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.

The Great Litany

The Litany of Peace

An Orthodox deacon extending his orarion at the end of a petition of a litany.

(A Deacon, Andrei Ryabushkin, 1888)

The Great Litany is said as the first litany of Divine Liturgy and Vespers, after the Six Psalms in Matins and at the beginning of the Betrothal and Baptismal services. In all these cases, the exclamation “For unto Thee is due all glory, honor, and worship…“ is said by the priest at the end of the litany.

It is also used in the Great Blessing of the Waters, with a long prayer intoned at the end in lieu of an exclamation. 

Any Great Litany may have special petitions appropriate to the occasion inserted at the usual place.

Any service for a special purpose (such at the Betrothal, Baptismal and Great Blessing of the Waters) has many special petitions.

Services of the “Daily Cycle” (Vespers, Matins and Divine Liturgy) may also have special petitions for the sick, or travelers, or some other concern inserted in the Great Litany, but this is usually not done, and these petitions are instead inserted in the Fervent Ectenia said later in each of these services. 

The Great Litanies of Divine Liturgy and the Great Blessing of the Waters also have a “private prayer” said by the priest (usually) before the ending exclamation.

The Great Litany is also known as the Litany of Peace, since it begins with three petitions concerning peace. This is theologically very significant, and we will discuss this at length later.

Without additional petitions, there are twelve petitions. The idea of 12 petitions is biblically rooted and is found in the pre Christian morning service of the synagogue. (see Taft, Mateos and

others)

Litanies consist of petitions intoned by the deacon or priest, with the people answering with a short sung prayer, such as “Lord have mercy”, “Grant this O Lord”, and others. Traditionally we stand and face East, and make the sign of the cross at each petition.

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

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LISTEN NOW

Luke 8:5-15 5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. 8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? 10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. 14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. 15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

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Oct 14/27 2009 21st Tuesday after Pentecost

Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Rom 3:20 KJV

It cannot be that perfectly doing the works of the law is of no benefit, since Christ “fulfilled the law [1]”, and in so doing did all the works of the law, not transgressing even once. This must mean that no man CAN do all the deeds of the law. The law, our “schoolmaster [2]” was not created to make us righteous, but rather, to show us how unrighteous we are. The law gives us “the knowledge of sin”.

So what is sin? This is the age old question, which is answered badly by Jews, Gentiles and Christians alike. Most answer this description by referring to deeds done or not done which violate God’s commands. This is true, but the Christian has (should have) a more perfect understanding of sin; it is what transpires because of our human condition, which can only be changed by faith in Christ.

People have a difficult relationship with the law. The law, which is still in effect, albeit in a different way than in OT times, tells us not to do many things. Some of these things may confuse us, especially in our immoral and lax days, when all manner of sexual conduct has been redefined to be “ok” in the eyes of God, and when we see lawbreakers apparently [3] living calm and happy lives. Breaking the law, that is, sin, leads to death [4], but this death is not readily seen.  

It is a tough sell to tell a young person (or an old one who has never learned self-control and gained wisdom in years) to refrain from pleasure, especially when it is not immediately apparent that anyone is being harmed. Murder, theft, adultery – we can understand why these things are sins – they directly harm another person. We have more trouble understanding why a consensual sexual relationship, or even our un-acted upon thoughts (such as lust, jealously, anger) or “private” sins (such as laziness or lack of prayer, are sinful. This is because we do not understand sin. If one does not understand sin, one does not understand the law.

In OT times, the law defined sin and righteousness, with little explanation. There were glimmers of explanation in various places, but for the most part, it defined “don’t do this, don’t do that”. The Jew had a poor conception of sin; for him it caused the wrath of God to fall upon him because of something He did or did not do, which was commanded in the law and animal sacrifice and the shedding of blood was necessary to remove this judgment from him.

For the NT man, the law has been further defined and elucidated by Jesus Christ, particularly in the Sermon on the Mount. With the elucidation of the law, from the example and words of Jesus Christ, sin also has become more defined.

For the Christian, sin is imperfection, incompleteness, sickness, disease.

