort from those he is set to judge.  He keeps to his own wife.  He gives his required tithe.  In all of these, there is ‘good’ to be found.

And if we look for the good in the Pharisee by our pre-judgment, we’d look for the unjust in the publican.  But in his own words, we find no evidence of the evil.

In the words of the two men, all we truly find is the result of their own self-assessments.  For the Pharisee, there is only praise for himself for how good he judges himself to be.  For the publican, there is only one cry—for mercy from God!

A plea for mercy comes from only one source—a broken and contrite heart, in the words of the Psalmist.  The publican knows his sin.  And he brings that sin to God asking the only thing he CAN ask of the Just Judge—mercy.

As we enter the ‘vestibule’ of the Great Fast in these preparatory Sundays, let us examine our own hearts and souls, and then find ourselves to be a companion of the publican, offering our own tears, as does, with the deepest repentance.

32nd Sunday 2023

 

Zacchaeus Sunday '23

  Last week in this space we opined about those who feel the “need to be noticed”, offering the thought that too many of us seek attention in ways that are problematic at best, and destructive at worst.

But in today’s Gospel, we encounter Zacchaeus, a case study in total opposition to last week’s focus.

Zacchaeus HAS a heartfelt desire, but it is not for recognition.  If anything, we could surmise that he would like to “fade into the woodwork,” to use a contemporary euphemism.  He’s a tax collector.  The people HATE him because of this, for while being a Jew, he is become a representative of the oppressing government, the Romans.

We all know the story.  But some aspects of it bear both repetition and a greater depth of view.

First, Zacchaeus WANTED to be able just to SEE the Lord.  Yes, he was seen as “a sinner” because of his profession by other Jews in the streets.  Yes, he no doubt felt a sense of guilt over his life’s turns and the way in which he conducted his business as a tax collector (he cheated people out of money).  All that being as it may, he DESIRED to see the Lord, not unlike people who join other crowds to this very day to catch a glimpse of sports heroes, rock stars, movie stars, or showing my age, astronauts.  When people attempt to do this, they NEVER expect to be noticed by the person or persons they are attempting to see.

But here is the first place that Zacchaeus’ actions take a turn.  He can’t see the Lord because he’s too short.  So he looks, and determines that Jesus will pass a certain tree.  So he rushes there, climbs up far enough to get his view.

And Jesus arrives.  Mission accomplished.  Go home, right?

WRONG!

It is Jesus now Who calls out, not to a non-descript man in a tree, not to a nameless person in the crowd.  Jesus says plainly, specifically, “Zacchaeus, come down!  I need to stay in your home this day.”

Never having met him, Jesus calls him by name.  And in His call, there is not judgment.  There is love.  REAL love.  Agape kind of love.  The crowd has condemned him.  Jesus accepts him.

Why?

Because He knows the hearts of man, and Jesus knows that in showing love—and forgiveness—Zacchaeus’ life will be changed forever, conformed to the will of God.

What happens to Zacchaeus after this encounter in the street?  He goes home with the Lord.  He makes a vow to distribute anything he’s stolen in restoration to those he harmed.  He gives from what remains to the poor.

His entire life is changed.

What happens to Zacchaeus after this encounter in his home?

Tradition holds that he became a traveling companion with St. Peter on his missionary trips.  It further teaches that St. Zacchaeus became the bishop of Caesarea in Palestine, and office he held until he died there in peace.

This account is gifted to us before we cross the threshold into the Triodion, to show us the hope there is in a loving Lord Who is waiting to love us and to forgive us, as well!

The Need to be Noticed

 Social media has turned us into a society of exhibitionists.  We seem to think that virtually ANYTHING that we do, say, think, eat, visit will be of interest to others.  The worst part of this is that we actually believe that OUR information shared with literally the rest of the world is somehow more interesting than similar information shared by others.  We can’t wait to post things about us.  But when that computer chime goes off saying that someone else wants to share their story with us, we’re often annoyed, ignoring their posts as tedious and boring.

But there are righteous instances of seeking to be noticed.  The Psalmist records, “In my distress I cried to the Lord, and He answered me.” (Ps 120:1)  And again, “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.” (Ps 34:17)

But we need not understand our pleas before God to necessarily be shouts.  God knows the heart as well.  “And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire, a still small voice.” (1Kings 19:11-12)

So you see, we can be noticed by that which is forceful.  But the forcefulness of our plea is that which is necessary to gain God’s attention.

In short, prayer needs to be fervent.  What does this mean?

fer’-vent: adj   1) showing great emotion or zeal; ardent;  2) extremely hot; glowing;  3) boiling; burning.

