The Greatest Born of Woman

 There are three people whom the Holy Orthodox Church remembers on three occasions each during the Liturgical year.  Those occasions are their conception, their nativity, and their death.  These three are first our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (conception on 25Mar, birth on 25Dec, and death on Holy Friday), the Theotokos (conception on 09Dec, birth on 08Sep, and death or Dormition on 15Aug), and Saint John the Forerunner (conception on 23Sep, birth on 24Jun, and death on 29Aug).

Within these three, the time from conception to birth varies, with that of our Lord being the “perfect” nine months, that of the Theotokos being nine months less one day, and that of the Forerunner being nine months plus one day.  Holy Tradition holds that this indicates the humanity of both mother and Forerunner, and the divinity of the Lord. 

As we commemorate this Feast, we remember that Saint John is described as both prophet and Forerunner, with the later usually capitalized, indicating something indeed very special about the mission of this man.  While John indeed filled the mission of being a prophet, foretelling all that would come in our Lord’s ministry, in doing this, and in preparing the nation of Israel for repentance through his baptism of water, his purpose was to prepare the way of our Lord, to soften the hearts of the people to be receptive to the Lord’s message of repentance, but more than this, one of forgiveness, one of love, one of God with us!

We tend to think of Pentecost as the day upon which the Holy Spirit appeared in the world, but within the Gospel of Saint Luke is recorded the conversation of the angel with Zachariah, the father of John, foretelling that John would be “filled with the Holy Spirit.” 

In the Gospel of Saint Matthew (11:11), our Lord says of Saint John, “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist.”  Our Lord’s praise of His servant is not just related to the number of people whom John turned from their wicked ways by his preaching, or by his baptisms.  It is also related to the prayers offered by Saint John for the people who came to him in repentance, prayers for the life of the world and of the faithful who would come to follow Christ.  And it is related to his being so filled with the Holy Spirit .  There are those who question whether, when John sent his own disciples to our Lord as he was imprisoned to ask Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”, (Mat 11:3), he did so doubting that Jesus was the Messiah.  But the Holy Fathers teach that this is not the case.  Rather, John sent his disciples to Jesus with this question so that they might hear from the Lord’s own mouth His mighty works.  In so doing, Jesus teaches lovingly the disciples of John that they need to break from their master and follow Him.  In Saint John’s words, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)

Immediately before this, John bears bold witness to those who try to sew dissent by saying, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.  You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but rather, ‘I have been sent before Him.’  He who has the bride is the Bridegroom; but the friend of the Bridegroom , who stands and hears Him, rejoices greatly because of the Bridegroom’s voice.  Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.” (John 3:27-29)

In the life of Saint John, the joy of the Church is fulfilled, for he truly is the greatest born of woman.

Learning to Forget

 My personal library is filled with books.  Most of them I’ve read cover to cover.  Some of them are used as reference books to look up writings of those superior to me in wisdom, in spirit, and in general people (saints) who are beacons, lighting the way when I allow myself to get bogged down in the world around me.

Of all the books I’ve read, I remember so very little about what was written.

Take for example the writings of Saint Herman.  All of us remember his words depicted on his icon:  Let us make a vow to ourselves, that from this day, from this hour, from this very moment, we shall strive above all else to love God and to fulfill His Holy Will!  Easy, right?

We have no trouble remembering things that “click” in our minds.  Something that grabs our attention and holds on, won’t let go.  But others are all too easily forgotten.

In today’s Gospel, our Lord is directing us not to remember, but to forget!  Jesus today gifts to us the parable of the man who owed ten thousand talents.  Within the parable we find the Master calling for the man to “pay up”!  And the man pleads with the Master, not to forgive the debt, but to be patient, to give him time, and if the Master will do so he promises I will pay you all.

The Master is infinitely wise.  He knows such a repayment is not possible.  But the Master is full of compassion, and so he does not extend the clock, he instead forgives the entire debt!

There is certainly more to the parable in terms of spiritually profitable content.  But I ask the reader to pause here, and to ponder this issue of such a massive debt being forgiven.

We all understand that the Master in the parable is God.  Buried in the teaching offered by our Lord is the message that when God forgives a debt, He no longer remembers it.

