Be Patient With Me

 [11th Sunday After Pentecost, 1Cor 9:2-12/Mat 18:23-35]

Today’s Gospel reading is a case study in human nature.

There’s an expression in some of the circles this priest/engineer works in:  “intellectual gridlock.”  The expression indicates a condition wherein all who are part of a group think similarly.  This is not an indication of positive reinforcement.  Rather, it points to one person expressing a faulty perspective, and then having others in the group (either via laziness or misplaced trust in the one voicing the opinion) adopt the faulty thinking.

Don’t tell me you haven’t seen this!  The world around us is full of it, especially within our government.

So it is with today’s servant. The "groupthink" intellectual gridlock here could be compared with the belief that you can win the lottery.  Statistics show your chance is 1 in 300 million.  But everyone who plays thinks they'll win.  Everyone doesn't!

The debt that today's servant owes to his master is no different from this "lottery-think".  It is so insurmountable an amount that begging for “time” and “patience” of the one owed to is beyond unbelievable.  No one in their right mind who is in the position of the master in this parable would ever conceive of such magnanimity.

But this is where our Lord moves us with His words.  He attempts at every turn to show us how loving, how forgiving, how patient the Father is with us, His creatures.

The fact that no person would ever consider forgiving such a debt remains.  But this master (who is the image of the Father) does so.  He does it so easily that the Lord’s words indicate that there was not even a second thought about it.  The servant issues a plea of repentance, and the master’s response is immediate and unbounded.  He didn’t say, “I’ll forgive half.”  He didn’t say, “I’ll give you another week.”  Our Lord’s words are few but powerful.  The master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave the debt.

Each year as we enter the Great Fast, those of us who are part of the Bulgarian Diocese greet one another with good wishes for the Fast.  In Bulgarian, the expression shared is, “Prosteno prosti.  Leki posti,” which translates to, “Forgiven—simple!  Light is the fast!”

That “Forgiven—simple!” resonates in this parable!

But we’ve spoken only of the greatly indebted servant so far.  He is for all purposes the focus of this parable, for there WAS sincerity in his plea for forgiveness. 

But his sincerity had no depth, at least not depth sufficient for him to grasp the magnitude of the blessing the master had bestowed upon him such that he would share that same magnanimity with his brother servants.  For the magnitude of the debt owed to him by his fellow servant was insignificant in comparison to what had been forgiven him by the master.  Worse yet, his fellow servant’s plea was identical to his own.  How could he not understand the relationship and “do unto others”?  And yet, he showed himself to be intellectually locked into desire for the money, for the world, for material things.  His newly granted forgiveness and freedom were recent events, but his behavior is as if they were long forgotten.  He showed no concern for spiritual matters, nor for providing from one’s own bounty to another who is in need. 

Be patient with me becomes just words, like those of a child caught in the act of doing wrong who is trying to avoid punishment.  May we never utter words in this way!

The Lord is attempting to teach us to emulate not the servant, but the Master - to be without reservation or limit forgiving of the 'debts' of others.  This is the sense of the word 'debts' within the Lord's Prayer, ....and forgive us our debts (trespassess) as we forgive our debtors.  

Let us hold in our hearts that Bulgarian greeting, and mean it with our whole heart.

Prosteno, prosti!

"Because of Your Unbelief..."

What is it truly that we believe?

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty.  Good!  That’s a required first step.  And while the Nicean Creed contains many other elements of our ‘beliefs’ (in Christ, in the Holy Spirit, in Christ’s Church, etc.), certainly there is more to our belief, especially as related to our Lord’s chastisement of those involved in the healing of the boy in today’s Gospel for their unbelief.  So, what’s missing?

There are many other instances in the Gospels in which Jesus speaks to the issue of belief.

In the parallel account of today’s reading from the Gospel of St. Mark, Jesus speaks to the father of the boy and says, If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.  Note the ‘conditions’ that our Lord applies to belief here.  Jesus does NOT say to the man, ‘All things are possible for Me.’  Clearly that would be true.  But what the Lord clearly says is that YOUR faith is required for Him to act in response to YOUR prayer of need.  Jesus further does not limit the extent of His blessing to act in response to the prayer of faith.  He says, ALL things are possible to him who believes.  ‘All’ does not exclude anything, does it?  The unstated ‘condition’ on this is that one who comes in faith with a prayerful need will not be praying for something they know to be counter to that which is of benefit to their salvation.

In the Gospel of St. Mark, we hear words from today’s father that are very important to a complete healing.  After our Lord’s admonishment toward belief, the man says to Jesus, Lord, I believe.  Help my unbelief!  What is this seemingly contradictory statement from the father saying?  He recognizes the need for belief.  In that recognition, he understands that he truly wants his son to be healed.  But as of yet he is still not sure that the level of his belief is adequate to what is required to reach the possible that our Lord is teaching him (and us) for which to strive.  How does unbelief manifest itself in our society?

A Pew Research study of those who describe themselves as “nones”, or people do not identify with any religious group, offer reasons for their lack of belief which include: don’t believe; don’t need religion; unaffiliated but religious (tell me what THAT means, please); spiritual but not religious; non-practicing.  In short, it’s easy to offer an excuse for not being committed to a particular church.  Unfortunately, these excuses also indicate disconnect from God Himself, a definition of unbelief!