It is true that the blind man in today’s Gospel reading (Luke 18:35-43) showed a fervent prayer in the form of his impassioned cry, which is one source of our use of the Jesus Prayer—”Son of David, have mercy on me!”  The reference to David is a clear indication of the blind man’s recognition of Jesus as King of Israel.

But I submit to you that the blind man’s prayer from today is no more fervent than the prayer of the woman with the issue of blood, whose lips uttered nothing!  What was her “prayer”?  What was her cry out for attention?  It was simply the faith that recognizes the authority in Jesus to heal, a faith so intense and focused that it need not trouble the Master even for a ‘formal’ recognition.  When her touch reached the hem of our Lord’s garment, she knew instantly that she had been noticed, her fervent prayer had been recognized, for she knew the pain and suffering that her hemorrhaging brought her, and she knew upon the instance of that touch that this pain had ceased.

In no less of a miraculous way, today’s blind man receives his sight knowing that Jesus has ‘noticed’ him, for it is Jesus Himself Who asks, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 

The sight that Jesus restores is twofold.  Jesus restores the man’s physical vision.  But He also brings to him spiritual sight, for now, he becomes a follower of Jesus.  He now moves with the Lord, giving glory to God!

What's In it for Me?

 [Homily, 31st Sunday - Luke 18:18-27]

Let’s face it.  We Americans have all been “conditioned,” trained if you will, to be capitalists.  We expect to make a profit on any ‘deals’ in which we engage.  No one puts money into a 401k expecting to come away with less after some amount of time (although many of us are seeing that very thing right now).  No one starts a business hoping to spend more than they take in.

Even our Lord’s parable of the talents speaks to God’s expectation that He looks for us to return more to Him than was given to us via the gifts He bestowed upon us.

And so, it’s not surprising that in the three verses of the 18th Chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke, we find exactly this type of question put to our Lord by His own Apostles.

They had just witnessed the “rich young man” leave the presence of our Lord, and the young man was devastated because “the prescription” that Jesus gave to him to cure his particular spiritual illness was to sell all that you have and distribute to the poor.  It is not even clear if this poor young man heard the “good news” that was the ending to this instruction, and you will have treasure in heaven, plus the even better news, then come and follow Me.  The young man was given the blessing, the ability to become a disciple of God the Son.  But he either did not hear this great invitation, or he chose to ignore it because of his particular attachment to those earthly things that Jesus, in His understanding of every human soul, saw as his impediment to greater things in his spiritual life.

Having been witnesses to all of this, it is now the Lord's Apostles who are wondering, ‘Well, what’s in it for us?’

It is once again Peter who speaks for the whole group.  He poses the question without asking it in specific words.  He says to Jesus, See, we have left all and followed You. 

See, Lord?  Haven’t WE done what you were encouraging that young man to do?  So, You’ve laid out the terms of payment.  What will be our ‘interest’?

And our Lord is not offended by their question.  Indeed, Jesus’ answer speaks volumes to all who throughout all ages have chosen to follow the path He has defined for those who wish to be known as His followers and His disciples.

Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more…

Great!  We’ll collect interest.  But how, and when?  Jesus continues:

in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.

So here’s the promise.  You will receive more than you give.  Note that the promise does not say that you will be financially prosperous.  “More” is defined in God’s terms, not in man’s terms!  But the greatest “more” is that final one—eternal life.

For you see, there are only two destinies for every soul.  Eternal death (separation from the love of God for all eternity, the definition of ‘hell’) or eternal life (being in the presence of God’s love for eternity, the definition of heaven).

So indeed, what’s in it for any of us is what we’ve put into it.  Store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven...for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Mat 6:20-21)

 

Psalm 51

Repent...

 For the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

These are the first words of instruction that our Lord speaks to us in the Gospel of St. Matthew today (Mat 4:12-17).  Prior to this, He speaks to the Forerunner (Let it be so for now, for thus is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness), and He speaks to Satan in the desert the three rebukes for the three temptations.

But these words today are now different.  They are directed at all people—for all time.

Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

For those being taught how to communicate in the forum of public speaking, the first axiom taught is, ‘Lead with the message you are attempting to communicate.”  In other words, start with strength and set the direction.

These nine simple words from the lips of the Word are the greatest example of this.  If we as faithful followers of our Lord begin our efforts, our struggles, with the focus being on repentance, all of the other virtues will fall into place.

What are the other virtues?

FAITH: How can one fully embrace faith in God, faith in Christ, faith in the Trinity without being repentant?  God, Who IS love and Who loves all of us, both the evil and the good, shows that we cannot approach Him without sharing in that love.  And how can we love when we do not repent?  How can we separate our sins from our interactions with our fellow man?

