Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

Children’s liturgy and children’s sermon

1 Thessalonians 5:1-8

Nov 7/ 20 2009 24^th Friday after Pentecost[U1] 

The sermon in the Children’s liturgy contained something for all children of God – we are children of the light – it is really THAT simple.

5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

This is from yesterdays reading, which was read in the so-called “Children’s liturgy” this week.

Twice a month, on the 1^st and 3^rd Thursdays, I serve a “children’s liturgy”. This is really nothing more than a liturgy that many of the parish children attend, with a sermon especially for them, on their level. Also, the children are encouraged to sing as much as they are able, and they do sing, like angels. Eventually, God willing, the children will become the entire choir for these liturgies and read the epistle.

I have a fervent desire also that eventually our children’s liturgies will become a weekly affair, and part of a homeschooling curriculum. I envision the church as providing significant resources to homeschooling parents, in an organized, but unofficial way (we probably will not an official school, with all the red tape and state interference that this would entail.) I believe that as a pastor I must try to equip our youth as best as I can, and it is my strong opinion that homeschooling is preferred unless there are extenuating circumstances. I believe the church must help equip parents to home school their kids. This is one the of the greatest reasons why I want our parish to grow.

The children’s liturgy is one of the highlights of my life, not ALL of it mind you, because children can sometimes be, well … children, but in general I am filled with great hope during these liturgies. Hearing the children sing, generally on key, but usually with a little … improvisation … always warms my soul. I cannot think of a more important 2 hours during the week.

One of our “traditions” is the children’s sermon. I sit on a little stool,, and talk to the children. I usually talk about the Gospel of Epistle we just read, and try to put it in terns they can understand. They all gather around in a semi-circle, and are very interactive!

Here was the simple message yesterday: “You are children of the light”. I went on to ask them if they would rather be in light or darkness, and told them that light means holiness and darkness is sin. They made the connection that when you sin you are in darkness, and wondered how you get back to the light. Don’t tell me that you cannot talk about theology with children!  Of course, the answer is to repent, and ask forgiveness. In their case it may be that they must apologize to a sibling, or tell their mommy they are sorry.

This was a simple sermon, for children, and it was well received. There was a lot more to it than I am recounting, because there are always a few tangents that are suggested by the audience, and I think a pastor giving a sermon to children breaks the lawyer’s number one rule: always know the answer you will be given to every question!

After the liturgy, I kept thinking about this simple sermon. This concept is not only for little children, but the big ones too – all children of God. Is we remembered that we are “children of light” at all times, we would be protected from sin. It really IS that simple.

How we identify ourselves – our self-concept – is critical to our success. How many times do we sin because we have forgotten who we are? We are like the man who looks into a mirror, then goes away and forgets what he looks like. [1]

It is a powerful and simple idea – “I am a child of light – I will not do this or think that because it is darkness and not light”  The scripture is full of short powerful phrases that can keep us from sin if we are attentive. Another one is “You were bought with a price”. Perhaps we may not sin for no other reason than gratitude when we remember this.

It is critical that we remember what our purpose is. We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. [2] We are children of light. Let’s remember this at all times.

By the way, this is a simple but not easy concept. After the sermons, during the rest of the liturgy, the children bickered more than usual. Sigh.

     1 Thessalonians 5:1-8 1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. 8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

Priest Seraphim Holland 2009.     St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas

This article is at: http://www.orthodox.net/journal/2009-11-20_children-of-light-and-the-children-of-the-day+childrens-liturgy-1thessalonians5-1-8.doc

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The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night

Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-8

Nov 6/ 19 2009 24^th Thursday after Pentecost

The Apostle exhorts regarding the judgment, a theme that is mentioned every day in Orthodox services, and refers to darkness as sin and being in the light as the calling of all Christians.

2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night

This must be important, because the church talks about it every week (Tuesday matins has a canon of repentance that mentions the judgment many times) and during the whole of Great Lent. Monastics, who are our model, consider it critical that we consider the judgment every day, and even every moment.

The “day of the Lord” means the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the final judgment. “As a thief in the night” means that it will come upon the unwatchful as a thief at night, who is concealed and not noticed by his victims until their goods have been plundered.

Here, “night” does not mean when the sun has gone down and there is darkness, but rather, moral depravity, which causes foolishness and stupidity, and makes a person unable to see the truth of things.

A “thief in the day’ would be easily discovered; therefore the Apostle to the Gentiles then tells his flock that:

4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

The careful reader of scripture immediately asks the question of himself, how is it that a man can be a “child of the day” and not in darkness. This does not just happen by fiat from God, as if we have some sort of birthright, like a “trust fund” baby.

We are children of God, and children emulate their parents. If God is light, then we must be light, that is, follow the commandments. Becoming morally good in all things leads to superior intelligence, and the ability to see and understand the truth in all things, as the light of morality illumines our way. Those in the dark are not living moral lives. Their darkness is sin. Sin always darkens and causes confusion. Virtue, that is, light, always leads to understanding.

We are in-between creatures, with light and darkness within us. This is why we have confusion, uncertainty, lack of understanding. We gain understanding as we gain perfection. Make no mistake about it, Christianity is the pursuit of perfection. It is not a code of ethics, or a system.

The Apostle then shows how completely being a “child of the light” is associated with moral perfection, when he exhorts his flock:

6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

Here, “sleep” does not mean physical repose, but rather describes the activity of the mind. If the mind is not focused on God, and the doing of the commandments and the attainment of perfection, then it is asleep, whether we are lying on our bed or in the midst of the activities of life. The fight to the death (either the death of sin, or our death from sin) is fought in the mind, as all sin originates in the mind.

The Apostle then describes all sin, and reminds his flock that it occurs in the night (whenever a person is not walking in the light of the knowledge of God and His commandments):

7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night

Sleep occurs in the mind, and is an example of all sins of the mind and the general state of vice that leads to all sins; some sins also are executed with the body also, such as drunkenness. St John Chrysostom teaches that drunkenness:

“Is not that from wine only, but that also which comes of all vices. For riches and the desire of wealth is a drunkenness of the soul, and so carnal lust; and every sin you can name is a drunkenness of the soul.” [1]

Finally, the Apostle uses similar imagery as he uses in his letter to the Ephesians when he exhorts:

8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

The head, where the brain and physical mind resides (the spiritual mind is in the soul), is protected by a helmet. It is protected by the “hope of salvation”, which means that we ever keep before ourselves, in every action, decision, priority and interest the fervent desire for our salvation, which we will attain, with Gods help and our firm desire.

If we always have this hope before us, how could we ever sin? We sin when it is no longer uppermost in or mind, when the mind sleeps, and is in darkness. The mind with the “hope of salvation” is always in the light.

A breastplate protects from blows of an enemy. If it is of “faith and love” then we must expect that in keeping the faith and loving God and our neighbor, we will receive blows. The immature Christian expects that if he does good, he will be treated well, but the perfect does good only because it is good, expecting nothing in return – to be in the light of Christ is enough.

When we read the Apostle’s words we must surely feel our distinct inadequacy. These are heavenly tings he is speaking of, and we are still earthly. Let us not despair – our hope of salvation is surely not in vain. May God help us in all things. 