Now let’s merge the two natures of the word ‘debt’ and come to understand what Jesus is really teaching us.

We say the Lord’s Prayer multiple times each day.  In our use locally, we say forgive us our trespasses.  The more technically correct wording is forgive us our debts, for a ‘trespass’ is indicative of sin, and a sin is a debt to God.

And so God is shown in the parable to be forgiving of our debts, our sins.  And like the great debt of 10,000 talents which He forgave, He ‘forgot’, He in like manner forgets our sins – when we are faithful to confess them.

We started with a focus on reading, noting how easy it is to forget the content of something we’ve just read.  And we noted that our memory is ‘keyed’ to things that “click” in our minds.  One such thing is when someone does something to harm us.  Forgiving becomes difficult, doesn’t it?  Why?  Because we’re not willing to truly forgive, which means that we must truly forget! 

Jesus ends today’s parable with a stern warning.  So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.  Understand that in the parable, do to you points back to the Master being angry, and His delivering the servant to the torturers.

Let us all learn to forgive – and to forget!!!

Trust but Verify

 In the Gospel for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost (Mat 14:22-34), we find the twelve being obedient to their Master.  They’ve just witnessed the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand, an event which our Lord made certain that they (the Apostles) were active participants in its completion.  It was the Apostles who carried the multiplied food from the hand of Jesus to the hands of the throngs.

But Jesus sends them away.  “Get into the boat and go to the other side,” He instructs them.

We can only imagine the discussions amongst the twelve as they travel across the sea, given the magnitude of the miracle witnessed by them.

But the world (as it is wont to do) interrupts the spiritual high.  First it’s darkness.  Then it’s waves.  Finally, it’s winds carrying them off course (for the wind was contrary).  I suppose we should add to this the factor of fatigue, for the Apostles had labored all day (getting TO the place where the 5000 were fed), and now they’re laboring into the wee hours of the morning, for it was the fourth watch of the night, which in English means somewhere between 3 and 6AM!!!

It is in this physically spent state fed by the spiritual high that they find a figure moving near the storm-tossed boat.

And we must ask ourselves, “How would I react?”

These men know the Lord, but the world has dulled their physical senses.  They should recognize Him spiritually, but they’re not looking with spiritual eyes.  They’re depending on the physical.  The result is Peter’s “test.”  Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water. 

Trust – but verify.

The Lord’s response is one word.  Come.  Again, in obedience, Peter climbs over the boat’s rail, places one foot on the water, and then the other.  All accomplished as if it were the most natural thing in the world.  St. Matthew records, And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.

But now, the world interferes – again!

But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’

We must ask ourselves, “What changed?  Did the water become ‘less firm’?  Did the wind increase in ferocity?  Were the waves higher?”  We can believe that none of these were the case. 

What changed is Peter’s belief.  The Lord’s command made him bold with respect to the world. But the world shortly made his humanity come to the fore, and he became timid with respect to the Lord, a condition which causes Jesus to chide him, saying, O you of little faith, why did you doubt?

Peter thought he was testing Jesus by asking Him to call him onto the water.  In the end, it is Jesus Who is testing Peter – and the other eleven – to give them an opportunity to display faith in all they had been party to in the past day.

We too are tested.  Let us ever trust in the Lord to be near to us, as He promised.

Let us never feel the need to verify His faithfulness to us.

It is never a bad prayer to call on the Lord to say, “Save me!”

Unlimited Healing

 Do you believe that I am able to do this?  This is the question that the Savior poses back to two blind men.  They come in hopes of being healed.  But their plea to the Lord does not call out that request explicitly.  Their request is far more broad based than, “Will You heal our blindness?” 

What is their plea, then?

Son of David, have mercy on us!  The Name they use, “Son of David,” indicates a spiritual vision not displayed by the Pharisees.  The title is indicative of their recognition of our Lord’s rightful claim to being labeled “King of the Jews”, and one might go so far as to attach their use of the reference to David as extending to their recognizing Jesus as Messiah.

Once again, we scripturally encounter “The Jesus Prayer”.

But let’s move forward to the healing.