HOPE:  Hope is that virtue that calls us to hold out for that which is good.  We expect it from God.  We have hope in others for good.  We even expect ourselves to turn from evil toward good.  But that’s the definition of repentance.  Without repentance, there is no hope!

HUMILITY  When we repent, we place ourselves into that position which we pray in each of our “Prayers before communion,” where we declare ourselves to be one of all sinners, but we declare ourselves as the first among sinners.  If I see myself as less sinful than ANY other, then I lack true humility.  And the only way to change this condition is—by repenting, proving myself to be first among sinners.

We could continue through the list of virtues, but we’d come to the same conclusion in each case—the virtues are acquired by submitting to this first of our Lord’s instructions to us.

REPENT

But Jesus continues with the words that follow.

For the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The Greek word used for “at hand” is engizo.  It carries the meaning that the subject being pointed to is near, NOT at some distance.  Jesus is saying that we don’t need to look to the sky to imagine heaven in the distance.  Heaven is here, in amongst us, around us.

At the Feast of Nativity, we sang with great joy, “GOD IS WITH US!”  If He is with us, and He is in heaven, then where are we to find heaven, if not truly also here, with us?

The Lord makes it clear that God does not despise the broken and contrite heart (Ps 51:17).  This is the offering, the ‘sacrifice’ He asks us to bring to Him—our Repentance!

Resolutions

Definition:  resolution n. 1) a firm decision to do or not to do something; 2) the quality of being determined or resolute.

It is this final definition that resonates with me, especially that word ‘resolute’, for it carries with it the added emphasis of being unwavering, unflinching, moving with a purpose.

By now you’re probably thinking that I’m advocating that we all make resolutions for the new year.

Your conclusion would be half-true.

What are the most pledged resolutions in the world around us each January 1st?  Top three are: 1) exercise more; 2) lose weight; 3) save more money.

What is the focus of these resolutions?  1) I want to feel better; 2) I want to look better; 3) I want to feel more secure.  In short, the focus is me.  The focus is selfish.  You have to venture outside the top 10 (number 11 on the Yahoo list for 2021) to find a resolution that relates to others: volunteering more.  And this one accounted for only 10% of all such resolutions.

The person writing the article said this:  These resolutions are not compulsive (ed: I’m sure he/she meant compulsory); they are more like a signal for a new start than an actual catalyst for change.”  In short, forget the initial focus on being resolute!  We’re making promises to ourselves knowingly to break them, just to make us feel good about ourselves.  Once again, SELF.

“But Father, why beat us up about resolutions?  I don’t believe in them anyhow.”

Please remember that we earlier said your conclusion was ‘half true’.  Here’s that other half.

As faithful Orthodox Christians, we approach the sacrament of repentance with contrition, with in-depth self-examination, with remorse, and with a sincere desire to change the person we’ve allowed ourselves to become, to change into a person who cannot of his own ability achieve perfection, but who through his or her struggles with stubborn self-will seeks to become more aligned with the perfection to which or Lord calls us—to become with each passing day more and more like the God we worship.  With every breath, to attempt to achieve Theosis.

If we approach the sacrament of Confession with an attitude that we’re in some fashion “taking of the garment and sending it in for cleaning,” we’re missing the point.  Rather, we’re attempting to cleanse the garment, and then not venture into those places or situations in which we dirtied the garment in the first place.

St. Mark the Ascetic said, If someone falls into any sin and is not sincerely grieved by it, it is easy for him to fall into the same thing again.  And again, from St. Isaac the Syrian, It is a spiritual gift from God for a man to perceive his sins. When God sees that we suffer grievously in multifarious trials, this gift penetrates into our thought, lest we should depart from life in the midst of all these calamities and afflictions, having reaped no profit from this world.

The Christian way, the Orthodox way, is not to make resolutions which we intend to renounce immediately upon uttering them.  The Orthodox way it to come in tears and in trembling before God, bringing our sins as an offering to Him, that He might bless us with the grace to resist repeating those sins from this time forward.  Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me...A broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. (Ps 51:10,17)

The One Who waits to hear our ‘resolutions’ is One Who loves us, and Who wants us to succeed, and not to turn back from being resolute because that is easier.  He’s there to comfort, to strengthen, and to forgive all we bring before Him.

Zacchaeus Sunday is 4 weeks from today.  Spring cleaning time is at hand.  Let us pray for one another.

St. Herman

 

Sermon Sunday 12/11/22 - Holy Forefathers

 

The Way of the World

 There has never been a time when the world and its ways have not been at odds with the ways of the Lord, the ways of His Church, and the ways that move us toward salvation.

