Archive for the ‘Homilies’ Category

Hieromartyr Lucian of Antioch, a living antiminsion

Friday, October 28th, 2011

“Made conformable unto his death”

His zeal for the Eucharist rebukes our lukewarm age.

Oct 15

“Saint Lucian died in prison from many terrible tortures and hunger. Before death, wanting to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ on the feast of Theophany, the priestmartyr — bound by chains to a box, was compelled

to offer the Bloodless Sacrifice upon his chest,

and all the Christians situated there in prison communed”

Today we celebrate Hieromartyr Lucian of Antioch. There are many interesting historical things about his life, and even a little theological controversy, but one event in his life shouts out at us, in our lukewarm age.

A man who was weakened by torture, no doubt in great pain, and soon to die had such a thirst for the Eucharist that he served it with the Holy mysteries on his chest.

He celebrated using his chest as an altar in order to obey, in not literally the letter, but certainly, magnificently in spirit of the law – in the Orthodox Church, we ALWAYS celebrate the Holy mysteries literally upon the relics of the martyrs.

The antimins (antiminsion) is a piece of decorated cloth (usually with the scene from the taking down of the Lord from the Cross, and often with the 4 Evangelists in the corners, in which the relics of a martyrs(s) is sewn in (generally on the back side). In the Russian Church outside of Russia, I believe that all of our antimins have in them the relics of the Grand duchess Elizabeth and Nun Barbara.

Romanian Antimins from Oradea-Mare (Transylvania), 1890.[1]

This cloth always rests on the altar table[2] and is unfolded for the chalice and diskos to be placed upon it.

We literally serve the Eucharist on the relics of the martyrs, a the church is built upon the confession of

the martyrs, the blood of the martyrs.

Hieromoartyr Lucian of Antioch, who in prison served the Holy Eucharist upon his chest, commemerated Oct 15/28. http://www.orthodox.net/ikons/lucian-presbyter-of-antioch01+10-15.jpg The Holy Hieromartyr Lucian, having already many times over made his confession and witnessed to the unbelievers his faith in Christ (the word “martyr” manes “witness”), was already a martyr, although most of his blood still coursed through his veins and had not yet been spilled upon the ground.

We should be in awe of Holy Lucian’s zeal and love. We should be ashamed if we partake of the Eucharist infrequently, with very little preparation or the fear of God.

Here in Lucian’s life we see how important the Eucharist should be.

We have all heard about the hypothetical question: “What would you do if you know you were going to die today?”

For Lucian, this was not hypothetical, and his answer was to partake of the Eucharist, fulfilling the liturgical canon by using his own bloody body as an antimins, and feed and encourage all the Christians in the prison so they would have the strength to make their martyrdom – their witness.

Every priest wants his people to partake of the Eucharist often, and with good preparation[3]. Most of us are very disappointed, and in pain of soul beg the Lord to enkindle in our flocks the burning desire to partake of the “medicine of immortality”. Only God can change us from complacent to attentive, and this only happens with our positive reaction to the prompting of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Perhaps part of this change will occur as you read the exploits of the Hieromartyr Lucian, and compare them to the way you live your life, and the things you think are important.

Today’s epistle fits perfectly the life of St Lucian, who fulfilled it to the letter:

8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ … 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings,

being made conformable unto his death. (Philippians 3:8-19)

Do we live our lives in such a way to be “conformable to His death”? Do we even know what this means? The Scripture is quite clear – if we do not die, we will not live. Measure yourself today, and decide if you are in any way being made conformable to His death, or as the Apostle Paul also has said “dying daily”[4], or as the Lord said: taking up (your) cross, and losing your life, so that you might save it[5].

We read the lives of the saints for instruction, exhortation, consolation, and even rebuke. The life of St Lucian should cause all of you to be lined up at the door of the church at 4 pm on Saturday for confession (or stay till after vigil or call me for an appointment!), with the intense desire to change your life and in taking the Eucharist and living “in Christ” though its grace, becoming conformable to the death of Christ, and learning to fulfill the words of Paul also said in today’s epistle:

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom

I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung[6]

The Hieromartyr Lucian, Presbyter of Antioch, was born in the Syrian city of Samosata. At 12 years of age he was left orphaned. Lucian distributed his possessions to the poor, and went to the city of Edessa to the confessor Makarios, under the guidance of whom he diligently read Holy Scripture and learned the ascetic life. For his pious and zealous spreading of Christianity amongst the Jews and pagans, Lucian was made presbyter. At Antioch Saint Lucian opened a school, where there gathered many students whom he instructed in book wisdom. Saint Lucian occupied himself with teaching work, and he corrected the text of Holy Scripture, having been corrupted by copyists and heretics. (The entire Greek text of the Bible corrected by him was hidden away in a wall during the time of his confessor's deed, and it was found during the time of Saint Constantine the Great). During the persecution of Diocletian, Saint Lucian was arrested, having been informed on by heretics, and he was dispatched to prison in Nicomedia, where over the course of 9 years he encouraged Christians together with him in the confessor's deed, urging them not to fear tortures and death.