In response to the Lord’s question, Do you believe…, the blind men’s response is simple.  Yes, Lord.  St. Matthew records that Jesus touched their eyes.  But then hear the humility of God the Son.  He does not call attention to Himself with an exclamation such as “I heal you – go in peace.”  Rather the Lord ‘reflects’ the miracle back onto the blind men.  According to your faith let it be to you.  Putting this another way, the Lord is saying, “You say you believe.  Prove your belief by showing that you are healed.

Isn’t this intuitively backwards from how we approach our prayers of need?

When we’re ill, our prayer may take many different forms.  It may begin as did these blind men with the Jesus Prayer.  It may begin with thanksgiving – “Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with adversity, for it places me at Your feet seeking Your intercession.”  It may being with desperation – “Lord, I have no other help but You….”

Whatever form our prayer takes, we offer it and then sit back and wait for the Lord to answer.

I think this might be rooted in some sort of misplaced humility.  “I don’t know the Lord’s will….”  Remember two instances from scripture. 

The first is from the Gospel of St. Mark (9:23-24) where Jesus encounters the man with the epileptic son.  Our Lord’s words?  If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.  And we know the man’s reply.  Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!

The second is from the Gospel of St. Luke (5:12-13) where a leper comes to the Lord and says, Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”  St. Luke records that Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.

It is not the Lord Who is slow to answer our prayers.  It is we who are slow to exhibit faith in His providence and His love for us.

Today’s lesson ends with yet more healing.  Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.  Notice this does not say “some disease,” nor even “many diseases.”  The word is EVERY, meaning ALL MANNER of sickness.  Today’s Gospel focuses on blindness, leprosy and demon possession.  But there’s truly no limit to our Lord’s healing.

Selfish for Salvation

We like to think of ourselves as a people who compassionately care for the needs of others.  We're comforted when our donations to the Red Cross are found helping victims of storms.  We feel good about giving to St. Jude's Children's Hospital.  We no doubt from time to time hand cash to that beggar on the corner.  In all of this we "feel" like we're being selfless, "Doing the Lord's work," so to speak.  Doing works such as these is a wonderful thing.  It is in fact following our Lord's commandment to care for "the least of His brethren." (Mat 25:40)

However, it doesn't take a lot of thought to come up with ways in which selfishness rears its ugly head in our day-to-day lives.  There's the evidence found on any given black Friday when people push and shove others out of the way to get one of the first 50 tv's on sale for half off.  There's the recent memory of hoarding of toilet paper as the pandemic struck.  There are the people who know that a highway is necking down from two lanes to one but choose to take the "me first" lane and cut in front of those who have the discipline to follow the rules.

And so we understand that selfishness still abounds around us.  But we often remind those who are part of our worshipping community that there IS a time and a purpose where selfishness is a virtue rather than a vice.  When?  

Being selfish for my salvation!

Finding the path to salvation (Theosis) is a path of finding peace in our lives.  St. Seraphim of Sarov famously said, "Acquire a peaceful spirit and thousands around you will be saved."  And so seeking salvation, while able to be couched as a selfish act, carries with it the corollary that those with such a spirit will be found to help those "least of His brethren" who will be exposed to his or her peaceful spirit.  

Consider the thieves crucified with our Lord.  The one on the left uttered a "prayer" that said this:  "If You are the Christ, save Yourself - and us!"  It's a very contemporary kind of prayer.  It basically says, "Give me what I want, and give it to me NOW!"

The wise thief on the right prayed with greater wisdom.  "Remember me, O Lord, when You come into Your kingdom!" (Luke 23:39-42)  The prayer asks for nothing immediate.  It pleads for a promise of blessings to come.  It is 'selfishly' humble.  

Had our Lord granted the prayer of the left thief, the act would have impacted three souls, and it would have extended this life only, providing noting eternal.  Granting the prayer of the right thief, salvation becomes available to any human soul that believes in the Lord, and it saves not this perishable life, but provides entrance to life eternal.

And so each of us must live our lives working out our own salvation.  "Therefore, my beloved, ...  work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."  (Phil 2:12-13)  We are called to do this by using the talents given us by God.  “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10)

If we can do these things, perhaps we will find that peace in our lives, the peace that can be seen by others so that they, too, with the help of the Holy Spirit, might through their own prayers and inspired use of talents, find their own path to salvation.