In today’s Gospel (Luke 14:16-24) our Lord relates this fact to us, yet again via parable.

The parable does not seem at first blush to point to the Lord’s Incarnation, but let’s together push into it just a bit more deeply.

Verses 16 and 17.  “A certain Man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent His servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’”

The “certain Man” is the Father.  He has, through the grace of the Holy Spirit and the sending of His Son into the world, come to the point of being ready to offer this “great supper”.  What is the supper?  It is our salvation in our born, crucified, and Risen Lord.  It is the Lord’s Supper, the offering of His very Body and Blood so that we, His servants, may eat and drink of it, and through doing so we may literally take God within us, we may be enlivened in both our physical and spiritual lives by His eternal Life, transmitted to us by His physical nature, which Jesus spoke of saying, “For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.” (John 6:55)

There is no ‘supper’ without the ‘meat’.  That’s the definition of “incarnation”!  God coming into the world and putting on our flesh, so that He by His good will towards us and His limitless love for us might work for us salvation, the ability to follow His instructions and find our way to eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven, where He is and ever shall be.

We could say that the world cares little about this great supper.  But the fact is that for most of the world, there is no care at all.  It is the reason again for our Lord’s saying, “Many are called, but few are chosen.” (Mat 22:14)  It takes something ‘special’, not-worldly to hear the call and to answer the call.

St. Theophan says this.

All Christians are called: chosen are those Christians who believe and live in a Christian manner.  In the first Christian times, preaching called people to faith.  Now we are called by our birth from Christians and our upbringing among Christians.  And glory be to God!  We travel down half the road—that is, entrance into Christianity and the taking root of its principles in our heart—from our very childhood, without any labor.  It would seem that our faith should be all the stronger, and our life all the more correct throughout all the time that follows.  It used to be that way; but at a certain point in time it started to be different with us.  Unchristian principles, which ruin young people, are permitted in our schools, and unchristian customs, which corrupt them after they leave school, have entered into society.  If, in accordance with the word of God, there have always been only a few chosen, it is no surprise that in our time there are even fewer of them; such is the spirit of the age—antichristian!  What will be next?  If our manner of education and social customs are not changed, true Christianity will weaken more and more, and at last will entirely come to an end.  Only the name “Christian” will remain, but the spirit of Christianity will not be there.  The spirit of the world will fill everyone.  What is one to do?  Pray!”

Eleven years ago now we began to publish a blog titled, Will He Find Faith On Earth?, which are prophetic words spoken by our Lord in Luke 18:8.  They refer to His coming again, and the falling away referred to by St. Theophan.

Let us strive to be ones in whom such real faith can be found, and in whom today’s “certain Man” will find hearts yearning to attend His great supper!  And let us together witness His putting on our flesh!

Incarnation #2

 From St. Theophan the Recluse, "Thoughts for Each Day of the Year," Pg. 265-266.

On the Feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, "Christ is Born!" begins to be sung, preparing believers for a worthy meeting of the Feast of Christ's Nativity.  Having understood this inspiration, act according to it.  Delve deeply into the mystery of the Incarnation of the Only Begotten Son of God; ascend to its beginning in the pre-eternal counsel of God concerning the existence of the world and man within it; see its reflection in the creation of man; joyfully meet the first tidings of it immediately after the fall; rationally trace its gradual revelation in Old Testament prophecies and prefigurations.  Understand who prepared to receive God Incarnate and how they prepared, under the influence of Divine institutions and activities within Israel.  Pass, if you wish, beyond the borders of God's people and gather there rays of God's light, shining in the darkness, and ponder to what degree those chosen from among all nations reached the presentiment of the extraordinary manifestation of God's Providence for man.  This will be a mental preparation.  But now is the time of the Nativity Fast - prepare yourself, go to Confession, and receive Communion of Christ's Holy Mysteries: this will be an active and living preparation.  If, as a result of all this, the Lord grants you to sense the power of His coming in the flesh - then, when the Feast comes, you will celebrate it not out of a joy foreign to you, but out of an intimate joy.

Victory of the People

The article’s title is the translation of the meaning of the name Nicholas.  Isn’t it strange that his name has been twisted by the world to mean almost anything but victory?  Today his name means profit, it means covetousness (“I need…., I want…”), it means excess (in spending, in eating, in self-indulgence). 

As Christians, we see the world slipping away from traditional, but especially from moral, norms.  Is it not profoundly telling that the true person of St. Nicholas is a harbinger, a predecessor to the corruption that is affecting so much of what we hold as true and good and holy?

