You and Your Talents

(16th Sunday after Pentecost) (Matthew 25:14-30)

How many talents has your Master entrusted to you? How have you put those talents to work for Him?

We do well to ponder these questions for ourselves, because we will one day be called into His presence to give an account for all that we have done. Now, I don’t know about you, but, for myself, I’d much rather hear Him say to me, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” Does anyone want to be called a wicked and slothful servant? But if we don’t consider how we use the blessings that God has given to us, we have, in effect, buried our talent in the earth; and will find ourselves judged, as was the servant who had been entrusted with one talent.

Because the “talent” spoken of in the parable has monetary value, we can, and should, and must, speak about how we use the material resources with which God has provided us. In our Orthodox life of prayer, and fasting, and struggling to acquire the virtues, there is also the component of giving – that is, of using the material resources (sometimes called “time” and “treasure”) we have for the work of God. Scripture speaks to us of the need for us to give tithes and offerings: giving our tithe – 10% – to support the work and operations of the Church; and making offerings for the needs of others. Are you tithing to support the church? If not, why not? Are you giving to feed the hungry, house the homeless, clothe the naked? If not, why not? This is certainly one aspect of understanding this parable of the talents in our world today.

Consider all that the Lord has given to you. Not sure what that might be? Well, let’s make a list. It’s not a comprehensive list – I can’t give you all the answers! But we can certainly cover a few of the more important gifts each of us has received.

To begin with, God has given you your life. You didn’t have to exist, you know! God, for the sake of His love, has called each one of us into existence, and desires that we might enter into a relationship with Him – one that He intends will never end. And, in giving us life, He has done so in a way that establishes His image in us – a very significant action. (We’ll come back to this point later.)

In giving you life, God has also given you the power to believe. Our power to believe is an amazing one: partly residing in our hearts, and partly in our minds; and being as well an act of our will. We then go forth and act in accordance with what we believe; and to help us in this, God has revealed Himself to us: in nature, where we can see the work of His hands; in Scripture, where we learn of His mighty acts; and through our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, made flesh for our salvation. When we believe the testimony of nature, and the Bible, and of the Holy Church, our belief leads us to have faith; and it is by faith that we are saved, for faith impels us to examine our lives, and repent of our sins, and to seek to be transformed, that we might save our lives.

God, we said, in giving us life, has also made us in His image. This tells us something else about the talents we have received. The Holy Apostle and Evangelist, St. John the Theologian, whose repose is commemorated on this day, tells us that, “God is love.” For us, then, to live in the image, and after the likeness, of God, we must love.
Sometimes, it is easy to love. As a general rule, we love our families: husbands and wives love each other; parents and children love each other; brothers and sisters love each other. Even when relations are strained, or even broken, there is always the hope that the love once there will be renewed. It is also easy, for the most part, to love those who are similar to us. This is one of the things that make the Church so much like a family: we’re all in this together, and have chosen to travel in the same direction along the same path. It’s not as easy to love those who hate us, or reject us, or make fun of us, or ignore us – and yet God loves each one of us even when we sin against Him, or against each other. Forgiveness is only possible with love; restoration to each other is only possible with love; we can only be true to ourselves when we love; we can only resemble God by love. God loves us even when we are unlovely, and unlovable; and if we could only realize some part of the incredible depths of God’s love for us, we would be ashamed of how shallow our own lives are; and be moved to be instead vessels of God’s love, poured out into the world on behalf of all, and for all.

Brothers and sisters: There are no greater riches than the love of God for us. He has given us His love, and has entrusted this treasure, this “talent,” this ability to love and care for each other in His name, and on His behalf, to each of us. Let us put this, and all our other time and abilities into service to Him Who loves us with a most incredible love. Let us love one another, as Christ loves us and gave Himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God.

Taking Up the Cross for Love

(15th Sunday after Pentecost)

What made it possible for our Lord Jesus Christ to take up His Cross, and die for us? Love. It is the love between God the Father and God the Son that enabled our Lord, in His hour of struggle, to say, “Not my will, but thine, be done,” and for the Son to be obedient to the Father to accomplish our deliverance from sin and death. It is the love of God for us, the work of His hands, that caused Him id not depart from us, but rather to come and dwell in our midst, identifying Himself with us completely by joining our nature to His own. His coming and His Cross are empowered by love.

What made it possible for the martyrs to endure suffering and death rather than denying that Jesus Christ is Lord? It was their love for God that led the holy martyrs Trophimus and Sabbatius to reject their high positions in this world and to be faithful to our Lord during a time of persecution. It was the love for those to whom we are joined in the faith that led the martyr Dorymedon to tend to the wounds of Trophimus and Sabbatius during their time of torture, which led to his own martyrdom. Faithfulness and tenderness are empowered by love.

In the two Gospel readings appointed for today, we hear how it is necessary for us to fulfill the Summary of the Law; and to take up our cross and follow the Lord. You know the Summary: “Love the Lord your God will all your heart and soul and mind and strength; and love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Our Lord fulfills both these teachings by taking His Cross, an act of love for God and for us, whom God has made His neighbors by living among us. The martyrs fulfill these teachings, loving God more than they loved life in this world, and caring for each other, even at the risk of death. Without love for God, it is impossible for us to take up our cross and follow Him; without love for God, it is impossible for us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

What about us? Can we honestly say that we love God? Perhaps your answer will be like mine: I love God, but not with all my heart and soul and mind and strength; I love God, but I also love myself, and I am still attached to many pleasures of this life and world, and must struggle when the time comes to give them up, and I often fail in the time of trial. Perhaps your answer might be like mine: I love my neighbor, but I love myself more.

Every time we choose the ways of this world instead of the way of God – every time we sin – we show that our love for God is incomplete. Wealth, comfort, power, fame – these lead us to greed, and laziness, and pride; and, ultimately loving ourselves more than we love God. Every time we allow ourselves to become angry, such as when we get cut off in traffic; every time we become impatient or irritated, or we don’t get our own way; in all these things, we show that we do not love our neighbors as well as we love ourselves. What about us? Can we honestly say that we love God? Without love for God, it is impossible for us to take up our cross and follow Him; without love for God, it is impossible for us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

We show our love for God when we take up our cross: when we dedicate ourselves to serving God by laboring to be transformed increasingly in His likeness through the way of life of the Orthodox Church – through prayer and fasting and giving and struggle. We show our love for God when we take up the cross of humbling ourselves, setting ourselves aside, and considering others as more important, and more worthy of love and respect, than we think we are, ourselves. It is not easy; but when we recognize that we are loved by God, and truly believe in the power of His love for us, then the task becomes one that is worth the effort – and you are truly, deeply loved by God.

Brothers and sisters, beloved of God: let us show our love for God by caring for each other, and considering others more worthy than ourselves. Let us show our love for God by taking up our cross, and following faithfully the way of life given to us in His Church. With us, in our strength alone, this is impossible; but we will succeed through the power of His love.

By This Sign Conquer

(The Exaltation of the Cross) (John 19:6-11a, 13-20, 25-28a, 30b-35)

It is said that the Emperor Constantine, as he was preparing his troops for the battle that would make him the ruler of the western part of the Roman Empire, had a vision of a Cross of brilliant light superimposed upon the sun; and he heard a voice say to him, “By this sign you will conquer.” He ordered his men to put the sign of the Cross on their shields; and he was, indeed, victorious in battle that day. The Emperor, a pagan at that time, later issued the Edict of Milan, which ended the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire; and he would also summon the Council of Nicaea in the year 325 to put to an end the dissension in the Church aroused by the heretical teachings of Arius. He became a Christian as his death drew near; and the Church recognizes him as St. Constantine the Great.

When the Empress Helena, Constantine’s mother, went to Jerusalem to find the Cross of our Lord, it was discovered that the site of our Lord’s Crucifixion had been covered by a temple to the Goddess Diana. Excavating the site, three crosses were found. How would it be possible to determine the True Cross? The Patriarch Macarius was able to discern a way. As a funeral procession passed by, he directed that the person being taken to be buried be placed on each cross. With the first two, there was no effect; but, when the corpse was placed on the Cross of our Lord, life was immediately restored to that person. After that, a woman who was ill was placed on the Cross, and she was healed. In this way, the True Cross was revealed, and was venerated by all as the precious and holy life-giving Cross..

We may not ever see a vision. We may never hear a voice tell us anything. But we must know this: By this sign, the sign of the Cross, we are able to conquer in every battle that we face. The sign of the Cross wounds the demons, and drives them far from us; and so, when we are tempted, we have as part of our defensive arsenal the sign of the Cross. When we are afraid, we make the sign of the Cross, remembering that we do not achieve anything by our own strength, but only by the strength of Him Who dwells in us. When we have sinned, we make the sign of the Cross, remembering Him Who died on the Cross for the forgiveness of our sins, and so we can be helped to repent and confess. By this, by confessing and repenting, and by using the power of the sign of the Cross in our own lives, we too conquer death; we, too, are raised from death to life by the power of the holy and life-giving Cross.

Brothers and sisters: As we keep this solemn feast day, let us give thanks that our Lord Jesus Christ gave Himself for us on the Cross; and let us give thanks that, in the sign of the Cross, we have a weapon to use against the demons, against our weakness, and against our sins, that we might have life, and have it in abundance.