Note From a Pilgrim at Vatopedi Monastery

He was a short man, dressed in a monastic cassock that provided him with anonymity towards his brethren. White beard. A slight forward bend to his stance, I imagined from years spent quietly and obediently serving his Lord. Whether he was monk or hieromonk or otherwise, there was no way to tell. In monasticism there are no military battle insignia, no ribbons on display at the chest to indicate battles won, theaters conquered. There is only the silent image of a humble man serving as directed those who, like this unworthy pilgrim, come in faith to witness the treasure that he guards.

The treasure itself is small. From a distance the treasure calls no attention to itself. One gains an appreciation of the treasure's importance based not on observing the relic directly, but by observing the line of people standing and waiting to venerate it, to prostrate themselves before him, to silently receive his blessing.

"He" is Saint Andrew, the first-called of the Apostles. When reality catches up with this pilgrim, it brings tears of reverence and joy because St. Andrew is the patron of the church in which this pilgrim was baptized, in which he offered his first confession, in which he first served inside an altar as an acolyte, in which his parents were wed, as well as his brother, in which many of his family reposed, from which they were buried. The presence, the physical presence of this patron floods the pilgrim with memories of all of these things - blessings granted by the saint's (and the pilgrim's) Master without need to ask for them, blessings founded in the saint's patronage and the Lord's knowledge of our needs even before we know them. Blessings that came from that small community church which made it "the cradle" that nurtured and set on the path this one cradle Orthodox Christian. Now all of these memories flood to the surface with the urgent need for thanksgiving.

The guardian monk motions the pilgrim to draw near. It's your time. Come. See. Touch.

I make my prostrations. Fearful of the holiness of what is present before me, I kiss the silver cover over the relic, a cover with an opening exposing the head of the blessed saint. I place my pectoral cross into the open hand of the guardian monk, who lovingly takes it, makes the sign of the cross over the saint with it, touches the cross to Saint Andrew's head, then turns and places it back into my trembling hand.

As he does so, he takes notice of that right hand. He grasps the wedding ring thereon. I don't think he spoke English. This pilgrim speaks no Greek. But by the grace of God we together understood one another. He showed recognition that the pilgrim is a married priest. At this, he took that ring covered finger and touched the pilgrim's ring and hand to the head of the saint. The pilgrim became an instrument conforming to the guardian monk's guidance. The monk then indicated that I should venerate the relic itself. Simultaneously with both great fear and great peace, the pilgrim conformed to the instructions of the monk. I kissed the head of Saint Andrew! My lips have touched one who walked with, spoke with, and touched my Lord and my God; one who was an apostle of the Forerunner and who took St. John's encouragement to follow Christ; one who was witness to the Master's ministry, His miracles, His love for mankind. He was there at the raising of Lazarus. He had his feet washed by the Lord. He was called 'friend' by the Lord. He was in the room when the resurrected Lord entered through closed doors. He witnessed the Ascension. He carried the Gospel throughout the world on his missionary journeys. He was martyred in his love for Christ.

With head still spinning from all these recognitions and pondering them, I turned to walk away, but was called back. The monk held out his hand and placed a vial of holy oil into my own hand - a blessing to share with the flock I've been called to serve.

The pilgrim tried to resume the pilgrimage. But as he prayerfully walked away, he recognized that those last 5 or 10 minutes of his life changed him - forever.

Now he gives thanks to his Lord. He gives thanks to Saint Andrew. And he gives thanks to the nameless humble monk who served as the instrument permitting this grace-filled moment to occur. He prays that he too may find repentance and humility in the time the Lord blesses him to remain in this life.

Being Conceived

 When does life begin?  It is a question that plagues our society.  There are those who have an agenda to permit removal of an embryo before it is “viable.” Others claim that life begins when a heartbeat is first noted.  There are still others who would contend (the Church being one) that life begins at the moment of conception.

Why this topic today?  Because if the “birthday” of St. Herman’s was on January 23rd 2005 (the day upon which we held our first service as a Diocesan Parish), then our “conception” was on this day, the Sunday of the Myrrh-bearing Women, which occurred in that year on May 11, 2003. 