Saint Lucian died in prison from many terrible tortures and hunger. Before death, wanting to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ on the feast of Theophany, the priestmartyr — bound by chains to a box, was compelled to offer the Bloodless Sacrifice upon his chest, and all the Christians situated there in prison communed. The body of the holy martyr was thrown into the sea, but after 30 days dolphins brought it to shore. Believers with reverence buried the body of the much-suffering Saint Lucian.[7]

Priest Seraphim Holland 2011 St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas

This article is at:

http://www.orthodox.net/journal/2011-10-28+hieromartyr-lucian-of-antioch+being-made-conformable-to-his-death.html

http://www.orthodox.net/journal/2011-10-28+hieromartyr-lucian-of-antioch+being-made-conformable-to-his-death.doc

New Journal entries, homilies, etc. are on our BLOG: http://www.orthodox.net/redeemingthetime

Journal Archive: http://www.orthodox.net/journal

Blog posts & local parish news are posted to our email list. Go to here: http://groups.google.com/group/saint-nicholas-orthodox-church to join.

Redeeming the Time BLOG: http://www.orthodox.net/redeemingthetime

Use this for any edifying reason, but please give credit, and include the URL of the article. This content belongs to the author. We would love to hear from you with comments! (seraphim@orthodox.net)

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimins

[2] Antiminsion unfolded on the altar table. Taken from http://www.holyascension.net/virtualchurch/altar.php

[3] I am by no means suggesting that everyone, every time should partake of the Eucharist. There is the unhealthy spectacle on some churches of most of the faithful communing, with only a remnant of these communicants having attended the preparation services on the night before and in the morning, and even arriving on time for the Divine Liturgy; many do not follow the rules of fasting, with no personal prayers of preparation for communion, and with extremely infrequent confession, or even without ever having confessed in a lifetime. Frequent communion is good and necessary, and it is given freely, but it is not “cheap”, and we must live a strenuous life in order to reap its benefits. If anyone has any questions they should talk to their priest. We are living in a temporary world for eternity. Effort in spiritual things is worth it.

[4] 1Cointhians 15:31 KJV “I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.”

[5] Luke 9:23-24 KJV “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (24) For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.” See also Matthew10:38-39, Mark 8:34-38, John 12:25-26, Luke 14:27

[6] Philippians 3:8

[7] From the Menologion program (www.orthodox.cn/software/menologion3_en.htm) , and also online at http://www.holytrinityorthodox.com/calendar/los/October/15-02.htm

Posted in Homilies, Pastoral Journal | 1 Comment »

And the Lord … said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still." – The mystical and very practical meaning of these words. 3rd Sunday of Luke

Monday, October 24th, 2011

The raising of the Son of the Widow of nain LISTEN NOW

Synopsis: Only the Lord has the authority to tell us to "weep not". There is an epidemic of dysfunctional sadness in the world today; it is being treated by many partial solutions that often increase the despair and emptiness: medications, entertainments, passions. After His command to the Widow of Nain, the Lord mystically gives us the path we must travel in order to fulfill His command to "weep not" – "And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still." There is no other path that leads to true happiness. We explore the mystical meaning of these words, also incorporating an epistle read today: "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." and "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.", and offer many practical suggestions on what we must do to live according to these words. the only key to happiness is here. The World does not have it; only Christ does, and through the healing of the Widow of Nain and the exhortation of St Paul to the Galatians, the path to it is clearly explained.

More homilies on the Sunday Gospel of Luke are HERE

Luke 7:11-16 11 And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. 12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. 14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. 15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. 16 And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.

Galatians 5:22-6:2 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, (23) Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (24) And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. (25) If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. (26) Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. (6:1) Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. (2) Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

If the "LISTEN NOW" link does not work, copy this URL into your browser: http://www.orthodox.net/sermons/sunday-of-luke-03_2011-10-23+weep-not-and-he-came-and-touched-the-bier-and-they-that-bare-him-stood-still_luke7-11-16-galatians5-22-6-2.m3u

If this file does not work for you, try the direct link to the actual mp3 file:http://www.orthodox.net/sermons/sunday-of-luke-03_2011-10-23+weep-not-and-he-came-and-touched-the-bier-and-they-that-bare-him-stood-still_luke7-11-16-galatians5-22-6-2.mp3

RSS feed of Sunday and some weekday homilies:http://feeds.feedburner.com/OrthodoxChristianSermonsOnTheGospelsEpistlesAndOtherTopics

Archive of Audio and text homilies:http://www.orthodox.net/sermons

Posted in Audio homilies, Homilies | No Comments »

That the whole evening may be perfect, holy, peaceful and sinless, let us ask of the Lord.” Why do we pray this prayer, when past experience tells us that it will not be fulfilled today?