What is This Thing Called Love?

(14th Sunday after Pentecost) (John 3:13-17)

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

What is this thing called love? Most of us would probably define love as a feeling: whether as an attraction to someone, or of affection, or of caring for someone. In our culture today, we talk about love as a feeling that can be overwhelming, and irresistible. Elvis said, “I can’t help falling in love with you.” But love based on feelings can be deceptive: what happens when the attraction fades, when the circumstances change; what happens “after the love is gone?” Is this the love that St. John the Theologian was talking about when he wrote of God’s love?

I’ve heard it said that the Greeks had five different words that we translate into English as “love.” I don’t know about five; but I am familiar with three: eros, which denotes “sexual love”; philos, which is usually translated as “brotherly love,” or, perhaps, that love that exists between friends – a “friendly love,” which is not sexual in nature; and agape, which might be defined, in one word, as “benevolence” – to be full of good will towards another, and to show this good will in word and in deed. In a way, eros and agape are opposites: both generating very strong thoughts and feelings, but where eros is physical or sexual, agape is spiritual, rather than physical. Eros is the type of love that makes you feel as if you will die if it isn’t expressed or returned; but only agape can describe the love for another that makes it possible for us to die on their behalf. It is this love, agape, which St. John the Theologian speaks of to tell us of God’s love for us.

St. Paul writes in a similar way, “But God shows His love for us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) This love is not a “feeling” – it is a choice. God, for whatever reason, despite our rejection of Him, despite our unworthiness, despite the fact that our sins have made us unlovely, and unlovable, chooses to love us; and in that act of love, gives that which is truly lovely, and truly loveable, His only-begotten Son, so that we might be transformed from enemies of God into His friends; transformed from being sinners into saints; transformed from a death-directed existence into persons who will live a life without death, dwelling in His kingdom in an unbroken and unending relationship of love so intense that we cannot begin to speak of it. Speaking for myself, I think we can only begin to appreciate the fire of God’s love for us by grasping the intensity of love as eros; and somehow moving from its sexual intensity to a spiritual intensity, as agape. The intensity of the love that attracts us to each other, bonding men and women together as husbands and wives, leads us from a love that begins by filling a need within us to becoming a love in which we can give all that we have, and all that we are, for the benefit of the person we love – taking this love beyond husband and wife, and becoming the love that exists between parents and children; from which then can flow love for our extended families, and our family in Christ – and ultimately to love for God, so that we can fulfill our Lord’s commandment to love the Lord our God, and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. We love, because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

So there is good news for us: we are loved. Each and every one of us is loved by God. No matter what you have done, no matter how you have sinned, God loves you, and desires that you share with Him in a relationship of love; which will never end, never grow cold, never be dull. It is not a feeling; it is a choice that God has made, to offer Himself to us in love; and a choice we must make, to offer ourselves to Him in love. This is the only reason for us to pay attention to His commandments, to keep His laws: not as a duty; not to avoid punishment – for these reasons cannot give us the strength to persist when the way becomes difficult. We can only hope to succeed in following the path of the life of prayer and fasting and giving and spiritual struggle because we choose to love God more than we love the pleasures of this world, and the momentary and illusive and ultimately empty pleasures of our sins.

Brothers and sisters: Let us love one another, as Christ loved us, and gave Himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God. Let us love God with all the fullness of our being; and let us love and care for each other, choosing to do so with the love of God, and no thought of gain or advantage for ourselves. By doing so, we find God’s love for us; and so be set free to love Him, and each other, in return.

Tending His Vineyard

(13th Sunday after Pentecost) (Matthew 21:33-42)

When our Lord speaks in parables, He is using familiar imagery to allow us to see more deeply into the reality of our existence. In today’s Gospel reading, He tells a story about a man who, in today’s terms, makes an investment by planting, and making other improvements to, a vineyard. He then rents his property, and goes to a far country. As the harvest time comes, he sends his representatives to collect the rent, deferred until the harvest is in. But instead of paying the rent, the tenants drive off the representatives, beating one, stoning another, and killing another.

Now, at this point, we would have called the police – probably even before this point. But the property owner decides that he will send his son as his representative, thinking that the people who had done business with him would respect his presence in the person of his son. Instead, the tenants say among themselves, “Look, here is his son. Let us kill him, and take this property, which is his inheritance.” And so they seize the son, drag him out of the vineyard, and kill him.

Of course, we recognize that the son who is killed is our Lord speaking about Himself, the Son of God; He is speaking of His own death. The deeper truth, then, is that this is a parable about the world. The fathers tell us that the man who plants the vineyard is God Who, in His love for man, calls Himself a man. The vineyard is the Jewish people, planted – that is to say – established by God in the land He promised to them. The hedge may be understood to be the Law He gave to guide them, or the holy angels He set to guard them. The winepress is the altar; the tower is the temple. Those who tend the vineyard are the teachers of the people, the scribes and Pharisees. We are also meant to understand that the “far country” to which the owner departs represents the long-suffering patience of God, when evil increases, and it seems that God is absent. The representatives who were sent are the prophets; and the son sent, of course, is His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. The tenants, who were meant to receive the Son on behalf of the vineyard, the people of God under the old covenant, crucified Him; and as a result, they were destroyed; and the vineyard was rented to new tenants, to the apostles, and to those who teach the apostolic faith.

Thus, on the one hand, we have received the inheritance spoken of; but, on the other hand, we are also responsible for delivering to the landlord His portion of the fruit of the vineyard. There are a number of levels we should understand in what we are meant to give to the Lord. Probably the most obvious is in terms of rent: when we pay rent, we are doing so in money; and so we can see the need to give our tithe to the church, and to make offerings for the needs of others. Money, of course, is usually the result of our labors, using our time and our talents; and so these, too, are meant to be placed at the service of the Lord. Among the demands upon our time is the need for prayer, and to gather to worship the Lord. Finally, at the deepest level, we are speaking of love: for all our giving of money or time or effort, all our prayers, all our worship, are empty and meaningless is not rising from a love for the Lord Who loves us, and without love for each other – a love that is patient and long-suffering and forgiving of offenses, and understanding of weakness. We have been planted as a vineyard in God’s love. We have been surrounded and protected by the hedge of God’s love. We have been raised up to see visions of the heavenly country by the tower of God’s love. We have in our midst the altar where God shows His love for us by giving Himself for us, and giving Himself to us in the bread and wine that He blesses to be His Body and Blood. And we have each other, a vineyard to be cared for in love – love for God, and for each other.

Brothers and sisters, the vineyard of God: Let us love one another, as Christ loves us, and gave Himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God. Let us worship God, giving thanks for His love; and let us care for each other, as we are His Body; and let us love those who have not yet been joined to Him, that, by seeing our love, they may see Him, and so come to Him, to the glory of God, and the salvation of our souls.

Is Anybody Reading These?

OK, so, it's not like I'm not going to continue to write sermons -- at least, not as long as I am permitted to serve as a priest in the Church. And, having written them down (which I do to clarify my thoughts, such as they are, and cut down on the amount of rambling that takes place while actually preaching!), it really doesn't take much time to post them here; nor does it cost anything, as this is a free site. (I do have Scottish blood in my background after all. Not cheap -- thrifty!)

Still, there's no need to consume bandwidth if no one reads these poor and humble offerings. Even so, I guess I'm betraying some level of pride in wanting people to read these sermons, and even more, to comment on them...

Comments, anyone?

"What must I do to inherit eternal life?"

(11th Sunday after Pentecost) (Matthew 19:16-26)

Four years ago today, terrorists attacked New York City and Washington, D.C. Thousands of people were killed. We are still living with the aftermath today.

Two weeks ago today, Hurricane Katrina came ashore in the central Gulf Coast. Hundreds of people were killed; perhaps thousands. We will be living with the aftermath of this storm for years to come.

If nothing else, the remembrance of these events should stir us to consider anew the question with which the rich young man approaches our Lord Jesus Christ: What good thing shall I do, that I may inherit eternal life? This is in keeping with the instruction we have from the Fathers, who teach us that we must, without becoming obsessed with the idea, be ever mindful of the reality that each of us will, one day, depart from this life, and come into the presence of God, to give an account of how we lived, and be judged on that basis.

Who among us can say, with the rich young man, that we have kept all of the commandments of God from our youth? Who among us is not concerned at all about the things of this world, about ease and comfort that requires us to have many things? Such people are exceedingly rare. Now, you might say, “Father, I’m not rich.” Well, maybe you’re not like an actress I read about recently who, when she travels, requires a hotel room for her shoes, in addition to the suite she stays in (at a price of $3,500 a day); and who, while waiting for her luggage at an airport, had her purse stolen from her – with $200,000 of jewelry in it. OK, no one here is rich in that sense; but, in comparison to most of the people who have lived, and most of the people living now, we are rich: we live more comfortably, with more convenience and leisure, than most people have ever experienced. It is the material prosperity of our country and culture that leads people to hide in packing crates and shipping containers, or to walk through the desert, in an attempt to enter this country, and partake of the lifestyle we take for granted, all the while thinking that we need more before we can call ourselves, “rich.”