But what of my own unbelief?  How does it manifest itself to my spiritual detriment?  Let me look at the question with a kind of reverse focus.  I don’t pray as often as I should.  When I do pray, my prayer is not ‘focused’.  If I truly believed (that my prayer mattered and made a difference), this would not be the case.  I put far too much emphasis on self, and far too little on the people our Lord calls me to care for—the least of His brethren.

So today’s admonition by our Lord as He says, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?, those words are directed not only to those present on that day as the Lord returns from Mt. Tabor, but they’re equally directed at me.

Lord, heal my heart.  Conform my will to Your will.  Let me no longer be faithless and perverse, but faithful and without corruption.

Transfiguration

Sermon - 8th Sunday After Pentecost

Mat 14:14-22

Feeding the 5000

Living Fully in Christ

 As a people, we collectively think our society is moral.

As an individual, we singularly believe we live life "by the rules".

Whose "rules"?  And how do we intellectually "justify" our own particular deviations FROM those rules?

In society, we have laws.  Years ago, our legal codes were primarily based on Judeo-Christian morality - laws paralleled the content of the Ten Commandments and other teachings on morality from the Patriarchs, the Prophets, and Christ.

But that was then.  This is now.  "Townhall.com" suggests that there are at least 5000 Federal criminal laws, with an additional 10,000 to 300,000 regulations that can be enforced criminally.  That's at the Federal level.  When you get down to "locals", it gets even more absurd.  Did you know that you can be jailed in Gainesville, LA for eating fried chicken with a fork?

Do you know all the rules the world is trying to enforce upon you?  It's a foolish question, isn't it.

But when we look at our Christian faith, we don't find this level of complexity.  When the young lawyer came to Jesus he asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"  Jesus answered that he must "keep the commandments," and the Lord echoed the Ten to the young man, adding at the end, "Love your neighbor as yourself."  (Mat 19:16-22)

You might say, "But Father, there certainly are others.  Jesus also said, "Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)  He said, "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you." (John 6:53)

So, there ARE more "rules".  Confess your sins.  Give alms.  Be 'the servant'.

Yes, they're there, but you KNOW them, you remember them. They are few.  Jesus said, "My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."  (Mat 11:30)  St. Paul says we are to "show the work of the Law written on their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts alternately accusing or excusing them." (Rom 2:15)

God's Law IS law!  All of the man-made statutes and regulations help us not at all in what must be our singular focus related to 'rules' - and that focus must be finding our way to eternal life.  Worldly laws will not help us get there!

I've observed the following in my own life.  I have lived in such a way so as to harm no others.  But I have NOT lived to help them.

I have lived to be at peace with my neighbor, but I have NOT loved him as our Lord has instructed me.

And so, I am guilty.

May our Lord find within me a truly repentant heart, one that desires with all its ability to conform it (and me) to His expectations for me.

Guide us all, Lord, to walk YOUR path, to seek YOUR will, to live as YOUR servants in all faith and love.  Help us to live fully within Your love for us.

Do You Believe?

It’s really the single-most salient question that we have to answer with respect to our whole life.  Do I believe?

Until faith is tested, it is only a concept.  I think I have faith sufficient to say that I believe.  But how can I know with certainty?

Holy Scripture is full of wisdom related to belief.

Let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. (Jam 1:6)

Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. (Mat 21:21)

Immediately the father of the child cried out, ‘I believe—help my unbelief!’ (Mark 9:24)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. (Prov 3:5)

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Heb 11:1)

Enough? 

Our ‘belief’ is a reflection of the content of our hearts.  See the article on Page 2 from Abbot Tryphon.

When doubt comes to us, the Lord has shown us the way to reject it.

As Jesus walked to the Apostles on the turbulent sea, and Peter asked to come to Him on the water, it was doubt that caused Peter to begin to sink.  This is how doubt presents itself to us in our regular daily affairs.  God is there.  He has not moved.  He has not changed.  He is waiting for us, His children, to seek Him with our whole heart.

But when we doubt, we lose our focus on Him.  We cease to see Him directly and become distracted by the “things of this world,” noise, turmoil, troubles, illness, and any manner of that which attacks the physical.

As Peter sank into the waves of the sea, he did not lose faith—he lost focus.  He still believed.  The only ‘belief’ that he lost was in the Lord’s provision of grace to him to do the impossible.  We can find evidence of his continued (perhaps diminished) faith as St. Peter recognizes his failure and calls out to Jesus, Lord, save me!  The end of this encounter in scripture is our Lord saying to Peter, Why did you doubt?  By God’s grace, the impossible is possible. 

St. Paul writes, Will unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect?  Certainly not! (Rom 3:3-4)  God knows our frailty and our tendency to be swayed by the world around us.  It does not cause Him to abandon us.  In many instances those things which come upon us that test our belief are a gift FROM Him, to bring us to that point of turning back to Him, to focus on Him and NOT on the world, or the things that bring that turmoil to our lives.

So in all instances respond to the question, “Do you believe?” with a resounding, “YES, I DO believe!”  If your resolve in so doing wavers, remember the father of the young girl in Mark Chapter 9, and respond as did he: “I believe, Lord—help my unbelief!”  It’s a great prayer, confessing our weakness while simultaneously showing our dependence on the Lord for our needs.

5th Friday After Pentecost

From St. Theophan the Recluse, "Thoughts for Each Day of the Year."