Saturday, October 22nd, 2011

A deacon intoning a litanty, by Andrie Ryabushkin LISTEN NOW

Synopsis: In the last litany of Vespers and Matins we pray "That the whole evening may be perfect, holy, peaceful and sinless, let us ask of the Lord." Why do we pray this prayer, when past experience tells us that it will not be fulfilled today? Do we mean what we say, or are these just words? We look into the meaning and intent of this prayer and why it is so important. We should understand what we pray, why we pray and what we must do to indicate to the Lord that we mean what we pray.

More commentary on Orthodox Service Texts are HERE

If the "LISTEN NOW" link does not work, copy this URL into your browser: http://www.orthodox.net/sermons/living-water_2011-10-19+that-the-whole-evening-may-be-perfect-holy-peaceful-and-sinless-let-us-ask-of-the-lord.m3u

If this file does not work for you, try the direct link to the actual mp3 file:http://www.orthodox.net/sermons/living-water_2011-10-19+that-the-whole-evening-may-be-perfect-holy-peaceful-and-sinless-let-us-ask-of-the-lord.mp3

RSS feed of Sunday and some weekday homilies:http://feeds.feedburner.com/OrthodoxChristianSermonsOnTheGospelsEpistlesAndOtherTopics

Archive of Audio and text homilies:http://www.orthodox.net/sermons

Posted in Audio homilies, Homilies | 1 Comment »

A Spiritual reflection regarding Prayer of an Orthodox Christian priest in front of a late term abortion clinic during the Dallas 40 days for life campaign.

Friday, October 21st, 2011

The Lament of Rachel.

LISTEN NOW

Synopsis: The personal experience of an Orthodox Christian and priest praying in front of a late term abortion clinic during the 40 days for life campaign, Wednesday, Oct 19, 2011. This is difficult and heavy prayer because outside, on the street, things look normal, but inside some lives are terminated, and many other lives are perhaps irrevocably damaged in terrible ways. A spiritual reflection, including whether we should pray for "them" or "us", and that a Christian must feel responsible for all sin and act upon his inner impulses from the heart, and about praying "one hour", and personalizing the "Akathist for a Woman Who Has Aborted a Child"

The reason for the golden rule: “Ye shall be the children of the highest for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil”. Second Sunday of St Luke; Luke 6:31-36

Monday, October 17th, 2011

LISTEN NOW

Synopsis: Everybody knows the Golden Rule, but few understand is essence. Many feel it is a command based upon common sense, and others even believe it is a way of changing the behavior of others. The reason for it is given plainly by the words of our Lord: "Your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil." We explore the great privilege we have as Christians to become Children of the Highest, and why the fulfillment if the Golden Rule is indispensable for this to happen

Luke 6:31-36 31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. 32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. 33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. 34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

More homilies on Luke 6:31-36, about the “Golden Rule”

"As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise." – Audio

The Golden Rule – Ye Shall Be The Children Of The Highest
SYNOPSIS:The "Golden Rule" is explained, including a mention of how the world twists this rule into a sort of magical "law of attraction". The REASON for the golden rule and everything we do is because we are "children of the highest".

Saint John Of Kronstadt, and The Purpose Of The Incarnation, "Ye shall be children of the Highest" Luke 6:31-36
SYNOPSIS:On this Sunday before Nativity, St John of Kronstadt is also commemorated, and the Gospel for him and his life perfectly describes the purpose of the Incarnation. This Gospel contains our Lord's admonishments to love, using concrete examples, and concludes with the promise "And ye shall be children of the highest". This is the purpose of the incarnation, and examining this Gospel along with St John's life, which struggled to fulfill it illuminates this purpose for us, therefore, on this Sunday when we read the "Begats", it is appropriate to delve into what is means to be children of the highest, and how and why we can attain this high calling. We also suggest another way to describe the "Golden Rule" and what should be our inner motivation for loving our fellow man, and doing anything that is good in this life.

If the "LISTEN NOW" link does not work, copy this URL into your browser: http://www.orthodox.net/sermons/sunday-of-luke-02_2011-10-16+reason-for-the-golden-rule+ye-shall-be-the-children-of-the-highest:-for-he-is-kind-unto-the-unthankful-and-to-the-evil_luke6-31-36.m3u

If this file does not work for you, try the direct link to the actual mp3 file:http://www.orthodox.net/sermons/sunday-of-luke-02_2011-10-16+reason-for-the-golden-rule+ye-shall-be-the-children-of-the-highest:-for-he-is-kind-unto-the-unthankful-and-to-the-evil_luke6-31-36.mp3

RSS feed of Sunday and some weekday homilies:http://feeds.feedburner.com/OrthodoxChristianSermonsOnTheGospelsEpistlesAndOtherTopics

Archive of Audio and text homilies:http://www.orthodox.net/sermons

Posted in Audio homilies, Homilies | No Comments »

Sanctity Of Life Sunday. Christians Must Not Accept Abortion and Sexual Immorality Being Redefined 2011

Monday, October 10th, 2011

“The Lament of Rachel”

From Zoe for Life

May God bless you. A word about the Moleben that we just served.