     1 Thessalonians 5:1-8 1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. 8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

Priest Seraphim Holland 2009.     St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas

This article is at: http://www.orthodox.net/journal/2009-11-19_thief-in-the-night+children-of-light-and-the-children-of-the-day+1thessalonians5-1-8.doc

& on the blog

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

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

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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)

Nov 5/18 2009 24^th Wednesday after Pentecost

An initiative of the Preachers Institute (which I belong to) was to challenge us blogging pastors to blog daily during the Nativity fast, beginning with the start of the fast, up through Nativity.

As is usual in such cases, I am the one who is the answer to the question “ One of These Things (Is Not Like The Others”) ”, since, following the church calendar,  my fast begins 13 days later than most people in America (but not the Orthodox world).  I have all kinds of strong opinions about the calendar, but am not a “calendarist” [1] so I am trying to be a good sport and begin my blogging with the others on Nov 15.

I had an auspicious beginning, as I did not post anything on Sunday. I always post  the Sunday homily in audio form, but that day, the batteries ran out, and I did not have a backup plan. I figure I am starting “early” anyway. 

It is kinda tough to write something for each day, because I seem unable to write anything but mini-opuses (working on that). Working two full days and usually a full day to go to a prison each week does not help things much either, but I am going to give it a shot. If I could only get ahead a little bit!

I am trying to come up with a system. I am inclined to want to write about Scripture (in commentaries or homilies) as often as possible, but sometimes the creative juices do not flow, or at least do not get on paper. I have always found it to be much easier to talk about Scripture than write about it. The next favorite is some excerpt from the services, usually from the daily Octoechos, Lenten Triodion, or an upcoming feast. Anything a pastor can do to inspire people to read Scripture and to attend the services is a good thing, as we are by and large a Scripturally illiterate people, and even more so (just peek in almost any church on a Saturday night or observe the truncated service) a liturgically illiterate people.

Other good stuff is a small “gleaning” from the Fathers, or even  a comment about some current event (such as a Roman Catholic bishop’s recent ridiculous letter about H1N1 precautions – I hope to get to it). Of course, while we are building, progress reports with pictures are good. I have started a series (2 so far) of “ Christian Life Skills”. I also try to answer questions that come up from email, parishioners and blog comments. I am way behind on this!

If anyone has some suggestions, please let me know. I need material, and need to get a little bit ahead, like a cartoonist or columnist does.

The list of blogs which have promised to post daily is below. I am planning (I hope this is more successful than my planning to get my office clean!) to read them, or at least skim them.

1. Schole: Fr. James Coles, St. Ignatius Church, Mesa, AZ
    
2. Orthodox Praxis: Fr. Dcn. George P. Bithos, Transfiguration Church, Austin, TX
    
3. Observations from an Empty Well: Fr. John McCuen, Holy Archangels Church, Phx, AZ
    
4. Redeeming the Time: Fr. Seraphim Holland, St. Nicholas Church, McKinney, TX
    
5. Dagnabit!: Fr. Stephen Lourie, St. George Church, Altoona, PA
    
6. 30 Days: Fr. Matthew Thurman, St. Luke Church, Solon, OH
    
7. Be Transfigured!: Fr. Athanasios Haros, Transfiguration Church, Florence, SC
    
8. Fr. Peter-Michael Preble: Fr. Peter Preble, St. Michael Church, Southbridge, MA
    
9. Papamike’s Ponderings: Fr. Michael Winn, Holy Spirit Seminary, Ottawa, Ontario
    
10. Ramblings of a Redneck Priest: Fr. John Moses, All Saints of America, Middlebrook, VA
     
11. Shine Within Our Hearts: Fr. David Eynon, Annunciation Church, Decatur, IL
     

 Priest Seraphim Holland 2009.     St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas

This article is at:

http://www.orthodox.net/journal/2009-11-18_30-40-days-of-blogging.doc

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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)

Patriarch Pavle stories

Nov 4/17 2009 24^th Tuesday after Pentecost.

Priest Seraphim Holland 2009.     St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas

This article is at: http://www.orthodox.net/journal/2009-11-17_patriarch-pavle-stories.doc

And on the blog

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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)

The cry of every pastor and shepherd

For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord, For ye are our glory and joy

What is life?

Commentary on 1 Thessalonians 2:20-3:8

Nov 3/16 2009 24^th Monday after Pentecost

St Paul is the quintessential pastor and shepherd [1]. As a priest, I am inspired and humbled by his zeal. Any true pastor (and I boldly proclaim that I am a true pastor, even though very limited by my sinfulness, but the Lord knows that I care and try to be a good pastor)  feels a great “resonance” in his soul when reading the Apostle’s many exhortations and emotional proclamations to his flock.

I cannot be the pastor and shepherd the Apostle was, but I do understand how he feels about his flock. His words to the Thessalonians are my words too:

For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord. (1 Thess 3:8)

This means that the pastor loves his flock, and the joys of his flock are his joys, and the sorrows his sorrows. When a person has a fall, or some difficulty, he feels it deeply, as if it was his own fall or difficulty. By “now we live” the Apostle is saying for all pastors that our greatest joy is to see those in our flock “stand fast in the Lord”. This motivation is why we are pastors.

As in all Scripture, the meaning is even deeper than mere words can convey. Our nature loves to be alive, and covets those feelings that make us feel the most alive. For some, this feeling is accomplished the most when encountering danger (the “adrenaline junkie”) or when viewing the beauty of nature, or, lamentably, when indulging in some useless and pernicious pleasure of the flesh.  The more refined among us, those closer to perfection, feel the most satisfaction in life when they are helping someone, but even this does not capture the Apostle’s meaning

The perfect identify so closely with those among them and consider their life so intertwined with their loved ones that they do not consider themselves to be alive unless their loved ones are alive. The only true life is to be in Christ. He is the resurrection and the life [2], and anything outside of Him is death. The perfect Christian feels this death so totally that when those he loves are “living as dead”, he laments their lot with bitter tears, and feels it as if it his own, and much more than this, marshals every bit of his energy to help them.

I am not there yet, but I want to be there.

The difference between a sinful pastor such as myself and the Apostle is that sometimes the sorrows of caring for the flock and the concerns of a pastor are overwhelming. I am convinced that this is because of moral failings. Everything is easier and we are more powerful with holiness! If I was holy, I would be sad about sad situation regarding my flock, but this sadness would spur me to pray as the Apostle did (just look at most of his epistles to see how he prayed!) and not engender feelings of spiritual exhaustion.

So today, I have a proclamation and a confession. You my flock, are

“my glory and joy”, and I live, “if ye stand fast in the Lord”.

And also, I am a truth teller and a liar [3] when I make this proclamation, although the Lord knows that my heart does not lie, even as I prove myself a liar because I am incapable in every instance of living up to these words.

Therefore, like the Apostle has often done in his letters, I exhort your prayers also. I need them much more than he needed them. Pray for your pastors, those men with feet of clay who speak of angelic things. Pray for those sinners who have made it their life’s work to teach others to not sin.