Reference Rom 16:1-16/Mat 13:4-9

The parable about the sower depicts the various relationships of souls toward the word of God.  

In the first group stand those who do not heed the word at all.  They hear, but what is heard does not enter into their soul;  it lies on its surface, like the seed by the wayside.  The word does not fit within them because they have another way of thinking, other principles, other tastes.  That is why it soon disappears from memory and is forgotten, as though it had not been heard at all.

In the second group are those who hear the word willingly and receive it quickly, but do not want to bear any labor to fulfill it.  Therefore, they delight in the word - especially its promises - until a sacrifice is required.  As soon as the necessity arises to sacrifice something for faithfulness to the word, they betray it, renouncing both the word and its promises, in order to cater to their attachments.

In the third group are those who receive the word and begin to live according to it, but then give themselves over too much to the cares and the sorrows of the world, to earthly concerns which suppress all the good undertakings which had just formed under the influence of the word of God.

In the fourth group are those who receive the word with full faith and resolve to live according to its requirements, with a readiness for all sacrifices and labor, and who do not allow their heart to be tied to anything earthly.

Each of you, sit and decide which of these groups you belong to.

27Jul23-Fourth Tuesday After Pentecost

[Mat 11:16-20]  But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying: 'We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you did not lament.' For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by her children." Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:

[St. Theophan on 3rd Tuesday after Pentecost]  The Lord says that we who do not hear the Gospel are like those to whom merry songs are sung, but who do not dance; to whom sad songs are sung, but who do not cry - nothing can be done with them.

We are promised the Heavenly Kingdom, most bright and joyous, but we are unmoved, as though someone else were being spoken to.  We are threatened with impartial judgment and unending torments, but we are not alarmed, as if we did not hear.  Downtrodden, we have lost all feeling of true self-preservation.  We move as ones being led directly to destruction, and have not a care for our destiny.  We have lost heart and given ourselves over to carelessness - let what happens, happen!  Such is our state!  Is this not why suicides are so frequent?  It is the fruit of modern teachings and views on man and his significance!  There is progress for you!  There is enlightenment!  

It would be better to be totally ignorant, but save your soul with fear of God than, having attained the title of an enlightened person, to perish unto the ages, never thinking for your entire life about what will happen after death.  Not a single jot shall pass from the word of God, which describes both the Heavenly Kingdom and hell - all will be as it is written.  Let everyone take this to heart as something that touches you personally; and take care for yourself, with all your strength, as long as there is time left.

Worry!

It’s an epidemic in our country, and in all likelihood throughout the world.  We worry—FAR too much, far too often.

Experts will admit that “being anxious” about things may have some positive effects.  This is NOT a statement in favor of anxiety.  But some healthy concern over things one KNOWS to be coming can lead one to a healthy level of preparation for what lays ahead.  Preparing for a job interview is one ‘positive’ example.  And if I might, preparing for confession is another, wherein focusing, being anxious to assure that I remember all I want to and need to confess, is quite healthy.  And doing so leads one to a place where, AFTER confession, that sensation of being anxious to get it right is totally washed away!

But as human beings, we allow worldly things to “eat at us.”  You know how it manifests itself.  Our mouth gets dry.  Our heart rate increases.  We become fatigued more rapidly.  Maybe we get headaches, or have trouble concentrating.  Often we get irritable.  It can lead to becoming nauseous, cold sweats, trembling of hands. 

If we allow ourselves to be impacted by worry to such an extent, worse things can develop.  Immune systems become compromised.  Digestive disorders develop.  Muscle tension increases.  Perhaps short-term memory loss occurs.  In the extreme, it can lead to premature coronary artery disease, or even a heart attack. (all this from webmd.com)

Our Lord is speaking to us on this day about such issues (Mat 6:22-33).  But He doesn’t open this discussion delving first into worry.  He opens with the eye, and the eye’s being good and full of light.  What is this light that Jesus is speaking of?

It is the Light that is Christ.  St. John’s Gospel is filled with these references.  I am the Light of the world. (John 8:12, 9:5)  I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness. (John 12:46)  This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. (John 3:19)

Jesus then points to the fact that we, as a people, are double-minded, and we vacillate between Light and dark, between Good and evil.

And the excursions toward the evil lead to anxiety, to worry, and to the things that war against not just our bodies (wearing them out, wearing them down), but our spirits.

Anxiety leads to doubt, and to losing sight of what is important.  Consider the Apostle Peter when Christ came to the Apostles in the storm on the sea, and he asked the Lord to bid him to come to Him on the water.  What happened?  The world interfered with the righteous desire to go to Christ.  It threw wind and rain and water at the Apostle.  He allowed the elements to move his focus from Christ to the “noise” that surrounded him.  If he stays focused on Jesus, he comes to Him and joins him in joy.  But he saw obstacles.  And he began to worry.

Jesus explains to us how God in Trinity looks upon us, His creation.  He gives freely to us because He loves us.

What do we do?  Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Worry will disappear!

More From St. Theophan

[Today's Gospel is from Matthew 10:9-15]

The Lord also said to the Apostles that if a city does not receive them, and will not hear their words, then it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of Judgment than for that city. (Mat 10:15)

And what will happen to us for our refusal to hear the words of Divine revelation?  It will be immesurably intolerable for us.  To disbelieve the truth of God after so many tangible proofs is the same as reviling the Holy Spirit and blaspheming.  And yet we are not afraid.  The Spiritists console one person, "What judgment?  We just have to be born one more time."  The scientists explain to one another, "Whom is there to judge?  Everything is made of atoms ; they'll fly apart and that will be the end of everything."  