What must I do to inherit eternal life? Our Lord gives the rich young man the bottom line: Give up all that you have to benefit those in need, and follow me. Some of us are called to this ascetic path today – to give up everything, and follow Christ. Most of us are not capable of doing this in a literal way: if nothing else, we have others who are dependent upon us to provide them with the things necessary for life; we are not free to sell everything we have, and enter a monastery, or devote ourselves entirely to ministering to those in need. But we must still follow Christ; and we have, in the Orthodox way of life, the path and the means to do this. We must pray; we must fast; we must struggle against our passions, and labor to replace them with their opposing virtues – and we must give, so as to set ourselves free, at least in some way, from our possessions. We are called to give our tithes for the support of the Church; and we are called to make offerings for those in need – such as those who have lost everything in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Maybe we can’t yet part with every earthly possession; but we can make tithes and offerings, and so begin to do at least part of what is needed to allow us to follow Christ, rather than depart from Him in sorrow, as did the rich young man, whose possessions, we are told, were great.

Brothers and sisters: We do not know at what hour our life in this world will come to an end; and so we must develop in ourselves a sense that urgent preparation is needed, lest that day be today, and we be found lacking in what God requires of us. What must we do to inherit eternal life? We must confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and God, and Savior; and this, not only in word, but also in deed. We must direct our lives so that what we say and what we do testify alike to the reality that Jesus Christ is Lord of our lives, and we are His servants. As His servants, we must do what He does: live without sin, and confessing our sins when we fall; we must be patient, and merciful, humble; we must love our neighbors, and so desire their salvation that we are willing to give of ourselves, of our time, our talents, and our treasures – that the hungry may be fed, the naked clothes, the homeless sheltered, and the sick and the prisoners be comforted. Our Lord calls us, as He called the rich young man: Be free of all your earthly possessions, and come, and follow Me.

Death and the Dormition

(10th Sunday after Pentecost) (The Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos)

Here’s a news flash: Unless the Lord returns before it happens, we are all, one day, going to die. Our life in this world will come to an end. We all know this, of course; but we don’t always live as we should in the light of this knowledge. The Fathers tell us that this thought should always be uppermost in our minds, and that it should guide every thought, every word, every deed.

Today the Church celebrates the Dormition of our Lady Theotokos; the day she “fell asleep” in the Lord, the day she departed from this life – the day she died. As we can be instructed by her life, we can also be instructed by her departing from this life. After the Crucifixion of her Son, she lived with the apostle John, to whose care He had given her. She rejoiced in the apostles, and often went to pray at the places that had been the location of significant events in the life and ministry of our Lord. Chief among these were the Mount of Olives, and Golgotha. In her old age, her prayers, especially in these two places, were to be released from this life. These prayers however, also included the fervent request that, when her soul and body were parted, that she be spared the darkness and its terrors and punishment; and that she might not encounter the power of Satan, but be delivered from the accusations brought against her.

This should make us stop and think. If the one who gave birth to our Lord Jesus Christ, Who broke the gates of hell and trampled down death by death felt the need to pray for such protection, what about us, who are sinners? If she, whom we say is “…without corruption” – that is, without sin – “gavest birth to God the Word,” needed to pray for deliverance, what about us, who are sinners? In the same humility which, at the time of the Annunciation, led her to proclaim herself as the handmaiden of the Lord, at the time of her death, she did not put any value upon the role she had fulfilled as the Birth-giver of God, but instead entrusted herself to the mercy of God, and not in her works. She was mindful of death; she took no pleasure in this world, but desired instead the world to come; she prepared herself for the day of her departure from this life; and she prayed for mercy.

Can we do any less than our glorious Lady Theotokos? We, too, must be mindful of death. We should remember that the life in this world is temporary, and so not allow ourselves to be attached to any of its pleasures. We should prepare ourselves for the great and terrible Day of Judgment, and repent, and do all that is within our power to do the will of God, and turn away from the passions and the weakness and wickedness of our flesh. We should do all that is within our power to be faithful in prayer, and in fasting, in giving alms, and in struggling to acquire the godly virtues, if only to prepare for the day of our death; and we should always pray for God’s mercy, especially at the time of death: for ourselves, for those whom we love, for all Orthodox Christians, and for all who are made in the image of God.

Brother and sisters, called to be saints: Let us commit ourselves, and one another, and all our life, into Christ our God. Let us follow the example of the life and prayers of our most holy, most pure, most blessed, glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-virgin Mary. Let us be mindful of death, and be instructed by her Dormition, so that we also will prepare ourselves for that day; to the glory of God, and the salvation of souls.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us!

We Are Also in the Boat

(9th Sunday after Pentecost) (August 21, 2005)

Today’s reading from the Gospel according to St. Matthew is a familiar story. Having miraculously fed five thousand men, as well as women and children, with five loaves and two fish, our Lord sends His disciples ahead by boat, while He goes by Himself to a mountaintop to pray. As night falls, the boat, in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, is being tossed by wind and waves. In the fourth watch, our Lord comes to His disciples, walking on the water; but they mistake Him for a spirit, not recognizing Him – hardly surprising, given that He is walking on the water! He calls to encourage them; and St. Peter, filled with excitement, says, “Lord, if You will, command me to come to you on the water.” Our Lord says, “Come, “ and St. Peter steps out of the boat and walks on the water – at least, while his attention is fixed on the Lord. As soon as he turns his attention to the action of wind and waves, he begins to sink, and cries out for the Lord to save him. He does so, while commenting, “O ye of little faith, why did you doubt?” The disciples worship Him when He enters the boat, for they recognize that He is, indeed, the Son of God.

That’s a dramatic story, with very vivid images. I recall one summer many years ago, boating with friends up on Canyon Lake, on the Verde River. It’s a calm, quiet lake; or, it was until a strong thunderstorm developed; and, as the wind grew stronger, the surface of the lake was stirred up, and soon we were facing waves of two to three feet in height as we raced back to the dock ahead of the storm. I can appreciate what the disciples must have been experiencing, out on a much larger body of water for a longer period of time, and at night. In particular, imagine what might have been going through the minds of those who were not experienced sailors; and Peter and Andrew and James and John, all experienced fishermen, must have been busy trying to keep the boat safe and on course. You can’t earn your living on the water, as fishermen do, without knowing of friends and colleagues lost by shipwreck and storm, washed overboard, and drowned. To me, this makes Peter’s act of getting out of the boat all that more significant. He had to know the risks involved, and yet his love for the Lord, and his faith in Him – and Peter did have faith, or else he could never have tried to step out of the boat – overcome his fears; at least, for a moment.

On one level, this story reveals the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, the master of the earthly realm, able even to walk on water. It would probably help us to remember that we are also disciples, followers of the Lord. This means that we are also in the boat.

The fathers tell us that one way we can understand this story is to see that the boat in which the disciples are traveling is the world; while the waves are our passions, troubled by the winds, the actions of the evil spirits, the demons; and the night stands for our ignorance. Unlike the disciples in the story, we have Christ, the Light of the world, dwelling in us; and yet every time we choose to follow our passions, our sinful desires, instead of the ways of God, we blind ourselves to the Light, and choose to dwell in darkness. Because we do not seek the light as we should – by prayer, and fasting, by giving alms, and by struggling to overcome our passions – we are ignorant, and we do not always recognize our Lord when He draws near to us. As a result, we do not take the step of faith that would lead us to become more than who we are, and that would show forth Christ in our lives.

Brothers and sisters, called to be saints: Do you have faith? Do you believe? Is Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God, Who has died in our place, and risen from the dead, trampling down death by death? If we truly believe that we are loved by God, and that He has saved us, and lives in us, and that He has given us power to be transformed more and more into His likeness, let us live in such a way that we show this belief, this trust, this faith, not only in what we say, but also in what we do. Let us pray; let us fast; let us give; and let us labor to replace our passions with the God-pleasing virtues. As we do so, we will find our thoughts and desires turning to Him, instead of clinging to the world; and we will be able to walk on the waves, no matter how great the storm – to the glory of God, and the salvation of souls.

"His Face Did Shine as the Sun"

(The Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ) (August 19, 2005)

“His face did shine as the sun.” Anyone who drives here in the Valley of the Sun has experienced driving east in the morning, or west in the evening, with the sun low on the horizon, and the bright light shining into your eyes. Yet the light of the sun is dim in comparison with the uncreated light of the glory of God, which Peter and James and John beheld on Mount Tabor when our Lord Jesus Christ was transfigured in glory, making His face shine as the sun, and His clothing to be white as the light.

The theme of light occurs many times in the Holy Scriptures. Moses had to veil his face when he left the presence of God, for, without the veil, his face would shine with the light it received from being in the presence of God. St. John speaks of Christ as the light that enlightens every man. Our Lord Himself told us, “You are the light of the world”; and then instructs us, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.”

The uncreated light of the glory of God, which properly belongs to the Son of God, was veiled in human flesh when our Lord became incarnate for our salvation. As Christ now dwells in us, so, too, does the light of His glory. This is what enlightens our minds, making it possible for us to see the truth, and the way in which we are to walk, so as to serve God in a pleasing manner. But when we cling to our sinful ways, when we prefer our passions, and the world, to the godly way of life, we shut our eyes to the light that is meant to guide us; we try to cover the light with the filth of our sins. Brothers and sisters, this should not be.