  Epistle reading for this day:

     1 Thessalonians 2:20-3:8 20 For ye are our glory and joy. 1 Wherefore when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left at Athens alone; 2 And sent Timotheus, our brother, and minister of God, and our fellowlabourer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith: 3 That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto. 4 For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know. 5 For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain. 6 But now when Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you: 7 Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith: 8 For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.

Priest Seraphim Holland 2009.     St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas

This article is at:

  http://www.orthodox.net/journal/2009-11-16_the-cry-of-the-true-pastor-and-shepherd+for-now-we-live-if-ye-stand-fast-in-the-lord_1thessalonians2-20-3-8.html

and

http://www.orthodox.net/journal/2009-11-16_the-cry-of-the-true-pastor-and-shepherd+for-now-we-live-if-ye-stand-fast-in-the-lord_1thessalonians2-20-3-8.doc

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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)

Luke 8:26-39 26 And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. 27 And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. 29 (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.) 30 And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. 31 And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep. 32 And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them. 33 Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked. 34 When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country. 35 Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. 36 They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed. 37 Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again. 38 Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.

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In the name of the Father, and the son, and the Holy Spirit, amen. Today is the 23^rd Sunday after Pentecost and on this day we read about the Gadarene demoniac. [1]

Why are we told this story? Why are we told any of the stories in the Scriptures? Of course, they are all for our salvation, and they all tell us something necessary.

In this story we see the power of God, and how by a word He can cast out demons. We see the ultimate powerlessness of the demons. We see how fearful they are of our savior, and we see how incredibly evil they are toward man and even unto beasts. We also see something that should make us fear, so that we do not become like these people – we see the brutishness, the swinishness of unbelievers. It is amazing how these people reacted to a great miracle in their midst. And there is another lesson here, a terrible lesson, a necessary lesson in free will. God created us so that we would know Him, but He has not forced us to follow His commandments. Some choose to follow His commandments, and some choose to ask Him to leave. He will indeed leave those who ask Him to leave …

So listen carefully to the words of this story, and see what God wants you to know. Listening carefully is not something that is easy to come by, especially in our society. We are not a very verbal society anymore. We value more the written word, and when we see and hear things, they are images that flash by the screen so rapidly or change so quickly on the radio. There is so much inundation of information upon us that we do not know how to listen to things that are holy – this is just more common information to us. Well, the most important information that you can get the entire week is what you hear in the liturgy today, and what you heard in the vigil last night. This is the time when you should pay more attention than any other time in your life, during the Divine Liturgy, and when the Holy Scriptures are being read, and when they are being discussed.

The story begins “And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes.” [2] When we read the context, we can see this is right after the Lord had preached about the sower, then they got into a ship. When they crossed over, during that time, there was a storm, and the apostles were terrified even though He was in the  ship with them There was another time when He came walking across the water in a storm; that was a difference occurrence. He is asleep in the ship, and the apostles, despite the fact that the God-man was with them, were terrified, and they said “Master, Master, we perish.” [3] And He rebuked them because of their unbelief. How can you think you are perishing when Christ is right with you?

So they came over to the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gadarenes, and “there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs.” [4] No clothes – the man had no shame, the man had no virtue. He was not clothed in virtue. We know that clothing can often signify virtue. Recall the wedding garment. One is given to everyone who enters the wedding feast, and it signifies baptism for us, and the life lived in Christ. And the man who did not have a wedding garment, who had cast it aside, was cast out with the unbelievers, because he acted like an unbeliever. Even if he appeared in the assembly of believers, by his actions he showed who he really was, and what he was like.

This demonized man had no virtue, he was not clothed in virtue, nor in the waters of baptism, which allow us to live in virtue. Also, having no clothes is a sign of having no reason. They are intelligent creatures, but they are not reasonable, or rational. Their hatred is as high as the mountains; they are filled to the brim with irrational hatred every moment of their existence.

This man dwelt in the tombs. Part of the reason, the fathers say, that demoniacs dwelt in the tombs is that the devil wanted to plant a fable in the heart if man that from the dead came demons, and that graveyards were noxious and evil places, and people were afraid of them. The devil does not really want you to know how the demons come about and how they perform their activities. He wants this to be steeped in folklore. He does not want you to know that if a man does not follow Christ, he opens himself up to the demons, so he plants these kinds of fables in the heart of man, and you can see them in every culture, in every tradition. This demonology often has a grain of truth in it, but generally it is quite false, because it does not get to the root of why demons besiege us.

Also, those who are without virtue, those who are without reason, those who do not follow Christ are already dead. They may as well be in a graveyard. The demons are the most dead of all creatures, and tombs symbolize evil places, fetid places, dark places full of wickedness. This indeed was an apt place for such a man to dwell, and of course, he could not be allowed to dwell in the city because of his uncontrollable actions, and people were afraid of him. So he was an outcast. He was outside the city, outside of salvation, outside of the church.

Our Lord rebuked him, and then he asked his name. He did not need to ask his name. Our Lord knows everything. He answered “Legion”, many, many demons. Men can sink very low.

Now, why did he have devils? This is a question that is very difficult to answer. Different people might have devils for different reasons. St. Mary Magdalene had seven devils. [5] This was not because of unrighteousness. In her case, the devil, who thinks he is so intelligent, was fooled, and he thought that she was to be the bearer of Christ, so he inhabited her, against her will with demons, in order to make her fall into fornication (she never did, by the way). And she suffered grievously from these demons. Our Lord cast these demons out of her, and she followed him till the end of her days. She was part of the entourage that took care of all of the physical necessities of our Lord and His disciples throughout His ministry, and she was given the grace to become “equal to the apostles”. [6]

This man may not have been demonized because of his unrighteousness either. We don’t know. It could have been because of the judgment that God was passing on that area. These people were not following the law. They kept swine, which was unlawful to do, because they were Jews, and they were more concerned with profit than following the law of God.

The fathers also think that this man was demonized as an example of how terrible the demons can be, and how great the mercy of God can be. Now, be careful how you judge. Don’t judge according to your own wisdom, according to the external circumstances, according only to what you read in the scriptures, without consulting the wisdom of the church. The Psalmist says”Thy judgments are a vast abyss.” [7] We cannot understand why certain things happen to people, why some people are sick, why some are demonized, why some people die early, why the wicked wax old and fat. It is hard to understand these things, but God knows. We must only trust.

So this man may have been demonized because of the evil of the people, and not because of his own unrighteousness. As we can see later on, once he had the demons expelled from him, he had great love for our Savior, and great obedience.

So, when this man saw Jesus, “he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. [8]

Of course, the man’s voice was being used by the demons. It is amazing how foolish the demons are. Can you see how they indeed have nothing in common with our Lord? Such impudence!, to say ‘what have I to do with you’, and such cowardice - ‘Don’t torment me’. And such knowledge! They KNOW! They know exactly  what is going to happen to them. They are trying to forestall the inevitable.  They know that  they will be cast into the abyss. They know that they will be tormented, and they ARE NOT GOING TO CHANGE. That is where their fear comes in. In the  midst of their impudence, in the midst of their braggadocio, they are terrified, because they see the God-man standing before them.