As was the case with Joachim and Anna, Theophanes and Nonna were childless, and they prayed to the Lord to give them a child, whom they too promised to dedicate to the service of God.  And so it was that Nicholas was conceived!

Tradition holds that his mother Nonna was ill as she carried the child, but her illness was immediately healed upon his birth.

Baptized as a child, tradition holds that he stood in the baptismal font for three hours in honor of the Holy Trinity.  It is told that as a baby he would not nurse from his mother on Wednesdays and Fridays.  From his youth, his spirit was victorious over his body.

As a young child he read and prayed—voraciously.  His uncle was bishop of Patara, and was so taken by the boy’s spiritual success and deep piety that he first ordained him to be a reader, and when the time was right, elevated him to the priesthood, where he was entrusted to teach the flock.

He was unparalleled in being proficient in answering questions of faith, earning the deepest respect of the faithful.  He was kind to all who came to him for aid, especially the afflicted and the poor, to whom he soon had distributed all of his inheritance.  In all instances, he strove to bestow charity in secrecy, not permitting his good deeds to be seen by the many.

But his spiritual influence was not limited to preaching and almsgiving.  He is known to us today as “Wonderworker,” a category of saints who showed the ability to intervene in miraculous ways for the good of the people who came to them.

Once St. Nicholas was on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and he foretold that a storm would arise and threaten the ship on which he was to travel.  He saw the devil get onto the ship, seeking to kill all its passengers.  As the waves became perilous, the pilgrims besought St. Nicholas to intervene, and he calmed the waves by his prayers.  One of the ship’s sailors fell from a mast and was mortally wounded, but by St. Nicholas’ prayers he was restored to health.

These are only accounts of this blessed saint while he lived and walked among us.  Countless additional miraculous interventions are also told.  And if this is true, how many interventions were there that are not recorded?

The saint whose name means victory truly is (NOT ‘was’) a shining example of how we as God’s servants can choose to live lives pleasing to God such that HIS victory is manifest amongst His people.

Incarnation

02Dec2022

The importance of the Lord's Incarnation cannot be overstated.  Without God's plan of salvation including His taking on our flesh and delivering it from the corruption which we chose by rejecting His love, there is no hope for eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven.

John 1:14 sums up the Incarnation in a very few eloquent words.  "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."  

God the Son, the Word, chooses to conform Himself to our flesh.  Why?  So that in so doing He may establish the path for us to conform ourselves to Him!

St. Gregory Palamas teaches this:  “God emptied Himself in an indescribable way, came down from on high to the lowest state of man’s nature, and indissolubly linked it with Himself…He gathered both things into one, mingling humanity with divinity, and by so doing He taught everyone that humility is the road which leads upwards.”  ("On the Entry of the Theotokos to the Holy of Holies")  How infinitely did God humble Himself, taking on our flesh, to teach us the need to seek the path of humility ourselves, to deny ourselves, taking up the comparitively insignificant cross He has given to each of us so that we may choose to take up that cross and to follow Him!

St. Paul teaches, "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.  Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified." (Rom 8:29-30)  Do not misconstrue 'predestined' with having no choice.  God always gives us free will to choose to follow Him or to reject Him.  'Predestined' is a word used to indicate His foreknowledge of the choices we will freely make.  

In exercising our free will, we are to seek to redefine ourselves into that image of God the Son, the image of the One Who came to love, to heal, to redeem, to comfort, to serve.  With the exception of remaining sinless, He has equipped us with all tools required to seek to follow Him in all these things.  And through His grace, He blesses us to seek that perfection He shows in Himself.  "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."  (Mat 5:48)  The follow-on teaching is equally important.  "Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will."  (Eph 1:4-5)

As we together walk the path of these remaining 23 days before the birth of the Savior in the flesh, let us also together seek with every step we take to step toward the Kingdom, not straying from it.  The world has always been a dangerous place.  Some see it as even more dangerous today than ever.  For those who seek to do God's will, danger must not be a concern.  When we pray, "Thy will be done," we must pray it and mean it with all our heart.  If we pray that His will be done, it has deeper meaning.  Jesus teaches, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." (Mat 7:21)

I beg all of us, ignore "shopping days until Christmas," and focus rather on "days left to repent before encountering God in the flesh."  The Star is already shining in the east.  Wise men and women will choose to follow it to find our God laying humbly in a feeding trough present to feed His own dumb animals.  For even they share of what they have with God Who comes to save the world.  He comes to save you and me.  To save those we love.  To save those who do not love us.  To save those we know and those we don't.  In short, He comes to save all mankind, all who will use their God-given free will to choose to follow Him in humility, in faith, and in love.