A conception. The word conjures images of life that require nurturing, loving, protection by a loving parent and family.  Truth be told, it seems to be an appropriate image for us.  On that day now nearly twenty-three years ago, there was the love of a Metropolitan who chose to permit this life to enter the realm of being conceived.  There was a core group of faithful from our mother parish who saw the benefit in supporting this new life.  And there was a gathering of faithful, the “cells” of the new Body being formed in this place, in this time.

With new life comes new responsibility.  There were plans to be made. There were needs to secure a place to worship, to gather enough financial resources to enable the group to begin operating.  Services had to be planned.  Letters and advertisements had to be placed.  Tell the world—this new life is taking root.  Being loved and nurtured from the beginning, we prayed that with the Lord’s blessing it would grow into something wonderful, beautiful.  And by the Grace of God, it would come to serve the needs of those who would find it and come to it in faith and love, to share in its life.

Now, these many years later, we look back on that Sunday and we find a sense of astonishment.  How did this all come to be?  How is it possible that we even exist?

Life itself is so very fragile.  It is not promised.  It is a gift that, once given, must be cherished.  And within that gift, there comes a responsibility to conform that life into the image for which God created it, the image for which it was permitted to be conceived.

What image does our Lord want for us?  If we answer honestly, we must say that we, as faithful disciples, haven’t seen that vision yet. 

In a previous visit for St. Thomas Sunday, His Eminence, in his homily after Liturgy, encouraged all who were present to “believe and embrace the hope”.  We hope for answers to our prayers, that our Lord will give to us that which is beneficial for our salvation.  We “want” things for our own purposes, often without considering if our “wants” conform to God’s plan for us.  We want growth.  We know this would be good.  His Eminence’s urging is for us to expect that God will answer this good request.  We want a firm faith.  We know this also to be good.  We must expect that God will honor such prayers, those directed toward seeking His holy will for all of us.

We want so very many things.  But only one thing is needful, and that is to love the Lord, and to love our neighbor.  When we live in this way, we expect that He has and will give us all that is truly needful!

Christ is Risen!

Indeed, He is Risen!!!

 

Eternal Joy!

The Eternal Joy of Christians

Christians, always rejoice, for evil, death, sin, the devil and hell have been conquered by Christ. But when all of this is conquered, is there anyone in the world who can bring our joy to naught? You are the lord of this eternal rejoicing as long as you do not give in to sin. Joy burns in our hearts from His truth, love, resurrection, and from the Church and His saints. Joy burns in our hearts all because of sufferings for Him, mockings for Him, and death for Him, insofar as these sufferings write our names in heaven. There is no true joy on earth without the victory over death, but the victory over death does not exist without the Resurrection, and the Resurrection does not exist without Christ. The risen God-Man Christ, the founder of the Church, constantly pours out this joy into the hearts of His followers through the Holy Mysteries and good deeds. Our faith is fulfilled in this eternal joy, insofar as the joy of faith in Christ is the only true joy for human nature. 

- St. Justin Popovich

Prayer for Our Enemies

Lord Jesus Christ, Who commanded us to love our enemies, and those who defame and injure us, and to pray for them and forgive them; Who Yourself prayed for Your enemies, those who crucified You: grant us, we pray, the spirit of Christian reconciliation and meekness, that we may heartily forgive every injury and be reconciled with our enemies. Grant us to overcome the malevolence and offences of people with Christian meekness and true love of our neighbor. We further beseech You, O Lord, to grant to our enemies true peace and forgiveness of sins; and do not allow them to leave this life without true faith and sincere conversion. And help us repay evil with goodness, and to remain safe from the temptations of the devil and from all the perils which threaten us, in the form of visible and invisible enemies. 

Amen. 

"No Fault" Repentance

 Most of us are aware of the auto insurance coverage labeled “No Fault Insurance.”  One purported benefit is to avoid legal entanglements so that those impacted by an accident can receive benefits to cover loss sooner that would otherwise be possible.

So, something bad has happened, and no one is to blame!

When we come to confession, I think we often approach the priest with these same ideas in mind.  Yes, there was sin, but no one is at fault for what happened.

One of the phrases used by many who come for confession is the expression “everyday sins”.  What exactly is this supposed to mean?  In the minds of some it’s likely to mean “This sin is so minor it doesn’t really need forgiveness.”  For others it would seem to indicate “The world is a dirty place, and just by walking in it, some of it gets on you.  Who can blame anyone for that?”