Just recently was the 38^th anniversary of the Roe versus Wade decision, that dark day in our country when the idea that murdering a child is a right given to us by the Constitution and is a right that is part of our right of privacy.

Now the idea has come about, and had been nurtured now for 38 years, to rewrite language to talk about being “pro-choice”. There have been fifty million children aborted since the Roe versus Wade decision.

Ironically, the person involved in Roe versus Wade, had lied about her pregnancy, she had said she had been raped; she had not. The pregnancy was from fornication. And she had had the baby, and the baby was already two years old when the decision came down. She has since repented and become a Christian and is very much pro-life, Of course, that is not something that is well known, I think.

Fifty million children!

I want to tell you that as a Christian, you must not allow the times to influence you. Right now we are in the midst of the rewriting of language; even “God” means something different now than it did only a few years ago, and “Christian” means something different.

Now, there are those that say that:

You can be a Christian and be pro choice;

You can be a Christian and abort your child;

You can be a Christian and be a practicing unrepentant homosexual.

These things are not possible, brothers and sisters.

You can be a Christian and be guilty of any sin and repent from it. You can be a Christian and be weak in some area of your life, maybe even for a long period of time, and struggle against this weakness. But you cannot be a Christian and give in wholly to the way of the times and believe: That one can be pro-choice and that it is correct for a woman to take that which is in her womb, a human being created in the image and likeness of God, and kill it.

Now, in any room of people that I may not know well, it is always possible that there are sins that you haven’t even remembered or perhaps that you are ashamed of that I don’t know about. Any sin that you commit, whether it be abortion or any other sin, you can repent from it and God will cleanse you completely. And God will give you healing, but only if you recognize what is right and what is wrong.

Our country does not want to do that anymore. They cloak things in high-sounding language like being pro-choice or having a right to privacy, when actually they are covering up the stench of sin.

Another word used nowadays is “homophobia” as if to believe that what the Gospel teaches, what the Bible teaches about homosexual relations, somehow makes a person a bigot and a phobic person. We’re not afraid of anybody. We just know what is right and what is wrong, that is, what ultimately leads to eternal life or eternal death.

And I want to make it clear to you that these sins, these sexual sins which are inundating our country,- (and abortion is really a sexually-related sin), are part and parcel of people wanting to have whatever pleasure they wish without any consequences, without any responsibility for what they do. These sins are polluting our country and polluting us. We must stand against them.

Now, even if we struggle against these sins, perhaps not always successfully, if we recognize that they are wrong, fundamentally wrong, then God will help us.

On this day I believe – Is there a march in Washington, D.C., today? Isn’t that right? It’s tomorrow. This march, if you’re careful, you’ll see that this march will be vastly underreported in mainstream media. They will say that there are fifty thousand, a hundred thousand people, when there may be well over a million, because the world does not want to admit what is right and what is wrong. This happens year after year, that this event is underreported, or that they find one kind of crazy person on the fringes of the crowd and says crazy things and try to make that to be what all people who believe in the sanctity of life are like. Don’t believe these things, brothers and sisters.

Believe the truth. Believe that God made life in the womb and that any fetus is made in the image of God.

And if any of you ever had any struggles with this, believed opposite to this, believed what the world says about it, the lie that the world tells, or have submitted and had an abortion; I beg you to speak to me.

This is a terrible tragedy for a woman as well as the child because there are two victims in an abortion. The greater victim, the one that is harmed the most is the woman, because our world tells them: It is your choice, it is your right, it is even sometimes your responsibility, and it is a good thing, but the heart tells something different, and so there’s this conflict that occurs.

God wants your heart to be right with what you do, what you are. So may God help us and help everyone to find the truth about abortion in the world. So that’s why we served this small Moleben. I can’t go to the march, but at least we can raise up our voices.

And I want to make it clear to you, absolutely positively, killing a child in the womb is abortion or willful abortion and is a sin, and it is something that is very serious; it marks the soul until there is repentance. With repentance, everything can be erased; everything can be made new. Without repentance, it marks a person and makes it very difficult for them to live.

So my heart really goes out on this day for the millions of aborted women. That’s actually the medical term, women who have had an abortion are “aborted women.” This always sounded funny to me, but that is the medical terminology.

So women who had abortions, all of those women who have been told one thing; and their hearts, perhaps quietly, perhaps loudly, is telling them another; my prayer for them is that they would realize that they sinned and repent so that they would be cleansed and their life would begin anew.