But, friends, the hour of death is coming; these dreams will fly apart like phantoms, and we will all be faced with inexorable reality.  What then?  What wretched times we live in!  The enemy has contrived to destroy our souls.  He knows that fear of death and judgment is the strongest means for sobering up a soul, and so he makes every attempt to drive this away, and he succeeds.  But extinguish the fear of death, and fear of God will disappear.  And without the fear of God, the conscience becomes mute.  The soul becomes empty - it becomes a waterless cloud, carried about by every wind of teaching and every fit of the passions.

["Thoughts for Each Day of the Year," Tuesday, 2nd week after Pentecost, pgs 128-129]

Soul Saturday

Tomorrow (03Jun23) we will celebrate a "Soul Saturday" Liturgy in the church to pray for our departed loved ones.

St. Theophan the Recluse has this to say about this day:

No one is lazy in commemorating his own departed parents, but it is also necessary to commemorate all Orthodox Christians - and not only on this day, but at all times, in every prayer.  We ourselves will be there [among the reposed], and will need this prayer as a poor person needs a piece of bread and a glass of water.  Remember that prayer for the reposed is strong through its communality, in that it comes from the entire Church.  The Church breathes prayer.  Just as it is in nature, when during pregnancy a mother breathes and the strength she receives from this breath passes on to her child, so also in a grace-filled way the Church breathes a prayer which is shared by all, and the power of the prayer passes on to the reposed, who are held in the bosom of the Church, which is made up of the living and the dead, the militant and the triumphant.  Do not be slothful about zealously commemorating all of our departed loved ones whenever you pray.  It will be your alms for them.

See you on Soul Saturday!

Jesus' "High Priestly Prayer"

 [Article from Sunday, 28May23]

Today we commemorate the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council.  As we do so, the Holy Church gifts to us today’s Gospel reading, which is the Lord’s “High Priestly Prayer” from the Gospel of St. John, Chapter 17.

There are a couple of “Why’s?” that you are likely to be asking.

Number one—Why is this passage referred to as the Lord’s High Priestly Prayer?  In John 14, Jesus begins to teach His beloved Apostles what is about to happen.  He tells them plainly about His departure, that they “know the way” to where He is going, and He blesses them, granting peace.  In Chapter 15 He teaches them to “remain in Him”, to love one another, and that the world would hate them, as it hated Him.  In Chapter 16 He promises them that the Holy Spirit will come to them, “to guide you in all truth.”

It is in Chapter 17 that the High Priestly Prayer takes place.  St. John makes it abundantly clear that this IS prayer by beginning the chapter with the words, “Jesus spoke these words, lifted His eyes to heaven, and said…”

Within the prayer, the Lord prays that the Father will glorify Him, that in so doing He may glorify the Father.  He prays for eternal life for those who have followed Him.  He attests to the Father that these men have in fact “believed that You sent Me.”  He says clearly, “I pray for them,” and then asks the Father to keep them, not in an earthly fashion, but a heavenly one, “that they may be one as We are one.”  This is a prayer for ultimate unity for mankind through the Holy Trinity!

Number two—Why is this passage selected on a day that commemorates the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council?

There are so many connections between our Lord’s High Priestly Prayer and the continuation, the eternal support of His Bride, the Church, that they cannot be ignored.

Perhaps some of these, not being stated with specificity, might be ignored in such a review, but when pondering the Lord’s more eternal meaning, they become obvious.

Verse 8:  “I have given them the words which You have given Me; and they received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You.”

Verse 11:  “Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You.  Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as we are one.”

Verse 15: “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.”

Verse 17: "Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth."

Verse 20: "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;”

Verse 21: “that they may all be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they may also be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”

The Holy Church was under attack by those who would pervert the faith, teaching heresy about the person of Jesus Christ.  His Body, His Bride, the Church, needed the unity and spiritual guidance that this prayer, prayed centuries before, would bring to preserve His Church—for all time.  The Apolytikion from Vespers says it this way:

Come you assemblies of Orthodoxy, celebrating with worship and faith the feast of the Holy Fathers.  They came to Nicea from throughout the world, and in their wisdom and piety they refuted Arius, dispelling the impious belief which he invented.  They banished him by decree of the Council of the Holy Catholic Church, teaching all to confess that Christ is the Son of God, consubstantial and coeternal with the Father before eternity, accurately defining the Canon of Faith.  Let us follow their divine doctrines and worship Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Trinity on in essence, and undivided!

Christ is Ascended!!!

Our Father

Christ is Risen!

We are blessed to have access to many very profitable Orthodox publications via the Internet.