But you see, all of these perspectives turn the righteous and honorable process of confessing into something that has no meaning.  If the things that have “just happened around me” are being offered as my sins, the act of confessing has been neutered, for I leave no better than when I arrived. I’ve done nothing wrong.  The world has done it to me! That same “stuff” that’s in the world is going to happen again, and again, and if I don’t take the opportunity to cleanse myself of more than just “the same old stuff,” I’m not taking any steps to attempt to avoid falling into sins again—at any level.  St. Tikhon of Zadonsk wrote a piece, “On Self-Examination” where he gives this advice:

We believe in the Gospel, but do we live in a way that is worthy of the Gospel? We confess and we call on the true God; but do we please him with the faith and pure conscience that He requires of us? We listen to the holy word of God; but do we heed it, and do we correct ourselves according to its rules? We commune the holy and life-creating Mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ; but are we renewed by Holy Communion and do we progress towards a new, spiritual personality?

Within our preparation for the sacrament of repentance, our focus on this new spiritual personality should come to the fore in our prayerful preparation.  I come to confession because I’m not content being the person who I am on a daily basis.  I want with my whole heart to become that person who my Master created me to be.  I want to serve Him, not myself.  I come in prayerful hope that He will open my eyes to those things in my life which separate me from Him.  I come in the expectation that He wants to and will forgive me of all that I confess in sincerity.

I come recognizing that I truly AM “at fault,” and I try not to leave before emptying my heart to my spiritual father.  Sometimes this process is blessed with tears.  Whatever the case, the process of cleansing only produces gain to the extent to which I commit to seeking repentance fully.

Generalizations within the act of confessing are not helpful.  Going to a doctor with the words, “I’m not feeling well” produces no healing benefit.  Where does it hurt?  How does it incapacitate you?  Only with honest answers can proper medicines be prescribed.  These same ideas must enter the confessional with us if we hope to be healed.

Archpastoral Message - Opening of Holy and Great Fast

 Your Grace, beloved Fathers, brothers and sisters in the Lord,

Once again, with the will and grace of God, the Giver of all good things, we are entering Holy and Great Lent, the blessed period of fasting and repentance, of spiritual vigilance and journey with the Lord, as He approaches His voluntary Passion, so that we may reach the veneration of His glorious Resurrection and become worthy of our own passage from earthly things to “what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived” (1 Cor. 2:9).

In the early Church, Holy and Great Lent was a period of preparation for catechumens, whose baptism took place during the Divine Liturgy of Pascha. This connection with baptism is also preserved in the understanding and experience of Great Lent as the period par excellence of repentance, described as “a renewal of baptism,” “a second baptism,” “a covenant with God for a second life,” in other words, a renewal of the grace of baptism and a promise to God for the beginning of a new way of life. The services and hymns of this season associate the spiritual struggle of the faithful with the expectation of the Lord’s Pascha, whereby the forty-day fast radiates the fragrance of Paschal joy.

Holy and Great Lent is an opportunity to become conscious of the depth and richness of our faith as “a personal encounter with Christ.” It is rightly emphasized that Christianity is “extremely personal,” without this implying that it is “individualistic.” The faithful “encounter, recognize, and love one and the same Christ, Who alone revealed the true and perfect human person” (St. Nicholas Cabasilas). He invites all people—and each person individually—to salvation, so that the response of each may always be “grounded in the common faith” and, at the same time, be unique.

I prayerfully wish all of you in our God-protected Diocese of the USA, Canada, and Australia a blessed and salvific Holy and Great Lent 2026.