Some people are also like the demons. They KNOW Who He is,  and they know something of the commandments of God, BUT THEY DON’T WANT TO CHANGE. Because of this, they are afraid. This is not the fear of God that brings forth wisdom [9], but the fear of  a man who does wrong and does not want to change.

“And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them.  Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked.” [10]

Our Lord allowed  this to happen as an example, to show how truly evil AND powerless the demons are. They cannot even control swine. They enraged and frightened the swine so much that they ended up in the abyss, where they had begged not to be anyway. Now, if  you can see how truly evil the demons are from this example, set forth for our edification, then how can  you want any part with them?

Am I saying this to Christians? Yes indeed! Because, we often have  concourse with the demons, whenever we give ourselves over to our sins, whenever  we give ourselves over to the nakedness of this man, the nakedness of virtue, and fulfill in ourselves our own desires and not the commandments of God. Then we are becoming like unto the demons. The word Devil, “Diabolos” means “Slanderer”. He  is a liar. I tell my children that ‘whenever you lie, you are acting like a demon’. How can you want to act like such an evil creature, and such a smelly and fetid creature, dark and black?

We see that there were many demons - there were enough to inhabit a whole herd of swine. And we see the judgment against  these people, because Christ, shall we say, ‘killed two birds with one stone’. He not only healed the man, but He also showed these people where they were erring, because they were keeping swine against the Jewish law. So, He took away their profit. He took away that which was causing them to sin. They should have considered this to be a favor, in that He saved them from their wretchedness, but what happened?

“When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country.” [11] They fled! I can think of another occurrence where someone saw their sin, but she  did not flee! She ran to the city and she said, “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?” [12] I am referring to St. Photini, the Samaritan women at the well. Our Lord showed he that he  knew of her sins. He knew that she had previously had five husbands, and that the man she was living with was not her husband, and He showed how  much He knew. She reacted with love. She reacted by becoming apostle by proclaiming that the Messiah was among them!

But these swine herders – their profit had been removed from them. Their livelihood in the trafficking in illicit goods was removed from them, so they fled, and went to tell their  superiors about this tragedy that had befallen their commerce. These people saw the power of God, and they were afraid! They were afraid because of their sins, and because of their stubbornness, because they DON’T WANT TO CHANGE. They saw that the God-man, Jesus Christ requires  change in a man. This is a fundamental principle of Christianity. As you are enlightened with the knowledge of God, you  must act in accordance with that knowledge!

“Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.” [13]

Now he  had his clothing on, and his reason had returned to him and he was doing what any man should do when  he sees what great things God has done for him – he sits at His feet, drinking in every word, adoring Him, with thanksgiving . He was beginning the Christian life. I tell you, this man could have fallen back into the abyss, where  he had come from.

In another place in St. Luke’s gospel, our Lord describes what happens to an unrepentant man, even a man who has demons taken out of him: “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.  And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.  Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” [14]

So this man had to embark upon the life of virtue now. Now that he had removed from him  this impediment that made it so difficult for his to believe and to act virtuously, he OWED Christ obedience, and  he gave it freely, as we can see in the Gospel. He desired very greatly to follow Him, but our Lord, for reasons known only to Him,  refused him, and asked  him to be an apostle in that area by proclaiming what great  things God had done for him, and indeed he did that.

What should have happened with these people? How should they have reacted? How did the Samaritans react when St. Photini told them about Christ? Like the Gadarenes, they came out to investigate, but the similarity ends there. It says,

“So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. And many more believed because of his own word.” [15] And, in another place,  there was one out of ten lepers who gave thanks to God: “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. [16]

That is what should have happened when these people saw that their sinful trade had been destroyed, and God had judged that they  should not do such a thing, but He had not destroyed them. He had only destroyed that which was CAUSING their own destruction!

“They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed.” [17]

So the swine herders went to their masters and they told them what happened. These men were very afraid then, and this was an evil, wicked kind of fear. This was the fear of a person who does not want to see the light, does not want to  have his deeds exposed, does not want to have his life changed. They did not focus so much on the grace and the power of God, as on the fact that He was getting into their business. He was requiring of them something. He was intervening in their  lives, and they wanted Him out. They wanted Him to LEAVE THEM ALONE!

“Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear:” [18]

Tragic! Absolutely tragic! They had the God-man among them, and He had showed them what was wrong  with their life, in a quite gentle way, and they wanted nothing of Him. They did not want Him around. 

Evil hates the light. Evil  does not want to be around the light, partly because it does not understand it.   St. John talks about this: “In him”, that is, in Christ, “ was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” [19] There are those who just don’t understand, and I tell you, most people who do not understand do not WANT to understand, because if you understand, you must go to the next step, and you must ACT IN ACCORDANCE WITH YOUR UNDERSTANDING! People don’t want to do that. Even people  who call themselves Christians don’t want to do that. And all of us, to some extent, in some way, try to cover up knowledge, so we don’t have to act in accordance with that knowledge.

This is part of the reason why  confession is so important. It is so easy to hide within ourselves our sins, but it is much more difficult when we are required to tell them to someone else, especially if that person questions, and asks, and even challenges. At least, if we have enough shame so that we will not tell lies then, God will show us what is truly wrong with us.

It also says about those who do and do not want to follow Christ,

“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” [20]  

That is  exactly how these people acted. They wanted the light to go away, so they could hide. They thought they could hide. They thought  if He would go away, they could continue their trade, they could  get more swine, and they could go on with life as it was before. They should listen more carefully to what their Messiah has said: “Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.” [21]

There is no hiding from the knowledge of God. You can delay it for some period of time, but eventually, all things will be made known [22], all things will be made  manifest. All sins will be made known, and those sins that have been unconfessed, those sins that have been hidden and hoarded will cause great pain, and will gnaw at us in the next life if we do not repent.

Now we come to the most terrible section of this reading. It is very short, and very bitter. ”And he went up into the ship, and returned back again.” [23]

He offered them salvation, and they denied Him. So He said, “All right, I will leave’. And God will leave, and the Holy Spirit will leave from us, when we do not prepare a place for Him, and repent of our  sins, so as to keep that place clean, and garnished. If you don’t want Him, He will leave.

But notice, how merciful He is, in still  giving those Gadarene “swine” and chance for their salvation, because it says: “Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to thine own house, and show how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.” [24]

So he was giving  these people another chance. This man might have gained some converts over time. Some of these people’s hardened hearts might have softened and they might have some to an understanding of what the Lord had done for them, and they might have become Christians.

God help us to learn from this example, to not act like swine, to not push God away when He shows us something that is wrong with us, whether it be when we are reading in the scriptures, or we are hearing in the services something that touches  our heart, or where God most often tells us what is wrong with us.