For some time now, we've been a recipient of a daily e-mail service entitled "Orthodox Quote of the Day."  A young man named Adam publishes the service, and within it is a daily quote from one of the Holy Fathers, to boost us all spiritually.  His side purpose in publishing the information is to request donations for building a church at Holy Cross Monastery in West Virginia.  If you're moved to donate, you can do so here:

https://www.holycross.org/pages/new-church?ref=oqotd

In this day's mailing was a quote from Metropolitan Gregory (Postnikov) of St. Petersburg.  Please read carefully his instructive words to us:

[On the Lord's Prayer] if God is the Father of every human, then there is no doubt that every man, whoever he may be, is my brother, and every woman or girl is my sister; con­sequently I behaved very foolishly if I treated some people as strangers, and did not find them deserving of even a glance or word , or considered them the kind of people to whom I do not owe any love. I acted very foolishly, and I must correct myself, otherwise I must not dare to pray using this Lord's Prayer, and therefore, must not consider myself as belonging to the number of true children of the Father God.

Operative words for a sinful priest?

I acted very foolishly.

I must correct myself.

I dare not pray the Lord's Prayer until I correct myself.

Perhaps you're thinking the same thing.  It's fascinating that we have such words (the text of the Lord's Prayer) as part of the fabric of who we are as Christians, and yet we so very seldom pause to ponder exactly what we're saying, what we're praying, and the obvious implications (obvious - once pointed out to us by someone with such clear vision as Metropolitan Gregory) of how we're "mouthing" the words with our tongues, but not "meaning" the words with our hearts!  How many times in each day do we pray the Lord's Prayer, and still not have it change us???

Thank you, Adam, for your ministry.  Today is just one example of how your efforts impact those of us out here who read them daily!

In our Risen Lord,

FrB

Sermon - Sunday of the Blind Man

 

Sermon - Sunday of the Samaritan Women

 

Sermon - Sunday of the Paralytic

 

Sermon - Sunday of Myrrhbearing Women

Thought for the Day

I know that we just posted this piece on our Facebook page (01May23), but it is SO very important to our times that we MUST place it here as well, for those who do not see the above referenced posts.

For those on Facebook, forgive the "double view".

Sin has become fashionable today.... But the worst thing is that today's people are infatuated with sin, and when they see someone who does not follow the spirit of the time, does not sin, or has a little piety, they call him a retrograde. Such people are offended by the fact that someone does not sin. They consider sin a sign of progress. That is the wors thing of all. Had the contemporary sinful people at least recognized their sin, God would have pardoned them. But they exonerate the things that cannot be exonerated and sing praises to the sin. Sin being considered as progress and morality as obsolete is, among other things, the worst blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if someone who lives in the world struggles to keep his life clean, it is of great value. Such people will receive great reward.

- St. Paisios of Mt. Athos

The Myrrhbearing Women

The tireless women!  They would not give sleep to their eyes nor slumber to their eyelids (Ps 131:4) until they found their Beloved!  But the men as it were dragged their feet; they went to the tomb, saw it empty, and remained in confusion about what it could mean, because they did not see Him.  Does this mean that they had less love than the women?  No, here was a reasoning love which feared making a mistake due to the high price of this love and its Object.  When they too saw and touched Him, then each of them, not with his tongue, like Thomas, but with his heart confessed, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28), and no longer could anything separate them from the Lord.  The Myrrhbearers and the Apostles are an image of the two sides of our life: feeling and reasoning.  Without feeling, life is not life.  Without reasoning, life is blind - it offers little sound fruit, and much is wasted.  We must combine both.  Let feeling go forward and arouse; let reason determine the time, place, method, and in general, the practical arrangement of what the heart suggests for us to do.  Within, the heart comes first, but in practical application, reason comes first.  Whe the feelings become educated in discerning good and evil, then perhaps it will be possible to rely on the heart alone.  Just as shoots, flowers and fruits grow from a living tree, so then will goodness alone begin to emerge from the heart, and will be rationally merged into the course of our life.

- St. Theophan the Recluse, "Thoughts For Each Day of the Year," on the Sunday of the Myrrhbearing Women, Pages 93,94

The "Lawless" Assembly

As we follow our Lord on His path to Golgotha, to the Sanhedrin, and to His voluntary death upon the Cross, we dare not lose connection with the words of the hymnology we offer as we traverse these days.

We know of the treachery of Judas, and we hear in the words of the Bridegroom Matins of this fact.  

"Judas loves money with his mind.  The impious one moves against the Master.  He wills and plans the betrayal.  Receiving darkness, he falls from the Light.  He agrees to the price and sells the Priceless One.  As payment for his deeds the wretch gains hanging and a terrible death.  From his lot deliver us, O Christ God, granting remission of sins to those who celebrate Your immaculate Passion with love."  (Kathisma for Holy Tuesday)

But Judas is not the only evil-doer.  Inside the Gospel for Bridegroom Matins for Holy Tuesday, the Lord calls the scribes and Pharisees "hypocrites" on no less than nine occassions (Mat 22:15-46; 23:1-39), and once He calls them a "brood of vipers."  The Lord is not exactly attempting to 'make friends' amongst those who have shown themselves as evil-doers.

But what of that charge of the "lawless assembly"?  From the service of the 12 Passion Gospels we find Antiphon 5 that says:

"The disciple agrees upon the price of the Master.  He sells the Lord for thirty pieces of silver.  With a treacherous kiss he betrays Him to death at the hands of lawless men."  What exactly is this expression pointing towards?

We must study the things that the Sanhedrin DID in bringing our Lord to trial, and what these things mean with respect to our 'charge' of being this lawless assembly.  It's not pretty - bear with us.

Unlawful Act 1:  No person had formally accused Jesus of anything!  Rather, He was arrested at the discretion/command of religious leaders who hated Him.  The chief priests solicited testimony to put Him to death, but found none (Mark 14:53-55).