+Metropolitan Joseph

In Search of Fervent Prayer

Here's a spiritual lesson you can try at home.  Take a candle that has never been lit, and also a lighter.  Using the lighter, pass its flame over the wick.  Note how it does not immediately light.  Do it again.  Still no light, right?  Now, hold the flame on the wick until you confirm that it has lit.  Now, blow the candle out.  Walk away for 5 minutes, then come back and repeat the above.  Note that now that the wick has supported a flame, the candle lights with much less effort.  Now as a final step, light the candle, blow it out, then immediately pass the lighter flame NEAR the wick.  See how the flame leaps to the wick and it burns fully.  What is the purpose of this effort?  A candle is emblematic of our prayers.  If we do not pray, we are like the candle that has never been lit.  The flame must remain with us for a long time for us to show our prayer.  Once we have approached prayer, we are like the candle which has been lit, and it becomes easier for us to support the flame, to engage in profitable prayers.  It takes less to get us going!  Finally, if we are praying but have our prayer interrupted, then re-engage it quickly, the flame leaps to light the way.  So it is with our prayer.  Thank you, St. Paul, for teaching us that we need to pray without ceasing!  (1Thes 5:16-18)

The Second Coming

   The Holy Orthodox Church remembers our Lord’s Second Coming on this Sunday each year—the Sunday that begins Meatfare Week.

The Gospel reading begins: ““When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.”

The words from this first verse of today’s Gospel that always capture my attention are, and ALL the holy angels. 

There is no scriptural reference detailing the total number of angels in heaven.  St. Paul goes so far as to say, But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels. (Heb 12:22)  In short, there are so very many of them that perhaps only God Himself could number them!

The next phrase in today’s Gospel says, All the nations will be gathered before Him.  How many people is this?  Given today’s statistics, it is nearly 8.3 billion.  All of those angels.  All of us.  All gathered before the Judge, before one Man.  He returns to do what St. Matthew describes next: He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 

What identifies the difference between a sheep and a goat?

A sheep is one who “does” without taking note of their good deeds.  They feed, they give drink, they shelter those in need.  They clothe those who are naked.  They visit the sick and imprisoned.  The goats also take no note of their “inactions” in not doing for others.  And the fascinating part of the account is that neither sheep nor goat sees their connection with the Lord.  Both ask the same question: When did we see You in need, Lord?  The difference is in the Lord’s answer.  You did (or did not) do it for Me when you did (or did not) do it for….  Those separated as sheep are surprised to find that it was in fact Jesus for Whom they were providing.  Those goats are surprised to find that it was in fact Jesus Whom they were ignoring.  Each group does what they do because of their character (or lack thereof).  Wise virgins wait.  Good servants serve.  Sheep also serve.  The difference compared with nature is that we are free to choose to be a sheep.  We are free to choose to be a goat!

Who are those who benefit from the goodness of the sheep?  The least of My brethren.  The Greek word used for ‘brethren’ carries a connection between people as being joined by a common womb. It is yet another view of the Parable of the Good Samaritan—everyone is my neighbor, and all of us are one people, we have a common Father, we are all brothers and sisters.

Minimally at every Divine Liturgy, but also for most of us within our own daily prayer rule, we pray the Nicene Creed, within which are these words: And He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead.  We echo the words of today’s Gospel reading in our daily prayers!  Do we call to mind Matthew 25 when we pray the Creed?  If not, why not?  If not, do we look for the Second Coming as being a certain event, one that looms on the human (and my personal) horizon?

This is What it Means to be a Father

   Or a mother, for that matter.

One of the definitions we have for God is, God is Love.  And we know that God is One in the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  So when God the Son sets out to explain to His creation (mankind) how he should understand God, what description can He offer to help us understand that which is beyond our ability to comprehend?

He gifts to us the Parable of the Prodigal Son.

In the Gospel of St. Luke we find the scribes and the Pharisees grumbling.  This Man receives sinners and eats with them.  This is a judgmental attack toward God for His being loving and merciful!

And so our Lord attempts to lovingly bring them under His wing by offering not one, not two, but three parables.

First there is the parable of the man who has a hundred sheep, and he leaves the ninety-nine to go and find the one that is lost.

Second there is the parable of the lost coin and the fervent effort the woman makes to search for and find the lost coin, and of her rejoicing when she recovers it!

Continuing through the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke, we finally we get to what this author considers to be the ultimate parable given us by our Lord, that of the Prodigal Son.

You see, the son was exceedingly cruel.  Metropolitan Anthony says this about him:  When he says, ‘Father, give me my part of your inheritance,’ do the words not mean, ‘I can’t wait until your death...It is now that I want to reap the fruits of your life… Let us come to an agreement—for me you are dead.  Give me what belongs to me, or what would belong to me after your death, and I will go and live the life I have chosen.’