This is through our relationships with others, and especially our relationship with our confessor. This is a tough relationship to have. You know, I have a confessor too. This is not an easy relationship to have, to bare yourself and to show what is wrong with you. We always want to show the good side of ourselves. It is also not easy to take instruction. When he tells me to do something, I don’t always like what he tells me, but if I don’t do it, then I will be acting  upon my own wisdom, and I will fall, and I will probably, most likely perish. I will certainly perish if I disobey him constantly, but even the smallest disobedience can lead to a greater disobedience. and I can fall farther and farther, and the same principle applies to every Christian, even to a Patriarch. We must be obedient to what God is telling us, and God speaks through simple, sinful men.

God help us to truly follow Christ, and to not be  like these Gadarene swine keepers, but when we see something wrong with us, we would cleave to Christ, and we would be healed. Amen.

Bibliography:

Drops From the Living Water - Pp. 168-171

The One Thing Needful - Pp. 143-146

Old Believer Sermon for the 23^rd Sunday after Pentecost (unpublished)

Commentary on the Gospel of St. Luke, St. Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria, Pp.  190-194

Priest Seraphim Holland 1996.     St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas

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We are a small parish, and have done our best to plant and water, and now we are watching God cause us to grow.

There is not doubt about it - times are difficult, and we are stretched financially, and spiritually. I am not exactly a Tigger, nor am I am Eyore, but like most people, somewhat in between. Building is hard, since nothing in life stops to let you catch your breath.

Our parish received a huge amount of encouragement this week. We have had an enormous amount of donations come in. We are still raising money, and need to, but we received a large chunk this week. God is providing, in the right time, in the right amounts.

We have also made our needs known for some "church" things, and received word yesterday that a bishops chair and chandelier will be donated.

One thing that building has done (for all of us, but I guess I am talking a little personally here) is made us less of an island. We have friends from literally all over the world now, and, most dear to me, many in the DFW area, in local parishes. We are a part of the community now, with friends who visit us, commune with us, and have helped us. This is incredibly encouraging.

Our monetary donations this week are an incredible $6024.00.

Thank you from a grateful pastor and parish for your friendship, well wishes, prayers and donations. As the pastor, I try every day to be worthy of your trust.

Going to the chapel and we’re gonna have a moleeeeeban (at 7)

Going to the chapel and we’re gonna have a moleeeeeban

We really love it, and we’re gonna have a moleeeeeban

Going to the chapel tonight!

 Slide Show or go to the Picture set here.

We have an almost real church! 

Window detail with a deaconess.

Mystery

Oct 29/ Nov 11 2009 23^rd Wednesday after Pentecost

A traditional Russian Orthodox Psalter has a lot of things in it besides the Psalms. There are prayers said before and after each Kathisma, the Biblical Odes, and lots of instructional material. To my knowledge, the Russian Orthodox Psalter, edited by David James and recently approved by Bishop Jerome, is the only one of its kind in English, and for many, including myself, the prayers between the Kathismas and certain other materials will be seen for the first time. I thought I would publish, with David’s permission, some of the additional material in the Psalter.

This Psalter may be purchased right now for forty dollars (postpaid) from David directly (see below). Eventually, he will have it printed, and is planning, at my request, to make a pocket sized addition.

I think EVERY Christian should have a pocket sized Psalter with them at all times (and when this edition is pocket sized, it will be preeminently suited to private prayer since it has all the prayers between Kathismas, which, I believe, are not used in church)

We waste so much time, and have so many times during the day when we are waiting. We wait thirty minutes to get our oil changed, or 20 minutes when we are early for a meeting, or 10 minutes before dinner when we do not want to start something else. We can chant a stasis in a few minutes, a kathisma in perhaps 15. Is there a better use of our “filler” time?

This Psalter is a new translation, using the beloved “Coverdale” translation of the Psalms as a base. It has been reworked extensively to conform better to the Slavonic Psalter. To tell the truth, I want to give it a try, because the language is excellent, and it has so much more in it than the “Boston” Psalter, Of course, I know many of the “Boston” Psalter psalms by heart, so the transition will be difficult. I have no linguistic opinion about which is better, because I am not a linguist. Of course, this new Psalter is the only one officially approved by our church for liturgical use, but I must admit that I am not the best rule follower, so that will not be my main motivation (did I just say that?).

Anyway, I know David and want to support his work, and am thrilled to see it is of such a high quality. So almost without further ado, I present the Athanasian Creed (with some whitespace added to Make it easier to read on the web and footnotes, which are mine, and then a few comments), which is traditionally present in the Russian Orthodox Psalter.

To buy a self published copy of the Psalter, send $40.00 to

David James
PO Box 530
Rye, NH 03870-0530

This blog will announce when a printing run is made.

“Hope in our Lord Jesus Christ”

is only possible when there is

“work of faith, and labor of love”

When is the Gospel…

 “not … in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost”?

Oct 27/Nov 9 2009 23^rd Monday after Pentecost

We begin 1 Thessalonians  in the cycle of readings today. The Apostle uses a very important and often misunderstood word – “hope”:

“We give thanks to God always for you all… 3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father…” (1 Thess 1:2-3)

We cannot understand what “hope” is or be able to “hope” unless we are living a careful, powerful [1] Christian life. This is why in his prayer for the Thessalonians, he prefaces that they have “hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” by mentioning their “work of faith and labor of love”.

What is “hope”? Here is something that it is not: “wishful thinking”. When we say that we hope that something will come to pass, such as a good test grade, we are expressing our desire for a good outcome, along with some doubt that it may come to pass. This is decidedly not the hope described in the scriptures, such as:

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; (4) and patience, experience; and experience, hope:  (5) And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. (Rom 5:3-5)

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,  (12)   Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;  (13)   Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;  (14)   Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.  (Tit 2:11-14)

In the scriptures, hope refers to something of which we are certain, but have not attained. It is a longing for something not completely realized (or seen, see below), but increasingly realized.

For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?  (25)   But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. (Rom 8:24-25)

Hope is the expectation of becoming what God became incarnate for, that we each become

“a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ”(Eph 4:13)

All this is possible only because of Christ – His incarnation, teaching, example, mentoring of His disciples to continue His work in the church, and above all, His changing of human nature so that it would be capable of perfection.

For a Christian, the expectation inherent in hope is not merely waiting. It is an earnest striving. Hope involves patience, but not in the sense that we passively wait. Scriptural “patience” is continual, steadfast effort to obtain something we believe in. Hope is impossible to have without morality. Scriptural references to hope always have a moral context. To the extent that we live in Christ, following all His commandments, fulfilling the Greatest Commandment [2], we have strong hope. Any moral problem of any kind, especially one we are not giving every effort to eradicate, weakens hope.

The Apostle goes on to mention power:

“For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance;”

From whence comes this power? From the grace of God working in us of course, and it will only work with power when we are making powerful efforts to live morally. The Gospel is not words, it is power. Any word spoken without power, that is without a strong moral foundation, is not the Gospel. Anything we do without strong moral convictions is not done with power; it is not according to the Gospel.

At the end of this short selection the Apostle tells his beloved flock that:

“As ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.”

Today’s Epistle:

1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; 3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; 4 Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. 5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. (1 Thessalonians 1:1-5)

Here are a few more references to hope in the scriptures.