Unlawful Act 2:  Based on Jewish law, there had to be at least two (2) people charging a person with a crime (Deut 19:15).  Jesus was arrested before anyone made such a complaint.

Unlawful Act 3:  An 'accomplice' was used to arrest Him.  If Jesus was a criminal, then all of His disciples (including Judas) could be considered accomplices to His illegal activities.  Jewish law prohibits the use of an accomplice to convict a person.

Unlawful Act 4:  Jewish law requires investigation by the court to determine the merits of any accusations (Deut 19:16-18).  In Jewish practice, there were no 'prosecutors'.  Those who brought a charge against someone argued their case and were effectively the prosecutors.  Witnesses had to observe the crime to be found to be credible.  None of this was true for Jesus before the Sanhedrin.

Unlawful Act 5:  Jewish law forbade holding any trial at night.  Jesus was brought before the high priest at roughly 2AM.

Unlawful Act 6:  Jewish law forbade any trial to be held before the morning sacrifice at the Temple.

Unlawful Act 7:  Jewish law forbade holding any trial on the day before a Holy Day.

Unlawful Act 8:  Jewish law required that for any trial involving the death penalty, the proceedings MUST continue over the course of two days.

Unlawful Act 9:  Any who might have stood for acquittal of the Lord were not notified of 'the trial' - it was rushed to completion before any reasoned members of the Sanhedrin were called to participate.

Unlawful Act 10:  The Ninth Commandment - "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor."  The Sanhedrin attempted to coerce such testimony.  "Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none." (Mat 26:60)  The penalty in any trial for bearing false witness was that judges finding such testimony should assign to the false witness the sentence sought against the accused.  Thus, false witnesses against Christ should have been subjected themselves to the death penalty.

Unlawful Act 11:  Jewish law prohibits the use of the accused's own testimony to condemn Him.  The high priest's question, "I put You under oath by the Living God: tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God." The Lord's answer, "I am," by law could not be used against Him.

Unlawful Act 12:  One cannot be convicted of a charge that is untrue.  The Sanhedrin accused Jesus of blasphemy for declaring that He is the Son of God.  For this He was condemned by them to death.  But He IS the Son of God.

Unlawful Act 13:  Jewish law required at least one advocate/defender for the accused.  Therefore at least one vote from the Sanhedrin for acquittal was REQUIRED.  "And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death." (Mark 14:63-64)  A unanimous vote makes the verdict invalid.

Unlawful Act 14:  The sentencing was held at the high priest's house (Mark 14:53). The only legal place to pronounce a death sentence was in "the chamber of hewn stones" at the Temple in Jerusalem.  

Unlawful Act 15:  The charges were changed after the trial.  The original charge was blasphemy.  The Jews knew that Pilate would not sentence to death someone on such a charge.  So they changed the charge against Him to treason, "forbidding the Jews to pay taxes," and "He has made Himself a king."

There certainly are more, such as Pilate declaring Jesus to be "not guilty" while still allowing His execution!  But the above is quite a list.  And against all of this treachery, the Lord shows us His humility by saying so very few words, and never one in defense of Himself.

Such is the God we serve.  Such is the God Who chose to take on our flesh, to live among us, to heal so very many, to forgive sins, to teach us the path to salvation, to suffer His Passion and die on the Cross to save us from our sins.

Glory to Jesus Christ!  Glory to Your Passion, O Lord!

Baptism and the Cross

Baptism (krescheniye) in Russian sounds like cross (krest).  This is a fortunate consonance, for althought the visible action of Baptism is submersion, its essence is a co-crucifixion with Christ on the inner, spiritual cross.  The Apostle Paul says, 'Our old man is crucified with Him' in baptism (Rom 6:6).  This is not some sort of mechanical acts, but a moral change, or a revolution of thoughts, goals, desires, and sympathies.  Before, all of these were stained with self-pleasing; now all are selflessly dedicated to God, in Christ Jesus, by the grace of the Holy Spirit.  If you were baptized as an infant you will say, 'I didn't understand that when I was baptized.'  Now you understand; set it in your conscience to carry out the meaning of baptism, for your baptism is indelible.  Even at the Judgment its seal will be visible either for or against you.

- St. Theophan the Recluse, 'Thoughts for Each Day of the Year,' Fourth Thursday of the Great Fast

The Midpoint of the Great Fast

People often confuse this Sunday with the Feast of 14Sep.  After all, both have as a kind of ‘focal point’ a beautifully decorated Cross placed on the tetrapod before the ambo.  Both consist of our singing, Before Your Cross we bow down in worship, O Master… as we make prostrations before the Cross.

But the Feast in September (one of the Twelve Great Feasts of the Church) is exactly that—it is the day on which we commemorate St. Helena discovering the true Cross of Christ in the year 326.

Today is NOT “one of the Twelve” major Feasts.  Today, the Cross is given this place in the Church as a ‘medicine’, a salve to soothe us who have labored with the Fast.  It is present to provide strength.  It shows us by its presence, “Only a little while longer.  You’ve made it this far.  There’s only this much more to go before our Lord will begin His walk to ascend the Cross.  Take courage and endure just a little longer."