The law actually tells us the actions that come about as a result of this disease. Most diseases of the body are invisible or not readily apparent until substantial degradation of the body has already occurred (examples are cancer, diabetes, heart disease, which may be present for a long time before manifesting serious and even deadly symptoms). A sick man cannot know what makes him sick without an expert physician treating him and teaching him. We cannot know what makes us sick without the law schooling us.

The OT law tells us to not steal, commit murder, covet, commit adultery, etc. These sins cause us to be separate from God and unable to withstand His majesty, whether we know this connection or not. The OT law merely tells us things commanded to do or not to do, but does not explain the deeper meaning of these commandments. 

The NT explanation of the law further shows us a deeper meaning of these elementary prohibitions. For example, we are told in the OT law to not commit adultery, and our Lord explains the complete meaning of this prohibition by informing us that if we look upon a woman to lust after her, we have already committed adultery with her in our heart [5]. Our thoughts matter. They debilitate us as much as our actions.

St Paul explains that the law taught us the knowledge of sin. All the law does, whether in its OT form, of according to the refined teaching of the Savior, is inform us of the things which debilitate us and make us sick. Having this knowledge is a great advantage, to the Jew [6] or the Christian, but only the Christian can know how to fulfill the law, by understanding his nature, which leads to sin, and how Christ has renewed his nature, making new creature, able (with effort) to fulfill the law.

What then? Are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;  (Rom 3:9)

“under” = “hypo” = “subject to”, “under the power of”

Sin is not only something you do, it is something you are! It is weakness, a predilection to ungodly and useless things. It is slavery.

We need to get it out of our heads that sin is some-”thing” that is wrong – we are wrong, and we need to get right! This understanding of sin is mostly a NT one; as we have said, the Jews had a poor understanding of sin.

This is why it is very powerful to FORCE ourselves to do good.

Do you have trouble fasting? Good! Fast (even if you do it poorly – being “bad” at something holy is not an excuse to not do it at all!), and you will gain power over sin.

Do your eyes start to wander when you see something sexually tempting? Good! (but only if you struggle to avert your eyes).

Anytime we deny ourselves, even if imperfectly, we are living in the NT reality that Jesus Christ frees us from sin. We will be made “more than conquerors” if we struggle against sin. This is not a struggle to not do something that is against the law, but rather a struggle to become something, “free indeed” [7] and no longer subject to corruption and death (the wages of sin is death), that is righteous.

With the law we have the knowledge of sin, and Jesus Christ teaches us how to NOT sin, by becoming so strong in our will that we are capable of resisting all sin.

Do you understand that because of your weak human nature you are under the power of sin, and that this is the great tragedy of the human condition? And also, that the only way to overcome the power of sin is to struggle against it, making progress by God’s grace?

Test yourself.

The next time you confess, do not rattle off a bunch of stuff you did or did not do: “I broke the fast two times, I missed my morning prayers, I did not come to church because I was lazy, I become angry, I cursed”, etc.

You sin because you are still a weak person, under the power of sin. Lament the kind of person you are, and not just the things you do, because the person you are leads to the things you do or cannot do.

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

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Candles

Oct 13/26 2009 21^st Monday after Pentecost. Holy Martyr Zlata.

A Meditation about candles [1], by Mitred Archpriest Alexander Lebedeff, rector of Holy Transfiguration Cathedral, Los Angeles, CA, with his introduction:

Twelve Meanings of Candles Based on Their Properties

St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas

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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.

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All homilies on this Sunday.

20th Sunday of Pentecost (HTML format)
Resurrection Of The Son Of The Widow Of Nain
Being In The Way Of Christ
Luke 7-11-16
1996
Also in Format: Word DOC

20th Sunday of Pentecost (RTF format)
2002

20th Sunday of Pentecost (mp3 format)
The Resurrection Of The Son Of The Widow Of Nain
2002

20th Sunday of Pentecost (mp3 format)
2004

20th Sunday of Pentecost (mp3 format)
The raising of the son of the widow of Nain.
We cannot understand this story unless we weep.
Luke 7:11-16
2008

20th Sunday of Pentecost (mp3 format)
Widow of Nain.
This is our life in microcosm.
Luke 7:11-16
2009
 

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Resurrection of the Son of the Widow of Nain

Being  in the way of Christ

Luke 7:11-16

Day of the Glorification of St Jonah of Manchuria, Sept 20, 1996

Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

.