The fathers tell us that only those who are worthy are able to climb the mountain with the Lord, as did Peter and James and John; and it is only after we have climbed the mountain that we are worthy of the Divine vision. We begin to climb as we repent of our sins, and confess them, and seek the mercy and help of God for the transformation of our lives. As we pray, and fast, and give alms, and struggle against the habits of our passions, and labor to acquire the godly virtues, we climb still higher; until, by the grace of God, we have become bearers of Christ. Then, we may behold Him in His glory; and then, we may shine forth with the same, and so draw others nearer to His light, and to their salvation.

Brothers and sisters, called to be saints: Our Lord Jesus Christ is willing and able to raise up those who love Him, and who have faith in Him that fills them with zeal. Let us repent, and confess; let us labor, and follow the Orthodox way of life, that we also may ascend the mount of Transfiguration, and allow the Light that dwells in us to shine, so that we may glorify our Father in heaven, and be His servants in the salvation of souls.

Our Task as Orthodox Christians

(8th Sunday after Pentecost) (August 14, 2005)

What is our task as Orthodox Christians? Among other things, we are called to be saints. That is, we are called to show forth Christ in our lives. When people see us, they should see our Lord Jesus Christ. To the extent that we faithfully follow the Orthodox way of life – of prayer, and fasting, of giving, and struggling against our sins and our weaknesses, as we do our part in the transformation of our being, we grow in our ability to show others the truth of Christ in us. When we indulge our sins and weaknesses and passions, we hide the light of Christ under the “bushel” of our flesh. When we look like everybody else, and they can’t see a difference in us, we have failed to show forth Christ in our lives. At times like that, we need to remember what we are called to do, and how we are meant to live.

The first reading from the Gospel of St. Matthew tells us of the feeding of the five thousand. Notice that, in the story, the disciples act as servants, distributing the food, and then gathering together what remains. It is our Lord who feeds the people, with the help of the disciples. Later, after the Lord Jesus has risen from the dead and ascended into heaven, after the Holy Spirit has come, as He had promised, the disciples do what our Lord had done. They direct the feeding of the people; in some cases, with food for their bodies; in others, with food for their souls – and, above all, in the bread and wine that are blessed to become the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. They have help in these tasks – bishops, and priests, and deacons; and all who are followers of our Lord Jesus Christ. Their ministry continues to this day. We have the apostolic teaching to guide us; and we have the structure of the Church, and her servants, to provide us with the grace of God that comes to us through the Holy Mysteries. We are meant to take this rich bounty not only for ourselves, but into the world at large as well, as the disciples took what they had received, and distributed it among the five thousand. We are meant to be in the midst of the multitude, to feed them in their needs, both in body and in soul. To do this, and especially to feed those who, while having enough (and more than enough) for their bodies, are spiritually starving – a very real concern in this land, where we have access to such material wealth – to feed them in their spirit, we must be at work to be transformed, so that they can better see Christ in us, and so come to understand, and desire, that they can, and must, obtain the same.

We must also be aware that this comes at a price. We must take up our Cross, and follow the Lord. This means both faithfully laboring to live the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, and accepting that many will not approve of this; many will even wish to cause us to suffer, or put us to death, because we seek to grow closer to Christ, and make Him known to all the world. If the world did not hesitate to put Him to death to get Him out of their midst, what will they be willing to do to us? Laugh at us? Take advantage of us? Cause us to suffer in body, mind, and spirit? Put us to death?

Ultimately, none of these things matter. Even death, the reality of which causes such terror in our culture, is not to be feared; for Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death – and our treasures are not found here in this earthly life, but in the life of the world to come, in the heavenly dominions of our Lord. If we seek to preserve our life in this world’s terms, we will lose our life in the world to come; but if we draw near to Christ, He will draw near to us – and we will have the hope of life without end in His presence; and this, too, is something we can offer to the world at large.

Brothers and sisters, called to be saints: Let us be faithful servants of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us pray, and fast, and give alms, and labor to replace our passions with the godly virtues which are their counterparts. Let us make ourselves, in word and in deed, bearers of Christ, and feed the spiritually hungry with His presence in their midst through us – and those who are physically hungry with our alms. Let us take up the Cross of the Orthodox way of life and faith, and give no thought to the threats of this world; for it is by the Cross of Christ we are saved – and, through us, if we are faithful, five thousand can be fed; five thousand can be saved.

Healing the Blind and the Mute

(7th Sunday after Pentecost) (August 7, 2005)

Have you ever seen, or known, someone who was blind, and had their vision restored to them? Have you ever known someone who was unable to speak and recovered the ability to do so without effort or therapy? I can’t say that I have ever seen such a thing, or known anyone of whom this can be said.

At the end of today’s Gospel reading, we hear that our Lord Jesus Christ, having given sight to two blind men, and the ability to speak to a man who was mute, went about all the land, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and healing every sickness and disease among the people. This is a frequent theme of our Lord’s ministry; and it occurs as well in the life of the Church – which is to say, in the lives of many of the faithful. We shouldn’t be surprised. After all, our Lord told His disciples at the Last Supper that they would do the things He had done, and more, because He was departing, but He would send the Holy Spirit to them, so that they could do what He had done. In the “Acts of the Apostles,” we hear of people being healed by St. Peter and St. John, and by St. Paul; some are healed by the touch of the handkerchief of an apostle – and even by the touch of a shadow! Why don’t we see these kinds of healings taking place today?

Many Evangelical Protestants will say that this is because these miraculous healings were meant to assist the early Church in its proclamation of the Gospel; but that this time came to an end with the close of the apostolic period of the Church. In that part of the Protestant spectrum that is called “charismatic,” the response is that, because God does not change, the Holy Spirit is, indeed, present and active, and so expects to see – and perform – such healings today. The Orthodox position falls somewhere in between. We would agree that many of the hallmarks of the apostolic period – the time when the Church was led by the apostles themselves, before their repose – are not meant for today. But we also know that the saints, across time and space, have often been blessed with the power to heal the sick – although not in the way that the charismatics practice. No, our answer to the question of why such healings do not take place today is that we are not the people – the saints – we are meant to be. This shouldn’t surprise anyone; for, after all, how can we expect to do what our Lord did, when we are not laboring to make real in ourselves the life He has given us – His life, risen from the dead? How can we expect to find in ourselves, or in the Church, the power to heal, when we are not seeking to acquire the Holy Spirit? If we do not seek the kingdom of God, and the way to enter into it, why should we think that we will be able to manifest the signs of the kingdom, such as giving sight to the blind, or speech to the dumb?

The saints set themselves apart from us precisely because they did labor to bring into the reality of their lives the life of our risen Lord. They did leave behind the kingdom of this world, and seek to enter the kingdom of God, by prayer, and fasting, and the giving of alms, and the giving of themselves; and by struggling to replace their passions with the virtues, and to overcome their sins with a holy life: replacing anger and pride with patience and humility, lust with chastity, greed with generosity, gluttony with fasting and self-denial. Having been baptized into Christ, they put on Christ. They were transformed by acquiring the Holy Spirit through faith in God, and devotion in prayer and the way of life in the Orthodox Church. They grew deeper and stronger in the image, and after the likeness of God – and, by their holy way of living, and the power of God active in them, they proclaim to all who have eyes to see and ears to hear, the coming of the kingdom of God, in which the sick and the suffering shall be healed and comforted and made whole.

Brothers and sisters, called to be saints: We have a job to do. We are meant to declare the good news of our salvation in Jesus Christ. We are meant to preach the coming of the kingdom, and the return of the King. We speak of these things both in our words, and in the testimony of our lives. Each of us needs to consider what message we give by the quality of our lives. Do others see the presence of God in us? Or do they see only the ways of the world?

"Picking and Choosing" and Obedience

(6th Sunday after Pentecost) (Fathers of the First Six Ecumenical Councils)

Earlier this week, I read a news report about how nine women were supposedly ordained as priests and deacons in the Roman Catholic Church. These “ordinations” were performed by three other women who, in 2003, were supposedly consecrated as bishops; and took place on board a tour ship cruising the St. Lawrence River between the United States and Canada, so that, according to the participants, they were not in the jurisdiction of any particular diocese, either Canadian or American. Of course, the Church of Rome does not recognize any of these women as having valid orders as a bishop, priest, or deacon.

Why do I mention this? Among other reasons, I found the explanation offered by one of the women who claims now to be a deacon to be, in many ways, a statement about our culture today. She said, in effect, “I consider my ordination to be valid, even though it violates the law of the Church, because it is an unjust law.” In other words, if I think something is immoral or unjust – or maybe even merely unfair – I am not required to be obedient; I can do what I think is right, even if it is the Church that has said otherwise. This, of course, is a recipe for anarchy.

In a parallel example of this type of thinking – and it is, I think, an important development, as it has shaped the thinking of our culture to produce the perhaps extreme example of the supposed ordinations – we should consider the Protestant doctrine of sola Scriptura, and its accompanying teaching that everyone is capable of understanding the Bible by himself or herself, without the need for the guidance of anyone, or of any religious body. This, too, is a recipe for chaos; and, in part, goes a long way to explain how one book can be interpreted in thousands of ways, all different to one degree or another – as evidenced by the myriad number of denominations among the Protestants. In the Phoenix area Yellow Pages, for example, if you look under "Churches" you'll find 104 different listings. That's not 104 churches; that's 104 different kinds of churches! The saying, "Every man his own Pope" -- that is, everyone may read and interpret Scripture for himself -- has led to the development of this cultural mindset in which we think we can choose which laws we will obey, and which we will set aside.