Priest Seraphim Holland 2011

Transcribed by the hand of Helen. May God save her and her loved ones.

This and other Orthodox materials are available in from:

St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas

· Mailing Address: Box 37, McKinney, TX 75070

· Rectory Phone: 972/529-2754

· Email: seraphim@orthodox.net

· Web Page: http://www.orthodox.net

· Redeeming the Time Blog: http://www.orthodox.net/redeemingthetime/

This homily is at:

http://www.orthodox.net/catechism/orthopraxis_2011-01-23+sanctity-of-life-sunday+christians-must-not-accept-abortion-and-sexual-immorality-being-redefined.html

http://www.orthodox.net/catechism/orthopraxis_2011-01-23+sanctity-of-life-sunday+christians-must-not-accept-abortion-and-sexual-immorality-being-redefined.doc

Audio: http://www.orthodox.net/catechism/orthopraxis_2011-01-23+sanctity-of-life-sunday+christians-must-not-accept-abortion-and-sexual-immorality-being-redefined.mp3

http://www/.orthodox.net/redeemingthetime

Archive of commentaries: http://www.orthodox.net/scripture

Archive of homilies: http://www.orthodox.net/sermons

To receive regular mailings of sermons, and scriptural and services commentary and other things throughout the church year, read our blog “Redeeming the Time” (http://www.orthodox.net/redeemingthetime). You may also subscribe to the RSS Feed or receive its postings by email.

Our parish Email list (http://groups.google.com/group/saint-nicholas-orthodox-church) also has all the latest postings from our website and blog; everyone is welcome to join.

All rights reserved. Please use this material in any edifying reason. We ask that you contact St. Nicholas if you wish to distribute it in any way. We grant permission to post this text, if completely intact only, including this paragraph and the URL of the text, to any electronic mailing list, church bulletin, web page or blog.

Posted in Audio homilies, Homilies | No Comments »

The First Great Catch of Fish Compared with the Second – Luke 5:1-11 & John 21:1-14

Monday, October 10th, 2011

LISTEN NOW

Synopsis: The first great catch of fish, in Luke 5:1-11, occurred at the very beginning of the ministry of Jesus with His apostles. It must be read in conjunction with the second great fish of 153 fishes, which occurred after the resurrection, and was His last earthly meal with His apostles (John 21:1-14). There are many beautiful morsels here! After sampling this beautiful smorgasbord, we must not miss the most important aspect of this story: 1. the command to "let down the nets" applies to everyone, and 2. after the disciples saw the power of the Lord, they left all and followed Him. If we do not learn these two things from these stories, we have learned nothing.

Luke 5:1-11 1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. 3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. 4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. 6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. 7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: 10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. 11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

John 21:1-14 1 After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself. 2 There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. 3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. 6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. 7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. 8 And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. 9 As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. 10 Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. 11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. 12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. 14 This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.

If the "LISTEN NOW" link does not work, copy this URL into your browser: http://www.orthodox.net/sermons/sunday-of-luke-01_2011-2011-10-09+first-great-catch-of-fish-compared-with-the-second_luke5-1-11.m3u

If this file does not work for you, try the direct link to the actual mp3 file:http://www.orthodox.net/sermons/sunday-of-luke-01_2011-2011-10-09+first-great-catch-of-fish-compared-with-the-second_luke5-1-11.mp3

RSS feed of Sunday and some weekday homilies:http://feeds.feedburner.com/OrthodoxChristianSermonsOnTheGospelsEpistlesAndOtherTopics

Archive of Audio and text homilies:http://www.orthodox.net/sermons

Posted in Audio homilies, Homilies | No Comments »

The abyss of humility of the Greek Syrophonecian woman – Mark 7:24-30

Thursday, September 29th, 2011

LISTEN NOW

Synopsis: The abyss of humility of the Greek syrophonecian woman is seen when she answered our Lord's curt dismissal with the words "Yeah Lord, but even the little dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs." We need to acquire this kind of humility! We look at her humility and also two modern and incredible examples, gleaned from a talk by Papa Dimitrios Carellas. One concerns a woman who cared for her husband's mistress after he brought her into their home, and then accomplished another ascetic feat with her that had the angels in awe, and another concerning a ROCOR bishop falsely accused of sexual assault. We also look at the life of Nun Theodora of Alexandria (9/11). Let us try to acquire even a drop of the humility of these holy ones. We also look at the meaning of the words from the Epistle: "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins". Wondrous is God in His Saints, and wondrous is His Holy blood which redeems us!

More homilies on weekdays are HERE

Mark 7:24-3024 And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid. 25 For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: 26 The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. 27 But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. 28 And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. 29 And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. 30 And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.