Gal 5:5 KJV  For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

Col 1:4-5 KJV  Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,  (5)   For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;

Col 1:23 KJV  If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

1Th 4:13-18 KJV  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.  (14)   For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.  (15)   For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.  (16)   For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  (17)   Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  (18)   Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Tit 2:11-14 KJV  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,  (12)   Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;  (13)   Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;  (14)   Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

1Pe 1:3-5 KJV  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  (4)   To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,  (5)   Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

1Jn 3:2-3 KJV  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.  (3)   And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Priest Seraphim Holland 2009.     St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas

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Luke 16:19-31 19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

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In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen. Today is the twenty second Sunday after Pentecost [1], and also is the day we celebrate the memory of St. Hilarion the Great. We wish many years to our beloved Archbishop Hilarion, who is down under now.

This day is appointed the reading of the parable of the Rich man, and Lazarus. [2] This parable is only given in St. Luke. We should understand that sometimes the Evangelists spoke about the same things, sometimes, they didn’t. Part of the reason why this was done was because they were individual human beings, and they gave their own imprint to the gospel they wrote.

Also, we can see better see the marvelous agreement of the gospels, because we can see how they were written in different styles, and with a different temperament, but when they speak of the same stories, they agree. They only have a little bit different perspective, since, two people can look at the same event, and both can have a true perspective. They just see different things in the event. This should make us want to read more, knowing that every gospel is different. Each story rendered is different. Sometimes all four gospels may give the same story, other times only three, or two, or one.

This should make us want to read more, and I admonish you — READ. Read the Gospels. Read what is necessary for your salvation, all the Holy Scriptures: the Gospels, the Epistles, the Old Testament and the Psalter. Read all these things for your salvation. You should so this every day. At least read the daily readings.

This parable, like all parables, has a literal and an allegorical meaning. Out Lord spoke in parables in order to convey a deeper meaning to those who wish to look into it, to those who are willing to struggle and try to learn. Those who just see the surface meaning lose out on the benefit that our Lord has intended for them.

This parable is particularly rich in meanings, MANY meanings. It speaks of the Jews and the Gentiles, Lazarus being the Gentiles, and the Rich man being the Jews. He makes several comparisons, and basically says that the Gentiles are at the threshold of salvation – they were laying at the gate of the rich man.

We also learn about the righteous and the unrighteous, how we are to act and how we are not to act. We see the endurance of Lazarus and the greediness and lack of compassion of the rich man. We learn something about how you are to act if you are rich, and something about how you are to act if you are poor.

Also, we learn something about what it will be like in the next life, especially for the damned. When I read what the rich man says, I am terrified. We see how it will be in the next life, both for the rich and the poor, that is, those who are rich in God, otherwise known as poor in spirit. We just read about that didn’t we? [3] We also learn something about rewards and punishments in this parable.

Oh, yes, indeed, we will be rewarded or punished, depending on how we live our life. This is true!

It is only recently, in the past few hundred years, that this heresy has come about that tries to remove responsibility from a man. Oh yes, we have plenty of responsibility. Our Lord tells us on every page of the Gospels how we are to act, how we are to live, and if we do not try to live in that way, yes, we will be judged. We can see something of this judgment in this parable. Lastly, at the end of this parable, we hear about the word of God and it must be listened to. If we don’t listen to that, we cannot be expected to be convinced by any other means, even if a man would rise from the dead.

The Parable begins “There was a certain rich man” [4] . A certain rich man – he doesn’t even have a name. But wouldn’t that be the way it would be? The scripture says about such a man, who is rich only in things in the temporal world, but poor in virtue, “Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out.” [5] And the Lord says also, “a froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person.” [6] And then our Lord says, when He is speaking of the Judgment, “I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.” [7].

Isn’t that what happened to the rich man? He saw Abraham and he knew he was thrust out, and he was a man with out a name anymore. He was a man that God knew not. “His remembrance shall perish from the earth, and he shall have no name in the street.” [8], so says the Prophet Job. God help us, that we would not be like that, that we would have a name when eternity dawns. This man had no name anymore.

And he was “was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day.” [9]

There are two meanings here. The Jews were clothed with the law, and God’s grace toward them, and it is not a sin to be clothed with purple and fine linen, and to fare sumptuously on the teaching of God, but it is a sin to be luxurious, or to not appreciate what God has given us, like the rich man. He had plenty enough to spare, and as we see later on in the parable he KNEW Lazarus. After all, when he was in hell, he certainly could call him by name, but he never bothered while he was on the earth to even cast a glance at him.

”And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus [10]” , it says. Ah, this man HAS a name. God knows him. God knows him WELL. Lazarus also represents the Gentiles, and they indeed were beggars at the time, because they were as yet outside of the kingdom. The kingdom had not been revealed to them yet, and they were beggars. “Their remembrance is unto generation and generation”, that is the man who follows Christ, and he will have a name. That’s why Lazarus was named, and the rich man, the rich man who people would fawn over in this life, was nameless, faceless, without an identity anymore in the next life.

And it says that Lazarus “was laid at his gate, full of sores.” [11] Again there are two meanings. This gate — the Gentiles are laying by the gate, about to enter into the kingdom of heaven, right at the threshold of salvation. Harlots and tax collectors are entering into the Kingdom [12], and the Pharisees and the Sadduces didn’t know it, because they were too arrogant to see. They thought that their purple and fine linen would last into the next age, and indeed, it would not.

And we also have another meaning to think about here. Who is laid at our gate? Is there a beggar at our gate, whether he be a beggar for clothing, a beggar for money, or a beggar for salvation, a beggar for comfort, a beggar for consolation? Who is laid at our gate? We had better know. The rich man was without excuse, concerning this man Lazarus, because he knew him. He saw him at his gate every day, and he ignored him.

Also, these sores, what are they? They are sins. Lazarus was blessed, but he certainly was a sinner like you and I. The rich man was wretched, and he also was a sinner, but Lazarus’ sins were on the outside of his skin. His sores were there, so the dogs came and licked them, and comforted him. The rich man’s sins were internal. They were not out to be purged, to be cauterized, and so he died in his sins. Confess your sins, while you can, so that you need not confess them when there is no forgiveness.

And so, when it says that “the dogs came and licked his sores” [13] , what are we to understand by this? Do you see how alone the man was? He had no comfort. The DOGS came to lick his sores. No one else came, ONLY the dogs. He had to endure much, didn’t he? Do you see the greatness of his soul? The scripture does not come right out and say how great a man he was, but can you see, can you infer? Look at what he endured – coldness, nakedness, hunger, paralysis, loneliness, dejection, and also to see the warmth of the house of the rich man, and to see all the foodstuffs being brought in, and not to have anything to eat! And not to be warm. He endured much indeed, and the scriptures show that he did not complain one whit.

 “The beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom.”This beggar, he died, and to the world, it was a non-event. Someone had to grab him, because after all, he would start to smell, and throw him somewhere, into some potter’s field. No one came to pray for him. No one cared. No one knew him. The rich man might have noticed after two or three weeks, “Oh the beggar is not there anymore. I don’t have to step over him anymore. That’s good”. His death was of no consequence. It did not cause a ripple in the life of that time.