These are not Orthodox ways of thinking. We are not free to disregard or disobey a law simply because we think it is unfair or unjust. We are not free to read and interpret Scripture in any way that seems to make sense to us. This is not to say that we must obey an unjust or immoral law. Indeed, if keeping God’s requirements means that we must break the law of the land, then break it we must; and if keeping the law of the land means that we will violate what God has commanded, then we must not obey that law. Of course, we must also acknowledge that these actions have consequences; but, of course, the martyrs and confessors show us what we must do! Nor am I saying that we are not supposed to use our minds – which, after all, are given to us by God – to think and reason about the Scriptures. Of course we are supposed to think about what we read in the Bible! But we do so within the teaching of the Church – and this keeps us from going astray.

Today we commemorate the holy fathers of the first six Ecumenical Councils. At these councils, heretical teachings were considered and rejected, and the understanding of the Orthodox faith was made deeper and richer as a result. But how do we know we can rely on the decisions of these councils? We know that what was determined at these councils because we know that the Holy Spirit guides the Church – but how do we know that the Holy Spirit was present at these councils?

Among other things, we can know by the quality of the lives of the fathers gathered there. Because they were men of prayer, because they kept the feasts and fasts, because they gave to those in need, because they struggled to live in a God-pleasing way, and because they taught others, ourselves included, to do the same, we know that they had turned to God, and away from this world. We know that their pursuit of holiness caused them to draw near to God; and He enlightened them so that they could see the true path to follow, and the right way to live and think and worship God. We see the teachings of the Bible carried out in their lives; we see the life of Christ made manifest in them; and so we know that we can trust what they have said to us, and follow it, even when we do not fully grasp why this is so, when the world says that what we believe is unjust or unfair.

Brothers and sisters, called to be saints: The wealth of the teachings and life of the Church is ours today because of the efforts made on our behalf by those who have gone before us. Let us fast and pray; let us give alms, and struggle to do what is pleasing to God, uprooting our sins, and putting in their place the godly virtues, so that those who follow us in the faith will be blessed as we have been blessed, with an unbroken line of faith and way of living, to the glory of God, and the salvation of souls.

Holy fathers of the first six councils, pray to God for us!

(For a related discussion, please see Women's Ordination and the Catholic Church at my other blog, "Observations from an Empty Well.")

Why Do We Live As Swine?

(Matthew 8:29-9:1) (5th Sunday after Pentecost)

Of all the possible images connected with the reading today from the Gospel according to St. Matthew, perhaps the most vivid would be that of the herd of swine, possessed by demons, rushing down a cliff, going to their destruction in the sea. While it isn’t very flattering, I also can’t help but think that each of us, in our sins, is more or less a member of that herd of swine – for, as we persist in our sins, we are also rushing to our own destruction. The difference, of course, is that we have chosen the path that leads to death; while the swine had their destruction imposed on them from without. It’s not a pretty picture.

Why do we live this way, as if we were swine? The fathers tell us that this is because Christ is not ruling and guiding our lives. He’s present, but we’re not listening to Him; instead, we’re following the suggestions of the demons. These fallen angels hate us, and seek our destruction. When we sin, and defile the image of God in us, we give them cause to celebrate. When we repent, and confess, and embrace the way of life we learn in the Church, they are defeated; while we have hope for the salvation of our souls.

We are not meant to live like swine; we are called to be saints. Remember that a saint is someone who shows, by the quality of their life, the transforming power and presence of God. Take, for example, the Great-martyr Euphemia, whom we celebrate today. She refused to engage in pagan worship; and was tortured; and by her steadfast faith led two soldiers to Christ – and they were also martyred. Consider also the righteous Olga, Princess of Russia. She was the grandmother of St. Vladimir, the enlightener of all Russia. Surely the example of her life, and her prayers, played a part in St. Vladimir’s own conversion, and the transformation of the people of the Russian land.

We, too, are called to be saints; but when we live like swine, and not like the saints, whom do we serve? What example do we give? We have been given the life of the risen Lord, Jesus Christ, in our baptism, and, in our chrismation, the power of the Holy Spirit to manifest this life, to the glory of God and the salvation of souls. We have been given the way to develop and deepen the life of Christ in ours, through prayer, and fasting, the giving of alms, and the spiritual struggle to overcome our passions, putting godly virtues in their place. But, when we sin, when we persist in that fallen way of life, we are like the townspeople who come to our Lord after the herd of swine has perished in the sea. They did not beseech Him to stay with them; rather, they begged Him to leave them alone. We have to ask ourselves, as we consider our sins, “Is that what I want – for the Lord to leave?”

Brothers and sisters, called to be saints: the Lord is in our midst, and He longs for us to dwell with Him, that He might lead us to His heavenly kingdom. We must choose whether we will follow Him, or beg Him to leave us to live – and die – as swine. May Christ our God, through the prayers of the Great-martyr Euphemia, the righteous Olga, princess of Russia, and all the saints, have mercy on us, that we will choose to repent, and confess, and follow as our Lord Jesus Christ leads us home; and that we will follow the Orthodox way of life, to the glory of God, and the salvation of our souls.

Children of the Kingdom

(Matthew 8:5-13) (4th Sunday after Pentecost)

Here’s the bottom line on today’s reading from the Gospel according to St. Matthew: An outsider has more faith than the children of the kingdom. The centurion is praised by our Lord, and held up by Him as an example, to warn those who think they are the children of the kingdom that, in effect, their seat at the table is not guaranteed – that there will be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth among many who thought that they were “in.” We need to be careful, because, today, it is not the scribes and Pharisees who are at risk; rather, we are the children of the kingdom – and the warning is thus meant for us. What, then, must we do to be saved?

The answer is found in the Gospel; it can be summed up in one statement made by the centurion. Let’s take a look at the sequence of steps that leads us to the answer.

The centurion has a servant who is dying, and he desires that the Lord heal his servant. He knows it is not necessary for the servant to be brought into the physical presence of the Lord, for the Lord can heal the servant with a word. The Lord does not merely grant the centurion’s request, but offers to go with the centurion to his house. The centurion replies that it is not any more necessary for the Lord to come to the servant than it is for the servant to come to the Lord. His authority is such that His commands will be obeyed, without regard to His physical location.

The key is how the centurion begins his declaration of faith in the Lord’s power to heal: “Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof.” By declaring that he was a sinner, and therefore not worthy to have the Lord enter into his dwelling place, he gained not only the healing of his servant, but also a place in the household of God, a place of glory in the kingdom of heaven.

The mistake that so burdened the scribes and the Pharisees was that they thought that, as they were the children of Abraham, they were automatically going to receive the reward that Abraham received – a place in the kingdom of God. But, as our Lord tells them at another time, “The Lord is able to raise up children of Abraham from these stones.” Our mistake is very similar. We think, because we have been “born again,” baptized into Christ, that we are automatically heirs of the promise. We must recognize that our failure to “put on Christ,” evidenced by our sins, makes us unworthy, unless we repent of our sins, and confess them, and do all we can to assist in the transformation of our being, through prayer, and fasting, the giving of alms, and the struggle to uproot our passions and establish the godly virtues in their place. If we think we are worthy, we will not examine our lives, or confess, or repent – and so we will be at risk of finding ourselves cast into the outer darkness, and the torments that will follow for all eternity.

Brothers and sisters, called to be saints: Let us ask God for grace to examine ourselves; and for grace to repent and confess our sins, and our own unworthiness. We must be honest about who we are; even as we do not give up the hope that God loves us, and desires not the death of sinners, but that all should come unto Him and be saved. Let us give thanks for God’s love and mercy, that He accepts us even as we are unworthy, making us clean once more by our confession – that He may enter under the roof of our lives, and dwell with us, that we may live with Him forever.

St. Sampson the Hospitable

(Matthew 6:22-33) (3rd Sunday after Pentecost)

Most of us know, when our Lord says, “You cannot serve God and mammon,” that “mammon” means “money” – or “riches” or “wealth”; especially as a negative influence upon our spiritual life and development. The fathers warn us that wealth tends to drive us away from God. This concept really isn’t that hard to understand: for wealth makes it possible for us to enjoy the material pleasures of this world, tying us to the things and ways of thinking of this world – and making us neglect the ways of the kingdom of heaven, and our pursuit of these ways in our own lives. Of course, having some makes us want more – and we can become greedy, which makes a bad situation even worse.

Wealth, the fathers tell us, is a curse. Of course, most of us would respond as does the main character of the story, “Fiddler on the Roof,” who says of such a curse, “May God smite me with it – and may I never recover!” It takes a special person – a saint, actually – to correctly understand the purpose of God’s giving wealth, and to respond properly, in a God-pleasing manner. One such saint is commemorated today: St. Sampson the Hospitable.

He was born into wealth in Rome, and raised with the best that money could buy. As he completed his education, he studied medicine, and became a doctor. As a physician, he treated the bodily ailments of those who came to him; and, as a Christian, he treated their spiritual illnesses, encouraging everyone to do everything in their power to live according to the requirements of the Christian faith. When he moved to Constantinople, he lived in a small house, using his wealth to give alms and medical attention, including medicine, to all who suffered in body, mind, or spirit. When the Patriarch heard of his virtue, he ordained St. Sampson to the priesthood.