Ephesians 1:1-91 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

If the "LISTEN NOW" link does not work, copy this URL into your browser: http://www.orthodox.net/sermons/pentecost-thursday-16_2011-09-29+humility-of-the-greek-syrophenician-woman-who-cared-for-her-husbands-mistress_mark7-24-30-ephesians1-1-9.m3u

If this file does not work for you, try the direct link to the actual mp3 file:http://www.orthodox.net/sermons/pentecost-thursday-16_2011-09-29+humility-of-the-greek-syrophenician-woman-who-cared-for-her-husbands-mistress_mark7-24-30-ephesians1-1-9.mp3

RSS feed of Sunday and some weekday homilies:http://feeds.feedburner.com/OrthodoxChristianSermonsOnTheGospelsEpistlesAndOtherTopics

Archive of Audio and text homilies:http://www.orthodox.net/sermons

Posted in Audio homilies, Homilies | No Comments »

What does this mean – God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we have this treasure in earthen vessels?. Exaltation of the Cross.

Monday, September 26th, 2011

LISTEN NOW

Synopsis: On this Sunday before the Exaltation of the Cross, two of the epistle readings (2 Corinthians 4:6-15 and Galatians 6:11-18) relate directly to the cross. St Paul states emphatically: "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." What does it mean to "glory" in the cross? People glory in many things – wealth, attractiveness, popularity, political correctness, having a good marriage, job, etc. None of these things is glorying in the cross. We answer this important question, and also why we who are "new creatures" because of the cross "have this treasure in earthen vessels".

More homilies on the Exaltation of the Precious Cross are HERE

Galatians 6:11-18 11 Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand. 12 As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. 13 For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. 14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. 15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. 16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. 17 From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. 18 Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

2 Corinthians 4:6-15 6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you. 13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; 14 Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. 15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

If the "LISTEN NOW" link does not work, copy this URL into your browser: http://www.orthodox.net/sermons/feasts-of-the-savior-exaltation-of-the-cross-02_2011-09-25+sunday-before-the-exaltation+god-forbid-that-i-should-glory,-save-in-the-cross-of-our-lord-jesus-christ_2corinthians4-6-15,galatians6-11-18.m3u

If this file does not work for you, try the direct link to the actual mp3 file:http://www.orthodox.net/sermons/feasts-of-the-savior-exaltation-of-the-cross-02_2011-09-25+sunday-before-the-exaltation+god-forbid-that-i-should-glory,-save-in-the-cross-of-our-lord-jesus-christ_2corinthians4-6-15,galatians6-11-18.mp3

RSS feed of Sunday and some weekday homilies:http://feeds.feedburner.com/OrthodoxChristianSermonsOnTheGospelsEpistlesAndOtherTopics

Archive of Audio and text homilies:http://www.orthodox.net/sermons

Posted in Audio homilies, Exaltation of the Cross, Feasts Of the Savior, Homilies | No Comments »

Sunday Before the Exaltation of the Cross We are saved from the poison of our passions and sin through the Cross. Exegesis of John 3:13-17. Text and Audio.

Saturday, September 24th, 2011

Sunday Before the Exaltation of the Cross

We are saved from the poison of our passions and sin through the Cross.

Exegesis of John 3:13-17

2010

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Today, brothers and sisters, is the day before the Sunday before the Exaltation of the Holy Cross[1]. On this day we always have this reading where Christ describes the Cross and describes the standard that Moses had, the serpent in the wilderness. And there is also this famous verse that everyone knows; in fact, even people that are not Christian know it, because they have seen it on buses and in end zones:

John 3:16 banner at a football gane. http://www.orthodox.net/photos/john-316.jpg

“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.”[2]

The real meat of this reading is not that verse. It is only describing the Lord’s loves for us; the rest of the passage teaches us how to benefit from that love. First the Lord begins by saying,

“No man has ascended up to Heaven, but He that came down from Heaven, even the Son of Man which is in Heaven.”

He’s speaking of Himself. He was standing right before them when He spoke to them; but He’s also God, so He is in all places at all times.

“Son of Man”[3], is a messianic appellation, just as is “Son of David” and many other ones; He was wont to call Himself the “Son of Man” often. The Son of Man is in Heaven AND was standing before them, firmly rooted on earth. And He said that no one has ascended except the Son of Man. The inference is that He, by His Own will, can ascend or can descend and, as God, He can make it possible for us to ascend. He then ties our ascending to the way of the cross, because He refers to Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness. And so must the Son of Man be lifted up:

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

This standard with the brass serpent in the wilderness is described in Numbers[4]. The people were complaining about being a long time in the desert. They had been gone for many years because of their sins. The actual distance between Egypt and Israel is long; it is about a week’s walking journey, and yet it took them forty years because of their sins. They were well into this trip by then, and they were complaining to Moses, and the Lord sent fiery serpents upon the ground, and they bit the people, and they were dying from poisonous snake bites. The Lord told Moses to make a fiery serpent and put it upon a staff; so Moses did, making a brass serpent. And the instructions were that anyone who had been bitten could look upon this standard and live. And of course, this is a type[5] of the Cross, a foreshadowing of the Cross. Lifting up the serpent on a staff, obviously very much like a cross. And the people were saved by looking to the cross.