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen. Welcome to our visitors today.  It is the twentieth Sunday after Pentecost today, and on this day we read the story  of the widow of Nain, or more correctly, that of her son, who was raised from the dead by our Lord Jesus Christ [1]. 

This also is a great day  in our church, because Bishop Jonah of Manchuria has been glorified as a Saint. [2] The main services for him are in San Francisco and Chicago, and we sang  his tropar today, and we number him among the saints. Of course, we knew he was already a Saint, because of the miracle that occurred on the day of his death.

We will talk more about this after liturgy, because we will have a Molieban beseeching St. Jonah  for help, and then I want to read his life. It might be a little long, but then, after all, we do not have very long in this life, so we  must spend the time we have fruitfully.  Reading about the saints, those who inspire us to do good and avoid evil,  is one the best ways to spend our time.

Our Lord tended to do things in a stepwise fashion. He revealed Himself by degrees. This is a principal in the Christian life. God reveals Himself slowly, as we can  bear Him.

“God is the Lord, and hath appeared unto us”, so it  says. This is what the Lord did in His ministry. He revealed Himself bit by bit.  In the beginning, He was  born as a babe, merely a babe in swaddling clothes, and there was nothing spectacular about Him at all, except for those who knew how He was conceived, and that was not well known at the time. Except for those  who saw the star, and only those who were worthy saw the star, and  we know the star was an angel, don’t we, from the Holy Fathers.  It was not a physical manifestation in the heavens, it was an angel who guided the wise men  from Persia, whom Daniel had  prepared and told to expect the Messiah.

Our Lord, just before the miracle we have before us today, had cured the centurion’s servant . You  remember the story. Our Lord is walking toward the centurion’s house, in order to heal his servant, who is almost dead. The centurion hears of this, and send some friends to Jesus with a message. This soldier, through his friends,  with humility pronounces himself unworthy to even have Christ “under his roof” [3].

The friends continue delivering a remarkable message: “Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.”[4]

And Our Lord said, “I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” [5] , and healed the servant immediately, without even seeing him. Later, this man, Cornelius,  who was a man with a good heart, was enlightened by the Apostle Peter, and that story is given in the Acts. [6]

Our Lord healed his servant  right then and there. He did not heal him by walking to him, He just spoke the word, and the servant was healed. A time before this,  Our Lord healed the mother in law of the Apostle Peter, when He was in her presence. [7] She was in a fever, probably not altogether near death,  but  nevertheless, very sick and feverish.

Do you see how the miracles progress? And can you can see why our Lord raised the dead, healed the sick, stilled the waves? All these  miracles are meant to show us who He is, so that we can believe in Him.

Our Lord comes into the city of Nain, right after he had healed the centurion’s servant, before which  He had delivered His sweet discourse we know as the Sermon on the Mount. We mostly think of this when it is recounted in St. Matthew’s gospel, but the Apostle Luke also records it.

He is walking into the city, and He  is walking along the road, just going from one place to another. People are following Him, because they heard of his miracles, they have seen them, and they have heard His sweet words. They were attracted to these sweet words. At least, they continued to be attracted, most of them, until they  heard him say such things as “I am the bread of life” [8] , and “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world”. [9]

Then they had trouble with Him, because He was saying things that their carnal minds could not understand. But this was, if  you want to call it so, the “honeymoon” period of his ministry. Thousands of people were thronging about, watching  our Lord’s every movement.

He comes into the city of Nain, and He sees a funeral procession of a man  who had been dead quite some time, because he was about to be buried. This procession passes  by Him. They coincide together. And so Our  Lord says to the woman “Weep not”, and touches the bier.

Who is this who says “weep not”? Who has  a right to tell a woman who has lost her only son, who is a widow, and has nothing more in this world for sustenance? Remember, in those days, to be a widow was to be truly poor. There was no financial safety net for such people. They were destitute if they had not a husband or a son. She was bereft of any help in the world. Not only had she lost her son, but she was also likely to endure a life of poverty in the future.

Our Lord says  “Weep not”. We don’t have the right to say “Weep not” to someone who has lost their son, but our Lord does.  Why can he say this? He  had compassion on her, and knew what she needed. He knew he would  provide what she needed.