When the Emperor Justinian became ill with what his doctors thought was an incurable disease, he sent for St. Sampson after having prayed to God, and having seen the saint in a dream, revealed as someone who could heal the Emperor. St. Sampson did nothing more than place his hand on the diseased place, and the Emperor was healed. When he was offered an immense sum of money, St. Sampson refused, replying that he had left silver and gold for the sake of Christ. The Emperor insisted on doing something to thank St. Sampson; and so the saint asked that a home be built for the poor. There, St. Sampson took care of the poor and needy until the day of his repose (which we mark today) in the year 530 A.D.

How do we fulfill the requirements of our Christian faith, as St. Sampson urged everyone to do? We do so by “putting on Christ,” into Whom we have been baptized. We are faithful servants of the Lord when we make Him known, in word and in deed, through our testimony to Him in the way we live our lives: showing forth mercy and patience and forgiveness, and virtue, and love – and confessing our sins, and repenting, when we have fallen short of the mark. We use the tools given to us to achieve the goal of showing forth Christ in our lives: prayer, and fasting, and the struggle to acquire spiritual virtues in place of our passions – and by giving alms. We remember the needs of the Church, and give to help satisfy these needs; and we remember those in need around us, and we give to help satisfy their needs. We give as St. Sampson gave – without thought of reward, except for the treasure laid up for us in heaven. This is how we fulfill the requirements of the Christian faith.

Brothers and sisters, called to be saints: Let us always remember that the material blessing of this life we enjoy are gifts of love from God to us. We are meant to use these gifts wisely, to benefit not only ourselves, but others as well. Let us pray, and fast, and give alms, and struggle, that we may show forth Christ in our lives, to the glory of God, and the salvation of our souls.

Venerable father Sampson, pray to God for us!

What is a "Saint?"

(All Saints of Russia) (July 3, 2005)

As we noted yesterday, the Church year now underway in the season after Pentecost is marked by the celebration of saints. Last Sunday was the Feast of All Saints; yesterday, we remembered and celebrated St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco; and today we celebrate the Feast of all the saints of the Russian land. By the way, I know that the icon we have for the feast isn’t really the icon for all the saints of Russia, but for the New Martyrs and Confessors. Well, we don’t have the other one; and the saints on the icon here are among the saints of Russia! I’m convinced that, had it not been for the example of the saints of Russia across time and space, and for their prayers, that the New Martyrs and Confessors would not have been able to endure the persecution they suffered not so very long ago. We, who are Orthodox Christians following the traditions of the Church of Russia, are also heirs of this great tradition of faith and practice, and are of one household with such saints as St. Sergius of Radonezh, and St. Seraphim of Sarov, and St. Olga. She was the grandmother of St. Vladimir, the Enlightener of Russia; and no doubt was a great influence upon her grandson by the example of her life, and by her prayers. Of course, Russia is not alone in having so great a cloud of witnesses as her saints; for example, many churches today celebrate all the saints of Mt. Athos, in Greece. But the saints of Russia are a significant part of our heritage, and we do well to commemorate them this day.

What is a saint? That’s not a question that can be answered easily, or quickly. In one sense, we can begin with the Greek word hagios, which can be translated as “holy” or as “saint.” Its meaning conveys the sense of something that is different, not of this world. So a saint is someone who lives, not according to the ways of this world, but rather by the way of heaven. We can also grasp what it means to be a “saint” by looking at the icons of saints. See the halo – that circle of gold behind their head? That isn’t some sort of gold tiara given by God to those who are holy; rather, it is the only way the writer of the icon can show the truth – that is, that the uncreated light of the glory of God is shining forth from that person. This is because a saint is someone who has labored to bring into reality the potential created in us all at our baptism and chrismation. A saint is someone who has “put on” Christ – has drawn near to God in prayer and fasting; has left this world with its possessions and pains and pleasures behind, and so grown in likeness to Christ that, when we see them, we see Him, in the uncreated light of His glory, as was shown forth on the mount of Transfiguration.

It’s sometimes said that there are two kinds of people in the world: sinners who think they are saints; and saints who think they are sinners. We can get an idea about where we fall on this spectrum by deciding which group is ours. Do you pray enough? Fast enough? Give enough? Struggle enough against your sins and the passions? If we answer, “yes” to any of these questions, guess what: we’re sinners who think we’re saints. The saints aren’t perfect; even as they attained a level of perfection beyond what most of us will achieve, they saw their sins in greater detail than most of us could bear. The saints, like us, never stopped sinning; but, unlike most of us, they grieved deeply over even the slightest of things; while we are quite often blind to serious flaws and faults, and the hurt we do to others, to ourselves, and to our relationship with God.

Brothers and sisters, called to be saints: Let us love God more than we love ourselves. Let us turn our hearts and minds away from the things of this world, and all that binds us to it, and set our desires instead on the way of life that is pleasing to God, beneficial to the salvation of our souls, and which will let some of the light of Christ shine forth from us to encourage those around us, both among those who are of the household of faith, and those who are searching for what we have been given in the Orthodox Church and faith and way of life; to the glory of God, and to the salvation of our souls.

All saints of Russia, pray to God for us!

Saints in Our Midst Today

(The Feast of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco) (July 2,2005)

Right now, we are in the midst of a number of celebrations of the saints. Last Sunday was the Sunday of All Saints; today we celebrate St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco; and tomorrow, all the saints of Russia. But this is appropriate as we begin the season after Pentecost, for saints, among other things, reveal the great glory and greater mercy and grace of God. They make known to us the reality of God’s grace and mercy; they make known to us the truth that the Day of Pentecost was not merely an event that took place “long ago and far away.” The truth is that the Holy Spirit is always and continually present in the Church and in the world – and in us. We are also called to be saints.

There are people alive today who remember when St. John was present in his earthly life, when they saw him serve the Divine Liturgy, and the other services of the Church. They saw this holy man of God in their midst, preaching the Gospel of our salvation in words and in deeds, caring for his flock, visiting the sick and the troubled and the poor and the needy. They may have seen a miracle; they may have been blessed by a miracle. Not everyone recognized him as a saint while he was with them; indeed, some opposed him, and tried to have him removed as their bishop. But today, he is greatly loved and revered; and no one I know of who has been to his relics at our cathedral in San Francisco has not been moved – and this includes people who are not – at least, not yet – Orthodox Christians. It is amazing, that we can be in the presence of this holy man of God even today; and all who call upon him for his prayers are answered.

There are saints in our midst today – maybe even here, in this part of the body of Christ known as Holy Archangels Orthodox Church. If there aren’t, there should be! If there aren’t, it is because we are not willing to make the struggle, to take the steps necessary to live more fully the life given to us in our baptism, the life in which we are guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit given to us in our chrismation, the life nourished in us when we receive the wondrous grace of God in the Holy Mysteries – the same mysteries which strengthened and sustained our holy father John of Shanghai and San Francisco – the same mysteries by which he was sanctified. Do we not, when we receive in worthy fashion, prepared by confession and repentance and prayer and fasting, receive the same grace in the same mysteries? If we do – and we do – it stands to reason that our lives should more closely resemble the life of our holy father John. If the resemblance is missing, who is responsible, except each one of us?

Brothers and sisters, called to be saints: Let us love God more than we love ourselves. Let us love the ways He has appointed for us to keep more than we love the things and pleasures of this world. Let us pray, and fast, as did St. John; let us give to the poor, and did St. John; and let us struggle against our sins, as did St. John, calling upon him to help us to do what he has done, and does even now, showing forth in himself, and in us, the life of our risen Lord, Jesus Christ.

Holy hierarch, Father John, pray to God for us!

The Sunday of All Saints

(Matthew 10:32-33, 37-38; 19:27-30) (First Sunday after Pentecost)

Last Sunday, you’ll recall, was the Feast of Pentecost, the day we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of the Lord. Filled with the Holy Spirit, they went forth to bear witness to the good news of our salvation in Jesus Christ. In what they said, and in what they did, they told everyone about our deliverance from death and our being set free from sins by the death and resurrection of our Lord. This was not without consequences. Many were mocked and ridiculed; others were tortured; and some were put to death for bearing witness to Christ. James, the brother of our Lord, was thrown to his death from the top of the temple in Jerusalem. Peter and Paul were crucified. Some were beheaded; some were sawn in two; killed by wild beasts; burned alive; drowned; in fact, if there was a particularly horrible way to kill someone, there is probably a martyr whose life was ended in that way. The fathers tell us that it is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that the martyrs and confessors could remain faithful to our Lord when such tortures were brought to bear against them.

Today, the first Sunday after Pentecost, is the day we, the Church, celebrate all the saints of the Church. Some of their pictures hang on the walls around us; a “hall of fame” in which they are remembered for the way in which they show us the life of Christ. Again, some are martyrs; some, confessors; some died peacefully, but showed a form of holiness worthy of our consideration. They are saints: people from whom shines forth to us the light of Christ in them, the hope of glory. We honor them this day; and the best way to honor them is to follow their example, to strive to be like them, to show forth Christ in our own lives.