Today’s Gospel speaks to us, beginning with three instructions from our Lord on living our lives in this world.  He prefaces this instructions with a kind of “test phrase” - Whoever desires to come after Me.  The Greek word used is opiso.  It does not mean one who comes later, but rather one who desires to be a follower.  But now after this test phrase, Jesus continues with the instructions.

First—Let him deny himself.  The Greek is aparneomai, and it means to utterly disown.  Paraphrasing, to consider nothing of self.

Second — Take up your cross.  The Greek is airo, that is to lift.  One of the examples explaining the word puts it akin to saying, ‘weigh anchor’ so that you are ready to sail away.  In this sense, lifting one’s cross carries the meaning that, wherever the Lord is instructing me to go, my cross goes with me.  So in a certain sense, taking up our cross is NOT so much our lifting a heavy load, but rather assuring that the security that is ours through the Cross remains with us—at all times, and in all places.

Third—Follow Me.  The Greek here is akoloutheo, which means to accompany, like a disciple, to ‘be in the same way with’ the Lord.  The root of this Greek word is keleuthos, and it means to ‘be on the road.’

Today, we approach the Cross with the same love and reverence we give it on that Feast day in September.  But it returns to us much more that we give to it!

The Lord continues to teach us that those who seek to save their lives (translated as ‘to make safe’) will lose them (translated as ‘destroy’).  The only way to make your life ‘safe’ for eternity is to renounce the life you’ve been given in this world, and begin to live as one now living in and for the Kingdom of God.

Does standing before today’s Cross and staring into its beauty speak these words to you?  If yes, then the Fast has brought you great benefit.  If no, there’s still time before our Lord comes to ascend the Cross on Holy Thursday.

But the time indeed grows short.  If you’ve benefitted, don’t stop.  If you’ve not benefited yet from the Fast, begin now to seek the benefits that the Church has laid before us all in this season of the Fast.

 

When Jesus Saw Their Faith

In today’s Gospel (Mark 2:1-12) we find our Lord again in Capernaum.  By this time there were throngs who were seeking to hear His preaching and teaching.  St. Mark records “Many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door.” 

And so we can sympathize with the four men who bring today’s paralytic to receive healing at the hand (or word) of our Lord.  They arrive carrying the unfortunate man, and the crowds are such that even one cannot enter, let alone five with one carried on a pallet.  What could they do?

There was an image we saw this past week that said, “The Lord told us that faith can move mountains.  But do not be surprised when your faith is answered by Him giving you a shovel.”

Perhaps it’s a trite saying, but it DOES accurately reflect the hearts and thoughts of the “four friends” of today’s paralytic.  A mountain of people needed to be overcome—and the faith of the four was not to be denied!

One should conclude that their faith led them “by the Spirit” to open that roof!  Their paralyzed friend needed to find his way before the Lord.  Their view of this ‘need’ was no different from the view of the woman with the issue of blood.  Her faith affirmed for her that if she simply touched the hem of the Lord’s robe, she knew that she would be healed.  These four knew that if they managed to bring their friend before the Lord, he too would be healed.

Within Holy Scripture we have such examples of faith.  The woman from Canaan begged for her daughter to be healed, and she was.  The Centurion asked that his servant might be healed, and he was.  The ruler of the synagogue asked that his daughter be healed, and she was raised from the dead.  All of these came in faith, and their faith was answered.  In many instances, our Lord responded to such faith with His words, “Go in peace.  Your faith has made you well.” (such as Lk 17:19)

But there are other times when the Lord acts without such expressions of faith.  This does not mean that faith is missing.  But it does mean that God is sovereign, and He can choose to do as He wills.  It calls to mind the man whose son was plagued by seizures, who came to Jesus for healing (indicating faith at some level), but the Lord was on Tabor with Peter, James and John, and so the man found only the nine remaining Apostles, who could not heal the boy.  In that account (Mk 9:24) the man cries to the Lord, “I believe.  Help my unbelief,” recognizing that his faith was too feeble.  And there is the account of Lazarus, where Mary and Martha do not seem to have sufficient faith, and yet Jesus raises their brother being four days dead.

St. Theophan says, We must do our part to cultivate a spirit of acceptance, a faith which confesses, ‘I am lost and can be saved only by the Lord Jesus Christ”; love which fervently strives to devote all to the Lord and Savior, sparing nothing; hope that does not hope in itself, but only in its assurance that the Lord will not abandon us and will help us in every way, both internally and externally throughout all of our life, until our hope takes us to the place where He Himself abides.

May our Lord give to us the desire to cultivate such a faith.  May He see in us a fervent hope in His unwaning love for us.  May our faith and hope and love engender within us an even more fervent longing for a truly and sincerely repentant heart.

And when He sees our faith, may He forgive us, each and every one of us, all of our sins.

Follow Me (Sunday of Orthodoxy)

Pretty much everyone knows “the shortest verse in the Bible” - Jesus wept.  The verse is from John 11:35, and describes how our Lord reacted in seeing the reality of death overcome His friend.

And while today’s words from the Gospel don’t technically meet the requirement of “shortest verse,” they nonetheless are equal in meaning, given their brevity.  Follow Me.

The first expression shows God’s love for His creation, and His sorrow over how its fallenness has changed (ruined?) what He created to be perfection.

The second is an invitation.

If someone says to you, “Come with me,” your first likely response would be, “Where are we going?”

But this is Christ making the invitation.  So, “Where are we going, Lord?”