Isn’t this emblematic of our own behavior toward our Heavenly Father?  While we are with Him, we receive all we need from Him.  But we feel limited by His rules.  He expects integrity and truth from us.  He expects us to understand the true meaning of love from Him.  But too often, these expectations toward us are too much for us.  We take His gifts, then turn and use them not as He would intend, but only to profit ourselves, without any returns to Him.

I for one can’t imagine agreeing to the young man’s request, knowing his inexperience and the danger to which it would expose him.  But this Father is wiser than I am.  His caving to the request indeed exposes the young man to many things not immediately to his benefit.  But spending all, having to find a means of living, seeing oneself envying the swine for the food he is providing to them, all of this brings him to a core-level change, he came to himself.

Please note that related to this revelation is the image of fasting.  He would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, but no one gave him anything.

It is this hunger that changes him, and immediately he considers his Father’s own servants, and brings him to the point of generating his fervent confession.  Father, I have sinned!  He offers no excuse.  He knows this is all on him!

Now, see the love of the Father, Who seemingly unceasingly stayed fervently looking for His son’s return.  Jesus tells us that the Father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.

The Father spoke no words to the son.  He spoke only to the servants.  Bring a robe.  Put a ring on his finger.  Put sandals on his feet.  Kill the fatted calf.  Let us celebrate!

As Metropolitan Anthony suggested the son’s motive of considering his Father as dead, so now the Father reverses this perspective.  For this My son was dead, and is alive again.

Lord, instill within us a heartfelt desire to be faithful children, worthy of the love You show us each and every day of our lives.

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Giving Thanks Properly

 God, I thank You that I am not like other men.  While it is a fact that David in the Spirit wrote, It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High (Ps 92:1), such a virtuous encouragement to offer heartfelt thanks to the Lord does not provide license to turn the praise into judgment of another.

But this is human nature, isn’t it?  If I set out to assess my spiritual state in life, is my analysis founded on Scripture and the instructions of my Lord, or does my judgment of self get run comparing myself to someone else?

We’ve all at least heard such things, and if truth be told, we’ve most likely all participated in such things.  “Yes, I did thus-and-such wrong, BUT others have done so much worse!”  In short, we ‘justify’ ourselves not on an absolute scale (“Sin is sin!”) but on a relativistic scale (“I’m not as bad as……”)

Consider for a moment the Pharisee’s words.  I thank You that I am not like other men.  What does this mean analytically to the one making the ‘prayer’?  The clear implication is that only I am without sin.  How dangerous a position is that to take with the Just Judge?

And what kinds of other men are  we talking about? 

1) Extortioners:  My memory is not so good, but just last week we heard from a man whom our Lord called by name who said this: If I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.  In these words, Zacchaeus is admitting to extorting money, and he is offering the repentant response of giving back four times what he stole unrighteously.

2) The Unjust:  Recall the account of St. Moses who lived a life of crime, but was saved by his repentance.

3) Adulterers:  We have the example of St. Mary Magdalene, who by repentance saw the Lord expel seven demons from her, and also St. Mary of Egypt who although lived a life of sin in her youth received great spiritual strength in her old age by repentance and fasting.

4) Tax collectors:  Remember, St. Matthew was a tax collector.  Also today’s Publican, who went to his house justified is in this group.  The Greek word for justified here is dikaioo, and it carries the meaning to render as innocent!

And so those being judged by the Pharisee as unworthy of God’s love and attention are among the first to find His favor—when they also find repentance.

The Lord is so very careful to spend so much time, so many words, describing the Pharisee with at least 40 words in his description.  What does our Lord say about the Publican?  Twenty-nine words total, but seven of greatest import—God, be merciful to me, a sinner!

Today, the Church gifts to us the entry point, the gate, if you will, to enter into the season of the Fast.  How does She open this gate to us?  By gently teaching us, as taught by St. Theophan, to focus on that one and only thing I have been given the ability by my Lord to be able to change.

Myself!

David said in Ps 51, Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.  Lord, I beseech You, put that Spirit to right myself into my heart.  And teach me to pray fervently and continuously, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!