But he did NOT die alone, and his death was a matter of great rejoicing in the heavens, because the angels escorted him into Abraham’s bosom. What does it say about those that die who are righteous, and the appearances, both in this world, and the REAL appearances in the next? Solomon says,

“But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and there shall no torment touch them. In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: and their departure is taken for misery, and their going from us to be utter destruction: but they are in peace. For though they be punished in the sight of men, yet is their hope full of immortality. And having been a little chastised”…

Lazarus’ wounds were a little bit of chastisement mind you. Don’t look at the appearances, look at the truth! And

“they shall be greatly rewarded: for God proved them, and found them worthy for himself. As gold in the furnace hath he tried them, and received them as a burnt offering. And in the time of their visitation they shall shine, and run to and fro like sparks among the stubble.” [14]

So it is with the righteous when they die. The world sees a false picture, but we know the truth.

What is Abraham’s bosom? Of course, it is salvation. And our Lord made that comment because part of the reason he said this parable was in order to show the Jews their foolishness. And they got the message. This is one of the reasons they hated him so much, because they saw what He was saying in this parable – that they were unbelievers, and of course, the bosom of Abraham would be understood by the Jews to be salvation. After all, He said to them in another place, “I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom” [15], the Jews, those who did not understand, those who did not WANT to live according to what they had learned, “shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth”. [16]

The East and West represents the Jews and the Gentiles, the Greek, and everyone else. Salvation was being made manifest for everyone, and it was before the eyes of these proud Jews, and they DIDN’T SEE IT.

Then it mentions the rich man in this parable. ”The rich man also died, and was buried.” [17] . Period.

He died alone, brothers and sisters. Oh, I am sure there was a great fanfare. I am sure there was a GREAT funeral for him, and there were orations about him, and he was buried with great pomp and circumstance. And there were probably paid mourners who were weeping, and playing their horns, as the Jews were wont to do to show how much they loved him. And yet, so many of those people that were saying those things were rejoicing, because after all, he probably was hated by his servants. There were probably people who owed him money and thought, ”Now this is wonderful. Now that he has died, I don’t owe him anymore. I am sure glad he died before me”. And there was probably someone who said “Ah ha! I can take what he had, and add it to my larder, because he is gone now, and I can appropriate his goods.”

David says, “Their graves shall be their houses, unto eternity”. This is not the mansion [18] that our Lord speaks of. That’s the house that I want to live in. “Their graves shall be their houses, unto eternity”. The Lord will say to him, “Your feasting is finished, your name is blotted out of the book of life. And I DON’T know you.” And that is what happened to the rich man.

“And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.” [19]

Oh yes, there are actual torments, and these torments are, shall we say, the “would-ofs” the “could-ofs” and the “should-ofs”. We will know what we should have done when we die. May it be that we will rejoice, because God will say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant”. He is far off. He sees Abraham afar off, in brightness. He is in murk, and he sees the light afar off. He is far removed. And He sees Lazarus. Notice that Lazarus does not see him. Lazarus was in bliss. He did not see him. Those in the light have trouble seeing into the darkness, don’t they? But the people in the dark can see into the light. Lazarus was unencumbered by the knowledge of the Rich man’s situation.

Don’t let the Devil trick you now. I think one of the tricks that he has, especially for people that are converts, living in an unorthodox country, and where we have family, perhaps children, our spouse, brothers, sisters, parents that are not of the Orthodox faith or are even far away from anything even remotely resembling Christianity is this. We worry and we fret about them, and wonder, what will it be like when we die.

I have had this temptation, wondering how can I be happy if I know that my father or mother is not in heaven. Well, in heaven, you will have understanding, because all things will be revealed. You will be at peace. You will understand then. You don’t understand now, but you will understand then. Now we cannot fully understand. So don’t let the Devil trick you. Save your soul, because if you don’t save your soul, how can you help anyone to save theirs? And pray also for your mother and your father, your sister and your brother.

And the rich man, or we know him as the poorest wretch don’t we? says, “send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.” [20]

He who denied even a crumb to Lazarus is denied even a drop of water for his tongue. What a state he is in now!

Instead of music, he hears groaning.

Instead of the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, he is in darkness.

Instead of drinking and carousing, and eating to his fill, he has thirst, and hunger, burning thirst. Instead of gaiety he has despair.

This is the state of the man!

The Words of the Law were in his mouth. He was a Jew! I am sure that he went to synagogue, and that he said some prayers, and gave some alms for appearances sake, but the things he said, that he didn’t believe, they burn him now! That’s what is burning his tongue, you know. That is why his tongue is so hot, and parched, because he didn’t do what he said. He said he believed something, but he didn’t really, because he did not act like it.

The Lord says some things about these people, who are knowledgeable, but do not do His commandments,

”Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid” [21].

These wise men, so called, are those who trust in their riches, and their gaiety, and their feasting, and have not compassion, and their wisdom, and their prudence is hid in HADES, and their name is FORGOTTEN. The Lord says to us on every page of the scripture, “Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? [22] And the rich man is exactly like this kind of person: “He that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.” [23] And that house was forgotten.

And Abraham said to him, “Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. [24]

Abraham said to him, SON! Ah, this is a person who was in the church, this is one of those tares that grew up. Oh yes, there will out and out pagans in hell, and idol worshippers, and yet, there will also be those who call themselves Christians, those who call themselves good Jews. Abraham recognized, “Yes, you are one of us, and I call you Son, but that doesn’t do you any good now, because the place of torment is reserved for those who do not do the commandments, whether they are sons, or aliens” .

And He says that “ that thou in thy lifetime receivedst THY good things”.

In English, we really cannot see this distinction, but in the Slavonic, and Greek, this word “receivest” has a connotation of “receive because of what you have done”. What does it say in the other scriptures today, in the usual reading for venerable fathers, men who fasted and prayed, and became great Saints? St. Paul says “He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” [25] He reaped what he sowed, because he sowed nothing. So he had nothing. He was naked in the next life, and without comfort.

And likewise, Lazarus received evil things in this world, evil in appearances! But our Lord has something to say about that in the other Gospel as well, because He says,

“Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled”, not NOW, but in the kingdom you will be filled! Be patient!. “Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.” [26], and run to and fro, like sparks among the stubble.

So Lazarus had evil things and the rich man had those things that he thought were good things. And he made a trade, like Esau made. [27] He traded a pot of lentils for is birthright, is what he did. He made the choice. He decided what he wanted, and we indeed can make that choice also, brothers and sisters. We can decide, when we want our good things? Do we want them now, or do we want them in the kingdom? You can have good things now, according to your abilities, you can have everything you want. But you will have nothing in the Kingdom if you only pursue temporal happiness now. Lazarus punishment was only for a moment, only for a short time. He suffered grievously for only a short period, and then he had eternal life.

And Abraham then says to the rich man, to explain to him why he has no help, no comfort, no chance: “between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.” [28]

Oh yes, hell is permanent and real! And I tell you, the gulf was made by the rich man. He dug his own pit, and jumped into it, and he has no recourse after jumping into that pit. And see what he understood? The rich man knew what he had done! The rich man repented, he wanted to make amends. He was not a man with absolutely no good feelings whatsoever.