So the Son of Man would be lifted up as well. And we can be saved by looking to this Son of Man, the Son of God, the son of David, Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten, when we look upon Him on the Cross.

And then He says,

“That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

He had just spoken about poison. Serpents had bitten people and the poison was in their system and was killing them, but the cross saved them. So this image of poison is true for us too.

Our poison is sin. Our poison is passions. We are saved from our passions and sin through the Cross.

Why?

Because the Son of Man has the authority to lay down His life and to take it up again. And He would shortly lay down His life and take it up again.

He has the authority to change our nature such that we no longer would be held by death.

That is what happened after His death on the Cross. He descended into Hades of His Own will and filled Hades with His divinity and broke the gates of Hades. We sing about this in Pascha, and actually we sing about it every Saturday evening[6]. And in breaking those bars, breaking the bonds that hold humanity when they die, He made us capable of ascending.

So, brothers and sisters, when you look to the Cross, you should be thinking: “The Cross is my way of life; the Cross is the reason that I can live.”

So this is eternal life: To be saved by Jesus Christ, the One Who hung on the Cross as a symbol for all generations. What an incredible symbol! Can you think of a better symbol – Our Lord looking down upon us and saving us? Now we adorn our houses and our churches and our breast and everything else with the Cross. But we must understand what the meaning is: the Cross saves, because we need Jesus Christ to change our nature. And that’s what He did when He was up on the Cross.

In a few hours we will be singing,

“Before Thy Cross we bow down and worship, and Thy Holy Resurrection we glorify.”[7]

The Cross and the Resurrection must be spoken of in the same context, in the same sentence, in the same breath. When you look at the Cross, you should see the Resurrection because the Lord allowed Himself to be crucified so that He would go down to Hades and break it.

The only way to realize this salvation is of course to believe in Jesus Christ. This is what we must do. This is our task, because:

after the Lord says: “the Son of Man must be lifted up,” He follows: “that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

I’ve spoken of this word “belief” many times. This is one of the most misunderstood words ever. To believe is not just to know something that’s true. To believe is not to think something is true. Belief is to live according to what is true.

So we believe in the Son of Man, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten. That is, we live as He lived

So when you look at the Cross, there should be many things that go through your mind. I don’t mean necessarily discrete thoughts because thoughts are really not capable of expressing the meaning of the Cross, however the soul knows.

What is everlasting life? It is to know Jesus Christ. This is very early in the Gospel of John, only the third chapter. Later on in the 17^th chapter, after many months of ministry and perhaps even years of ministry, the Lord spoke to His disciples about eternal life at the Last Supper, at the institution of the Eucharist, and He said,

“This is eternal life, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou has sent.”[8]

Eternal life is possible because of our Lord’s death on the Cross. So when you look to the Cross, look to the source of your salvation, and note that the original cross, shall we say, or one of the original crosses, one of the many types of the crosses in the Old Testament, was this standard with the serpent on it. And the people were saved from the poison that was in their systems. And there is poison in you. And that poison, the Lord wants to have obliterated, and that poison is sin and passion.

This is the road to salvation: To look upon the Cross and to desire to follow the way of the Cross, which is our Lord’s way. And may God help you.

Now, remember that tonight at two o’clock we’ll have vigil for the Exaltation of the Cross[9]. This is a very, very important service. At the end of the service we prostrate ourselves before the Cross, and then we stand up again because the Cross is the source of our resurrection.

It is one thing to talk about it, but it is another thing to live it. You should be living in the Resurrection right now today, brothers and sisters, living for eternity, not for anything temporary. You’re no longer creatures of the earth, but you’re creatures of Heaven. You’re citizens of the Heavenly Kingdom now. And indeed in the Divine Liturgy we are in the Kingdom at this very moment, although you might not feel it; it’s only because of what’s wrong with us that we don’t feel it; because it is true.

So may God help us to follow the way of the Cross and to be saved. Amen.

Priest Seraphim Holland 2010.

Transcribed by the hand of Helen; may God save her and her loved ones.

This and other Orthodox materials are available in from:

St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas

· Mailing Address: Box 37, McKinney, TX 75070

· Rectory Phone: 972/529-2754

· Email: seraphim@orthodox.net

· Web Page: http://www.orthodox.net

· Redeeming the Time Blog: http://www.orthodox.net/redeemingthetime/

This homily is at:

http://www.orthodox.net/sermons/feasts-of-the-savior-exaltation-of-the-cross-02_2010-09-26+sunday-before-the-exaltation.html

http://www.orthodox.net/sermons/feasts-of-the-savior-exaltation-of-the-cross-02_2010-09-26+sunday-before-the-exaltation.doc

AUDIO: http://www.orthodox.net/sermons/feasts-of-the-savior-exaltation-of-the-cross-02_2010-09-26+sunday-before-the-exaltation.mp3

http://www/.orthodox.net/redeemingthetime

Archive of commentaries: http://www.orthodox.net/scripture

Archive of homilies: http://www.orthodox.net/sermons

Our parish Email list (http://groups.google.com/group/saint-nicholas-orthodox-church) also has all the latest postings from our website and blog; everyone is welcome to join.