What makes the saints different from us? It isn’t something in their nature, for we are made of the same “stuff,” the same substance, the same human nature. It isn’t in the power they have received on high; for, like them, “we have seen the true light, we have received the heavenly Spirit, we have found the true faith…” In our baptism, our nature was transformed, just as theirs was transformed; they received the life of the risen Lord, and so did we. When we were chrismated, we received the same Holy Spirit they received. So, what makes the saints different from us? Why are we not more like them?

The answer is simple: we don’t love God they way they love God. We love our sins; and we love ourselves more than we love God. When we’re faced with a choice between doing what we want, and what God wants, more often than not, we chose to please ourselves – even if this means that we sin. You know, it’s hard to fight against our passions when we so often indulge them; and, if we don’t struggle against our passions, we can never hope to defeat them, we can never hope to transform them, so that what we think and do and say and want will be pleasing to God, rather than offensive. What can we do?

The answer is simple: we begin by following the life of the Church. We pray; and, in praying, cultivate within ourselves a desire to draw closer to God, to enter into His presence, to pour out our hearts to Him, and to allow Him to guide us. We fast; to cleanse ourselves by denial, and to teach ourselves that we can do without certain foods, so that we can learn as well to do without our sins. We give, so that we can be free from the things that attach us to this world. And we struggle, fighting against our sins and passions, overcoming the evil within us by doing what is good and right, calling upon our Lord to help us.

Brothers and sisters: We may not be called to suffer, or be tortured, or to become martyrs for the Orthodox faith. Our suffering, our torture, our martyrdom may be nothing more than to struggle against the passions and desires that lead us into sin. But we must not be confused. We are called to walk the same path the saints walked during the time of their life on earth. We are called to be transformed into vessels bearing the light, and life, and love of Christ. We have been given the life of Christ; we have received the heavenly Spirit. Let us resolve ourselves to embrace these gifts, and to work to show them forth to the world, to the glory of God, and the salvation of our souls.

O ye saints of God, pray to God for us!

Pascha, Pentecost, and "Ordinary Time"

(John 7:37-52; 8:12) (Pentecost)

Today is the great day of the Feast of Pentecost, on which we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of the Lord, gathered together, undoubtedly for prayer and worship; and the establishment of the Church, the ark of our salvation. Today is also one of the turning points in our liturgical year. In a way, we said, “goodbye” to Pascha at the Feast of the Ascension, ten days ago. At that time, we cease the Paschal greeting, “Christ is risen – Truly, He is risen!” In our worship services, we stopped the three-fold singing of “Christ is risen from the dead…” with that feast; and yet, things were still incomplete, because we did not resume the use of the prayer, “O Heavenly King…” until the Vigil service for Pentecost, last night. Thus, in a way, Pascha is completed: Our Lord Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, has ascended in both His human and divine natures to be at the right hand of God the Father; but has also kept His promise not to leave us as orphans – He has sent us the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, to lead us into all truth, and to teach us, and to empower us in living the life we received in our baptism, the very life of Christ Himself, risen from the dead. As every Sunday is a remembrance of, and participation in, the Pascha of our Lord, so, too, is every Sunday a remembrance of, and participation in, the day of Pentecost.

The day of Pentecost marks a transition in the liturgical cycle of the Church. In a way, this corresponds to our own lives as believers in Christ. We begin as Christ is born in us, enlightening us, and calling us into communion with Him – the feast of our Lord’s Incarnation at Nativity, and His Theophany. This is quite often accompanied by an awakened sense of our sins, and our captivity to our passions, and the need to be set free from death – celebrated in the Pascha of our Lord. Now, realizing that the power of death has been broken, and no longer has a hold on us, we are empowered to go forth and live the life of Christ in every aspect of our being, and in every place we go. Pentecost is our empowering to go forth and bear witness to the power of the risen Lord dwelling in us: praying and fasting and giving and struggling to overcome our sins and passions, living the life we find modeled for us in the Church by the saints. The season after Pentecost symbolizes the time between our Lord’s Resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit – Pascha and Pentecost – and the great and terrible Day of Judgment that is yet to come. It is, in a way, “ordinary time”; and the time in which we “work out our salvation with fear and trembling.”

Brothers and sisters! We have seen the true light; we have received the heavenly Spirit; we have found the truth faith. Let us worship the undivided Trinity, Who has saved us, by humbly asking God to empower us to bear witness to His Son by our repentance and turning from the ways of sin and death, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

We Have Work to Do

(John 17:1-13) (Seventh Sunday of Pascha)

You will recall that Adam, after the Fall of our first parents, was condemned to laboring to make the ground bring forth the food we need in order to live, eating his bread by the sweat of his brow; while Eve’s labor was also transformed, so that the act of giving birth would be painful and difficult. One of the consequences of the Fall is that we must work to obtain the things we need.

This is not news to the Orthodox Christian – at least, it shouldn’t be! We know that we must work: above all, to labor for the salvation of our souls. This includes, of course, the work we must do to obtain what is needed to keep us alive: food, clothing, shelter, and so on. There are, of course, dangers on that path: we might, if we are not careful, get so caught up in the pursuit of the things needed for our earthly life that we forget that the earthly life is temporary; and that we should really focus our attention on acquiring what we need for the life in eternity, the life that does not end. Among other reasons, this is why we need to hear, on a regular basis, that we must always be careful to devote ourselves to the work that benefits us for life without end: prayer, and fasting, and giving of alms, and struggling against our sinful passions.

In the Epistle reading today, St. Paul speaks to the Church, and outlines another dimension of the work we must do: to preserve and protect the Truth given to us by and in the Church. He warns us that the Church will be attacked by “wolves” – those from without who will seek to destroy the Church. He also warns about the arising of false teachers within the Church, leading astray many with perverse doctrines and practices. This means that part of our labors must include knowing the true teachings of the Church; and being on guard to watch for attempts to deviate from the Path that we have been given. How will you know that what is being taught is false if you have never bothered to study the truth? And there is always something more for us to learn; so, this task of ours never really comes to an end. It is because of this task, the declaration of the truth against false teachings that would lead the faithful into pagan lives, that the 318 Fathers of the Church met at the Council of Nicaea in 325, to speak out against the heresy taught by Arius, a priest of the Church. The Symbol of Faith we recite each Sunday has its beginning in the proclamations of that Council; and it is part of our task to know the truth contained therein, and to follow and practice that way of life. We celebrate them on this day; but the best way to remember them and give thanks for their labors is to be faithful in living the life and faith we share in common with them.

Among the ends for keeping the Orthodox way of life is that of being “one”; which is a part of the High Priestly prayer offered for us by our Lord Jesus Christ, heard, in part, in the Gospel reading today. He prays to His Father that we might be one, as our Lord Jesus Christ and His Father are one. As we strive to live the life of Christ implanted in us by our baptism, empowered by the Holy Spirit, sustained by partaking of Holy Communion, and expressed in prayer and fasting and giving and struggle, and above all by loving and caring for each other – all of which qualify as work! – we are helping ourselves and each other to live as one. Not only that: we become an example to those outside, who do not, now, know the truth; who have not yet found the path that leads from earth to heaven. As we work to live the way we should, we are a witness and example to them; and those who are seeking will follow, and so find salvation for their souls. This witness and example are part of our work, a part of the labors appointed for us: to build the Church, the Body of Christ.

Brothers and sisters: we have work to do! We have a Church to build. It’s more than the building (although we have that important responsibility as well); it is gathering the people who will meet in and fill the building; the people who build the Body of Christ. Let us rouse ourselves from our slumbers, and leave behind being lazy, and get to work, saving our souls, in order to be witnesses of Christ, to the glory of God, and the salvation of the world.

The Healing of the Man Born Blind

(John 9:1-38) (Sixth Sunday of Pascha)

In the epistle reading today, the jailer, after the earthquake had set free from their restraints all the prisoners in his charge, asks Paul and Silas a question that each of us would do well to ponder: “What must I do to be saved?” He is told, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” The man born blind also believed that Jesus is the Son of God; he believed, and worshipped Him. Who are we like? Do we resemble the blind man, or the jailer? Or are we more like the parents of the man born blind, who spoke, not from faith, but from fear of the Jews; or perhaps even like the Pharisees, whose denial of Christ was made in the most pious of terms, as they said, “We know that God spoke to Moses, but we don’t know where this guy comes from.” (OK, so I paraphrased it a little bit!)

Now, we might say, “Well, it took a miraculous healing to convince the man born blind; and a miraculous earthquake to convince the jailer; but nothing like that has ever happened to me!” And there’s no doubt but that, in our society, to be open and honest about our faith is to run the risk of being ridiculed; our culture moves us towards being like the blind man’s parents, who were afraid of being put out of the synagogue – which means being ostracized from their society – if they were to even suggest that perhaps Jesus was the Messiah. How, then, can we have faith, which is necessary for us if we wish to be saved?

I wish that I had a simple answer to this question to give you, but I don’t. I think I’ve seen some miracles – people who have been healed of disease after prayer and the laying on of hands; but nothing like the healing of someone born blind. And I’m such a child of our culture that, even with what I’ve seen, I can’t stop my mind from wondering whether there wasn’t an explanation for what happened that doesn’t require belief in a miracle. I’ve had prayers answered, for things both great and small; and yet a part of my mind says, “Maybe it was just random chance”; or, “Maybe it would have happened anyway.” I’m also sure that I have been delivered from dangerous situations with the help of God, and my guardian angel – but I can’t offer you any proof of these things; so why should anyone believe these things?