He said, “I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. [29]

His memory is all preserved! He remembers his brothers. He remembers how they act. He knows Lazarus. He knows Abraham, and yet he had never met the man! He never met him at all, because he never cared about the things he said, did he?

The senses in the next life are finer and stronger. We see and we understand more, we calculate more quickly in the next life, when we are unencumbered by the flesh. Indeed, even those in Hell have finer senses, so that they can more exquisitely feel their pain.

Do you see how terrifying this is? All their passions are still preserved, but there is no fulfillment for their passions. His thirst for liquor will never be fulfilled, his thirst for women, for song, all of it will go unfulfilled and will GNAW at him, and hurt him, and cut him, for eternity! “Their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.”^[30], it says in the scripture. And that is the worm, brothers and sisters! Our passions are the worm! They will eat at us, unless we exorcise them now, so that we will be unencumbered by them. And in the next life, every knee shall bend [31], and all things shall be made known. Those in Hades, they will know, they will see Father Abraham, and this will make their pain even more real and more exquisite.

And Abraham says to him, “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them”(the word of God). “And he said, Nay, father Abraham…”.He knew his brothers because he was one of them. “… but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”. [32] And the Jews certainly heard this, and it angered them, and just increased their foment, and their desire to put him to death.

Why is it some men will not be “persuaded”, whether by the Word of God, or even obvious miracles? Certainly most people here in America would say they “believe” in God, and even call themselves Christians, and yet so many are not really “persuaded” to live as Christians. Why is this so?

It is because they do not understand that the Christian life is a moral life, with moral change and amendment a necessity.

The rich man, like so many in this life, said he believed, but did not change. He was not compassionate. His wallowing in luxury dulled his senses, and he perished in worldly splendor. Lazarus, the blessed one, endured with patience and was saved. May God help us to endure all things, and to change ourselves to be like Him, to love, to be patient, eventually to see Him in paradise.

Amen

Luke 16:19-31

 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: {20} And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, {21} And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. {22} And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; {23} And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. {24} And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. {25} But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. {26} And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. {27} Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: {28} For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. {29} Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. {30} And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. {31} And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one

 rose from the dead.

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

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Holy Father Nicholas, pray to God for us!

Oct 24/ Nov 6 2009 22^nd  Friday after Pentecost

O most-holy and most-wonderful Father Nicholas, consolation of all that sorrow, accept our personal offering, and entreat the Lord that we be delivered from Gehenna through thy God-pleasing intercession, that we may sing: Alleluia!

(Kontakion 13, Akathist to St Nicholas)

 We sing this Kontakion every Thursday night in our new temple in construction, as part of the Akathist to St Nicholas. We have been serving a Moleben for quite awhile now, on Thursday nights, on the land. We started serving in front of a large wooden cross, with the dog barking next door. Building has proceeded, we have served on the slab, inside a structure with walls only (by this time, the dog was gone!), and now, finally, last night, with the roof joists all installed. If the weather holds, the next time we will serve with a roof over our heads!

Serving a Moleben every week in which we sing the Akathist to our beloved patron increases our intimate feelings concerning his life and intercession for us. The thirteenth and last Kontakion of his Akathist sums up our feelings about him, which we had only just recently been chanting in detail in sweet melody, as we recounted various important parts of his life and intercession for his flock, both during and after his earthly life. This is generally the case for all “Kontakion thirteens”, which are always chanted 3 times, with “Alleluia” sung three times after each, before we repeat the first Ikos and Kontakion to finish the Akathist.

This Kontakion also sums up the correct understanding concerning “prayer to the saints”, or better, “asking the saints to intercede for us”. We have confidence in the prayers of St Nicholas for us because we know he is righteous, and therefore we know that his intercessions are “God-pleasing”.

“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16)

The more I sing this Akathist, the more I feel the holiness of St Nicholas and sure knowledge that since his intercessions to God are God-pleasing, our intercessions to him must certainly also be.

Priest Seraphim Holland 2009.     St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas

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aka James the Just

Commemorated Oct 23/ Nov 5

10 Things [1]

1. St James is called the “Brother of the Lord”. He was one of 4 sons of Joseph from a previous marriage, all of which are named in scripture [2]. He is given this title because, as the Prologue [3] explains:

“When Joseph was dying, he shared out his goods among his sons and wanted to leave a share to the Lord Jesus, the Son of the most holy Virgin Mary, but his sons opposed this, not reckoning Jesus to be a brother of theirs. James, though, loved Jesus greatly and announced that he would include Him in his share, counting himself to be indeed brother to the Lord.” 

2.  The Holy Apostle accompanied his family when they fled to Egypt, to escape the wrath of Herod, shortly after Jesus was born. (St James is behind the Theotokos in the icon.)

3. The Holy James was counted among the Seventy disciples of the Lord. No doubt he was always near Jesus but the two Apostles among the twelve named James are different men.

4. Although James was not one of the Twelve, he was so highly respected by his peers that he became the first bishop of Jerusalem, even with some of the Apostles living there at the time. From this it is clear that he was respected as a holy and righteous man.  He governed Jerusalem for thirty years, before his martyrdom.

5. St James was so respected by all, including even unbelieving Jews, that he was nicknamed “the Just”.

6. St James remained a virgin all of his life, and is said to have never eaten fat or oil.

7. He was also a great lover of long prayer vigils at night, and is said to have “knees like a camel”, from kneeling in prayer often.

8. He composed the first Liturgy, on the instruction of the Lord. It proved to be too long for later Christians to use everyday, and was later shortened by St Basil and St John Chrysostom. We still serve the “Liturgy of St James” to this day, in some places.

9. St James wrote the Epistle of James. It is remarkable in the NT for bluntly and plainly stressing the moral life that a Christian must lead.

10. St James was martyred in Jerusalem. From The Prologue from Ohrid:

“When Ananias became High Priest, he decided, along with other of the Jewish elders, to kill James as a preacher of Christ. One day, at Pascha, when many people were gathered in Jerusalem, the elders told him to climb up onto a roof and speak against Christ. St James climbed up there, and began to speak to the people about Christ as the Son of God and the true Messiah, and of His Resurrection and eternal glory in heaven. The infuriated priests and elders cast him down from the roof, and he was badly injured though still alive. A man then ran up and gave him such a vicious blow on the head that his brains spilled out. Thus this glorious apostle of Christ died a martyr’s death and entered into the Kingdom of his Lord. James was sixty-three years old when he suffered for Christ.”

From St Nicholas Orthodox Church, McKinney Texas – www.orthodox.net

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Attentiveness is one of the important qualities even in our everyday life. From childhood we have been taught to pay attention - by parents, by teachers, by superiors. Yet it is not always easy to pay attention. Our minds tend to wander, to be forgetful. It is difficult to force oneself to be attentive. Church recognizes this weakness and so tells us every now and again "LET US ATTEND", let us pay attention, be attentive.

This text is excerpted from "Minor Words in Orthodox Divine Services," by Archpriest G. Benginson. For more of this excellent and edifying article, see:

http://www.stjohndc.org/Russian/liturgy/e_minor_words.htm.