[1] The Exaltation of the Precious Cross is celebrated on Sept 14 (Sep 27 on the civil calendar). The service is very similar when the cross is also commemorated on the third Sunday of Great Lent.

[2] John 3:16, “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.” It was common in the seventies to see these signs (with the verse or just the verse reference) unfurled in the end zone when an extra point was being kicked in football games.

[3] “Son of Man” is used dozens of times in Ezekiel, and in Daniel there is this famous verse: “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.” (Daniel 7:13)

[4] Numbers 21:5-9 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. (6) And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. (7) Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. (8) And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. (9) And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

This incident is referred to in the services for the exaltation of the Cross. For example:

“Moses set up on a wooden pole a cure against the deadly, poisonous bite of the serpents as crosswise upon the wood – in a symbol of the cross – he placed a serpent that creeps upon the earth, and thus he triumphed over the calamity. Therefore let us sing to Christ our god, for he has been glorified.” (Matins canon, Exaltation of the Cross)

[5] A “type” is an allegorical foreshadowing of a future event or person. You cannot read more than a page in the Old Testament without encountering one, and all the important types – regarding Christ, the crucifixion, the virgin birth, baptism, etc are mentioned in the hymns of Orthodox services – particularly in Vespers and Matins.

[6] There are literally hundreds of examples. Every Sunday we celebrate the resurrection with dozens of hymns that describe the event of the resurrection, the cross, and all their implications in Vespers and Matins for Sunday. Pascha hymnology is full of this teaching too. Perhaps the best and most clear example is the Paschal troparion: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life”.

[7] See http://www.orthodox.net/questions/sunday_of_the_cross_1.html for a discussion of this hymn:

Normally Christians do not prostrate themselves on Sunday. Why? What is a prostration? On the Sunday of the Holy Cross we do prostrate. Why and when?

Christians do not prostrate on Sunday because this is the day we always celebrate the Resurrection, and we recall how God is able to make us stand. Our standing reminds us of the resurrection. There are one or two Sundays a year when we do prostrate (the Third Sunday of Great Lent, and the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, if it falls on a Sunday. On this day, the hymn "Before Thy cross", which we sing while prostration, teaches us what our prostrations mean:

Before Thy Cross, / we fall down in worship, O Master, / and Thy holy Resurrection / we glorify.

When we prostrate, it is in worship of the Risen Lord, and when we raise ourselves up, we recall the resurrection.

A Christian prostrates when he makes the sign of the cross, and falls to his hands and knees (it is usually easier to have the hands touch the floor a moment before the knees), and bows his head to the ground, then gets back up.

[8] John 17:3

[9] The Exaltation of the Cross was Monday that year. I have often struggled with a way to get people to attend vigil on Sunday because many do not want to go home and then come back. I cannot say that any solution has been satisfactory – either serving vigil early in the afternoon, after we have eaten breakfast, or serving at the usual time at night.

Posted in Exaltation of the Cross, Feasts Of the Savior, Homilies | No Comments »

Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church

Archive for the ‘Homilies’ Category

Hieromartyr Lucian of Antioch, a living antiminsion

“Made conformable unto his death”

His zeal for the Eucharist rebukes our lukewarm age.

And the Lord … said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still." – The mystical and very practical meaning of these words. 3rd Sunday of Luke

That the whole evening may be perfect, holy, peaceful and sinless, let us ask of the Lord.” Why do we pray this prayer, when past experience tells us that it will not be fulfilled today?

A Spiritual reflection regarding Prayer of an Orthodox Christian priest in front of a late term abortion clinic during the Dallas 40 days for life campaign.

The reason for the golden rule: “Ye shall be the children of the highest for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil”. Second Sunday of St Luke; Luke 6:31-36

Sanctity Of Life Sunday. Christians Must Not Accept Abortion and Sexual Immorality Being Redefined 2011

The First Great Catch of Fish Compared with the Second – Luke 5:1-11 & John 21:1-14

The abyss of humility of the Greek Syrophonecian woman – Mark 7:24-30

What does this mean – God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we have this treasure in earthen vessels?. Exaltation of the Cross.

Sunday Before the Exaltation of the Cross We are saved from the poison of our passions and sin through the Cross. Exegesis of John 3:13-17. Text and Audio.

Sunday Before the Exaltation of the Cross

Exegesis of John 3:13-17

Pages

Archives

Categories