He replies, Let’s start by going to a wedding in Cana.  You’ll enjoy the wine.  Then we’ll go to the Temple and cast out those who abuse it (Jn 2:16-170.  After this, I need to speak with Nicodemus to help him understand.  We’ll go from there to Judea and heal many.  We’ll travel through Samaria—there’s a woman there who also needs to hear our Good News.  We’ll come back to Galilee.  A little twelve your old girl there needs our help.  We’ll go back to Cana—there’s a nobleman whose son will die unless we go. (Jn 4:49-51)  Then we’ll speak to the people in Nazareth, who will reject me (Lk 4:16-30)  We’ll move to Capernaum, where we’ll heal the lame on the Sabbath, we’ll call the rest of your brother Apostles, we’ll heal the demoniac, along with throngs in the crowds who will also choose to follow, as you are doing.  We’ll heal lepers and paralytics.  We’ll attempt to teach the rulers of the people the true meaning of the Sabbath as we continue to heal many even on that day.  We’ll seal My ministry by selecting twelve who will be faithful.  We’ll heal the servant of a Centurion, and raise from the dead the only son of a widow.  We’ll teach the Pharisees again who will accuse Me of blasphemy.  We’ll teach in parables so that only those who truly seek to understand will have My mysteries revealed.  You will become fearful unto death because of a storm at sea, which I will calm by My word.  We’ll witness the execution of the Forerunner.  We’ll gather with many on a mountaintop and teach the multitudes of God’s love for them.  We’ll together feed thousands with next to nothing.  In another storm at sea I’ll come to you to calm you and the storm by walking to you on the sea. We’ll bring sight to a man born blind.  You’ll be with Me as I give this same invitation to follow to another, who will ask me to give him time first to bury his father. (Lk 9:59-60) You’ll be one of 70 whom I will send to go as well, to preach and to heal (Lk 10:1-24)  I’ll give you the blessing of understanding the Good Samaritan.  I’ll teach you to pray.  You’ll be beside Me as our friend Lazarus returns from the dead.  You’ll witness the rulers of the people conspire to kill Me.  You’ll see a brother betray Me.  You’ll witness Me being beaten, spat upon, nailed to a cross, and buried.  You’ll cower in fear that those who did this to Me are coming as well for you, but I will protect you.  And you will see Me after three days, and you will rejoice with a joy that will be eternal, and with life near to me in the Kingdom of Heaven.

How would YOU respond to the invitation?  Thing is, this invitation is now, in the present!  Are you following TODAY?  Like the man in Luke 9:60, the invitation is made “for a limited time, and a limited time ONLY.”  Tomorrow may be too late.  The call, the invitation has been extended to all of us.

Let none of us delay in responding.  The implications are eternal.

Outside of Paradise

Today’s theme is forgiveness.  To be truly forgiven requires two things: 1) Repentance on the part of the one seeking forgiveness; 2) a willingness to truly forgive on the part of the one being approached for it.

Inside of Paradise, there is no need for either of these.  For within Paradise there is no sin.  Without sin repentance has no meaning, nor does forgiveness.

Outside of Paradise sin is ubiquitous, as is the essential need for repentance.  But outside of Paradise we also find the human condition where those who FEEL as if they’ve been slighted (sinned against) are unwilling to forgive.  It’s the human condition of seeking revenge.

The concept of revenge is perhaps the single largest cause of war in the world.  “Your grandfather killed mine, and I must now avenge ‘his memory’,” whatever that means.  The same holds true even in the streets of our own country, where one gang member slays the brother of someone, and to prove that they won’t tolerate such violence, they return to murder one from the side of the first offender.  And, it never ends.

In today’s Gospel, our Lord (as He so often does) gives us a Divine view of forgiving and repenting.  He personalizes it for us.  If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  Note the absoluteness of His words.  Jesus does not say the Father may forgive you.  It is truly the ultimate quid pro quo!  Do this, the Father does that!

The word translated as trespass is the Greek word paraptoma.  Trespass is an appropriate translation, but it also carries the meanings of offence, sin, fault, and either intentional or unintentional error on the part of the offender.

About this phrase from Holy Scripture, St. Theophan writes the following:

What a simple and handy means of salvation!  Your trespasses are forgiven under the condition that you forgive your neighbor’s trespasses against you.  This means that you (your salvation) are in your own hands.  Force yourself to pass from agitated feelings toward your brother to truly peaceful feelings—and that is all.  The day of forgiveness—what a great, heavenly day of God this is!  If all of us used it as we ought, this day would make Christian societies into heavenly societies, and the earth would merge with heaven.

The earth would merge with heaven.  Heaven on earth.  Back inside of Paradise!

It IS possible, but our human hearts must be conformed to the Lord’s instruction and His will for us in our own lives.

On this day, within the upcoming Forgiveness Sunday Vespers, we’ll pray together the following:

Your grace has shown forth, O Lord, giving light to our souls.  Now is the acceptable time, now is the season of repentance.  Let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light, that having sailed across the great sea of the Fast, we may reach the third-day Resurrection of Christ our Lord, the Savior of our souls.

Let us live in the Light that is our Lord, freely granting forgiveness to all who seek it, and in the greatest humility offering sincere repentance to all for the many sins—known and unknown—that we have committed.

Forgive me, my brothers and sisters in Christ! 

Sermon - Sunday of the Last Judgment