Sometimes, we can better say what we believe by starting with what we don’t believe; what, to put it in its $5 term, we call, the “apophatic way of knowing.” I don’t believe that our existence is merely the result of random chance. I don’t believe that life came into being or evolved without the guiding intelligence and purpose of a Creator; because if these things are true, there is no meaning or purpose to life; and there is no reason to restrain any impulse or to deny any desire, if, after our life is at an end, we cease completely to exist. I don’t believe that love is merely the product of biological urges. I don’t believe that the character traits that set us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom are merely accidental, or simply the result of the pressures of society to conform and keep order. I do believe instead that these are the product of our being made in the image of God; and that the love we so desire to share in life arises from our connection to God, Who, above all, is a God of love: for, without love, there in no mercy, no patience, and no forgiveness; and there are no miracles – and if being loved, despite all that is wicked and wrong and wretched in ourselves, is not a miracle, then I don’t know what a miracle is.

We are told, in the epistle to the Hebrews, that, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” The man born blind had faith – he hoped that the Messiah would come; and He did come, and the blind man met Him, and was healed. The jailer had faith – he saw the miracle, and, without meeting the One responsible, put his trust and hope in Him. We don’t have to know in any provable way that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; it is enough for us to have hope, and trust the testimony of the Church, and of her saints, who bear witness to Him with their very lives. In this way, by faith, we, too, can believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and our Savior and Lord; and so have hope that we, too, will be saved.

Christ is risen!

Water and Thirst: The Sunday of the Samaritan Woman

(John 4:4-42) (Fifth Sunday of Pascha)

Living in the desert, we are all aware (or should be aware) of the importance of having enough water to drink. Not only is water scarce – that’s what makes it a desert! – but the heat of the desert also increases the need for drinking plenty of water. If you are outside for any reason during the summer, and especially if you’re doing some type of work, you will get thirsty! When that happens, there’s nothing to compare with a drink of cool water.

The woman who meets our Lord Jesus at the well has come there during the heat of the day to obtain water. Our Lord asks her to draw water from the well for Him to drink; and uses this as a way to gently instruct her to her spiritual needs. He begins with her bodily thirst, to show her, from what she knows, a deeper truth she needs to know. He says of the well, “Whoever drinks of this water shall thirst again; but whosoever drinks of the water which I shall give him shall never thirst.”

“Water” here refers to the Holy Spirit, and especially to the power of the Holy Spirit to cleanse, as in washing with water; and to refresh, as in the drink of cool water when we are hot and thirsty. As water makes a garden or an orchard more lush and productive, so, too, does the Holy Spirit to the soul that is willing to be “watered.” As someone with a well that is deep never lacks water, and so is never thirsty, the soul that is watered by the Holy Spirit does not thirst: that is, such a soul is not touched by despondency, and is not touched by the plots and plans of the evil one, for the water quenches the fiery darts of the evil one.

Material thirst is quenched by material water; spiritual thirst, by spiritual water, the water of the Holy Spirit. We need both forms of water to stay alive. Material water must be replenished; we drink water every day (unless prevented). If we don’t, we will weaken, and then die. Spiritual water must also be replenished, and we need to drink of it every day. If we don’t, we will weaken, and we will die.

But wait: Doesn’t our Lord say that the water He shall give shall be a well springing up to everlasting life? Doesn’t this refer to something that is permanent?

Yes: but just as a spring of material water, which flows without ceasing, can become polluted, or even be stopped up by our actions, such as filling the spring with stones, so, too, is it possible for us to receive this life-giving spring in ourselves, only to pollute its waters with our sins, and to stop it up by the hardening of our hearts. To have this water remain in us, flowing pure and sweet, we must turn from the earthly life and be transformed by the life we learn in the Church: the life of prayer, and fasting, and alms-giving, and struggle; the life of repentance and confession; a life of loving and caring for others with the patience and love and mercy of God. When we pray and fast and repent and confess, we keep the water pure and unpolluted; and by loving and caring for others, we keep the water flowing. This is because, when all is said and done, the water of this life-giving spring in our soul is the love of God; and that water is not meant for ourselves alone, but that we might learn to increase the flow of this water, and so become a source of blessing and refreshment to everyone around us.

Brothers and sisters! God’s love for us is a ever-flowing river, great and mighty. Let us repent and confess, and fast and pray, that we might be faithful servants of God, and receive within ourselves this water of everlasting life. Let us also love and care for each other, and so be sources of comfort and refreshment to all who are made in the image of God, to the glory of His name, and the salvation of our souls.

Christ is risen!

The Healing of the Paralytic

(John 5:1-15) (Fourth Sunday of Pascha)

If you think about it, we have the same problem as the paralytic. He wanted to be healed; but, when the time came, and the angel had troubled the waters of the pool at Bethesda, he could not get into the water by himself; he needed help, and he had no one to help him. We are paralyzed by our sins – especially by the ones that we have to repeat each and every time we go to confession, because we continue to repeat the sins through the course of our lives. Oh, sometimes we do resist the temptations that beset us; but even when we’ve had a victorious day, we know that, sooner or later, we’re going to fall again, and sin again.

We have to recognize that we are trying to overcome these sins by our own efforts alone, with only our own strength – and that we cannot, and will not, succeed by this approach. We have to recognize our inability to be holy and pure on our own; and that we have to ask for help.

So: how do we not try to do this by our own strength? I don’t know; I’m struggling with that myself. But there are hints from the fathers for us to take into consideration.

The first is that we must pray, asking for God’s help. OK, so this is obvious. It is the foundation for our having a rule of prayer, which begins with attending as many of the services of the Church that we can fit into our schedule – and giving these services the highest priority, rather than just “making do” with the ones that are convenient. The rule of prayer continues with developing the habit of daily morning and evening prayers. We start with the ones found in the prayer book; and add our own hopes and needs and intercessions for others as well. We make a part of this rule the blessing of food before we eat; and giving thanks when we have finished; and we also ask for God’s guidance before we start an activity, and give thanks when the task is completed. Bless yourself and the vehicle you’re driving when you’re about to depart. Parents, bless your children when they go to school, or are going out with friends; and children, pray for your parents. When you learn of someone in need, stop and pray for God to bless and help them. When you hear that someone has died, stop and ask God to be merciful to them, and to grant that person a blessed repose; and do the same when you pass by a cemetery. When you hear a siren, or see a police car, fire truck, or ambulance go by, ask God to protect and deliver those in need, and to keep safe those who go to render them aid.

Now, you’re probably thinking, “Wow, father, that’s a lot of time in prayer!” Well, keep in mind that St. Paul instructs us to pray continually. These are steps we can take in that direction; and when our minds are fixed in prayer, and we remember that prayer brings us into the intimate presence of God, it is easier to resist the temptations to sin! More prayer is good, and most all of us would benefit by it.

The next thing we need to do is to fast. Prayer and fasting are the sword and shield of our spiritual warfare. Fasting teaches our flesh that it cannot have what it wants simply because it wants it. Fasting weakens the flesh and its desires, and purifies us in body, mind and spirit. Fasting shows us that we can deny ourselves; and so we can learn to fast from our sins, as well as from food; and so gain an advantage against our sinful desires and habits. If you deny a weed the food or water it needs, it weakens, and can be uprooted and removed far more easily than when it is at full strength. So, too, it is with our sins.

It won’t surprise you, I’m sure, to hear that we must also give alms, and struggle against our passions. In fact, this is one of the points the fathers make about how we can achieve the victory over sins, the healing of our beings that we desire, but cannot achieve in our own strength. We see two mechanisms at work in the Gospel account today. The first, when the angel comes and troubles the waters, is akin to the Church, and the way of life we are taught to follow. If we will do these things, we will be healed; and it isn’t just the first person in who is helped. Each one of us can and will be transformed to the extent that we embrace the way of life that has been the way of the saints.

Of course, the paralytic was not healed in that way: he was healed by our Lord Jesus Christ. But note that he was present at the pool at Bethesda; it is there that the Lord found him, and delivered him; and afterward, he was found in the Temple, giving thanks to God. It was there, by the way, that he was also warned not to return to his sinful ways, lest something worse should come upon him than the paralysis from which he had been delivered. He did not come seeking out our Lord; he was following the way that had been given, and was found there and helped by the Lord. In the same way, we may also be found and delivered by the Lord; and we make ourselves available to Him by following the Orthodox way of life.

Finally, we must not be discouraged, we must not give up, just because we don’t see anything changing. Remember that the paralytic had waited, without becoming bitter, and without losing hope, for thirty-eight years! St. John Chrysostom notes that we, having persisted in prayer for all of ten days, and not having received what we had asked for, are too slothful afterwards to have enough zeal to continue in prayer. So, even as we continue to struggle to do all that we can with the strength that we have, we should also pray without ceasing for the strength and help we cannot do by ourselves; that our Lord Jesus Christ will strengthen us with His strength, and win in and through us the victory that we cannot attain by ourselves. Let us offer this prayer as we offer ourselves, to the glory of God, and the salvation of our souls.

Christ is risen!