He stopped the bier. He put His hand on the bier. The Fathers think this is very significant. By the way, I mention parenthetically here that when we talk about the scriptures, we who are appointed to teach , the priests, and preeminently, the bishops,  we do so with fear and trembling, and we consult the Holy Fathers. We don’t  just make things up, since scripture is not a matter for private interpretation. [10] We read from those Fathers who led lives of great sanctity, and we know some of their names. Chrysostom, St. Basil the Great, St. John the Damascene, St. Theophylact of Bulgaria,  and many other Fathers, who  agree, even in minor points of theology. We read these  fathers before we start to talk so that we do not make a mistake, and say something that is heretical,  or say  something that is not edifying, and even then, may God preserve  us and you  when we make mistakes.

Our Lord touches the bier. There is great significance to this action. We do not have a particular icon in the church, but one of these days, hopefully, we will have it – it is called “Sweet Kissing”. It shows the Mother of God,  with our Lord kissing her on the cheek. It is a very tender and evocative icon. It means  the same thing as what He meant when he touched the bier – His great love for humanity. After all, He became a man. He took on our flesh, not just  to show solidarity with us, not just to be an example to us, but to transform us, because He loves us. He is not an aloof God. He is right here and now, as He was right there, and He touched the bier to show us His great love and to show how  He would  transform us as He Himself had transformed His own flesh. He was made of the same stuff we are made of  you know, the same flesh, also being God, but the flesh He wore is the same flesh  as we have, or the same flesh, should I  say, as we will have in the eighth day, because He will transform us, if we live in the way. This is the way that He walked.

This man, this dead man, was fortunate to be in the way of Christ. After  our Lord touched the bier, He then said dogmatically, “Young man I say unto thee, arise” [11] .  He could have said something  else, perhaps a bit less dogmatic. He could have said, “Young man, be risen from the dead”, but He said “I say unto Thee, arise”. Why should He say such a thing? Because He is the Lord.  He is the One who said to Moses, “I am”. [12] He is the uncreated one. He is our Savior, and He shows us this by this miracle, and by His presence. Even those who hated Him knew that, He does speak as the scribes and the Pharisees. He speaks with authority. [13] And how did  He speak with authority? Because He was and is – authority. He is God.

We have a principle in the church. You cannot give what you do not have. This is very true.

Parents, if you want your children to grow up without passions, to be without anger, or to be obedient and God-fearing, if you are still filled with anger, or not obedient, or do not fear God, do not expect your children to learn these virtues from you. You wont be giving them what you don’t have. A priest cannot ordain. Only a Bishop can ordain. He has something a priest does not have. Christ can give us so much, because He has an abundance.

So He says to the young man, arise, and He gives the young man to his mother. He starts to talk, and the fathers  tell us that the reason he sat up and began to talk right away is so those around him would not think that our Lord was a sorcerer. He was not glassy eyed, he did not look like he was drunk, or on drugs. The man was completely risen from the dead, and was  ready to begin his life anew. Surely, indeed, he had much to ponder in the rest of his life. We are not told what happened to him from that point on.

The people who saw this miracle had a great  fear upon them. They said “ a great prophet has risen up among us, and God has visited His people” [14] . And they were correct, but they also did not know the  fullness of the truth concerning Christ.

Remember that God is revealing Himself to them, just as He does to us, according to what we can bear. Do you remember the story  of the talents that we spoke about recently? [15] The man who had five talents, later increased to ten, and then to eleven, and then, really, infinitely – that man had greater talents at the beginning because of his greater love for Christ. So Christ filled Him more.

The man started with a few talents, and went higher,. And we should start with some number and go higher, and never lose talents, and bury them ion the earth, and blame our Lord  because we do not use the grace that He has given us.

Remember that is what a talent  is – the grace that God gives us to follow His commandments.

What is  the point of the Christian life? It is to know God, isn’t it? It is to obtain our salvation.

And  how do we know God? By becoming like Him. We follow His commandments. It is impossible to be a Christian and not to follow  His ways, and do the things that He tells us. He says this over and over again. Every  page of scripture speaks of this. If you say you believe, act like it! Your faith is known by how you live, how  you think, how you act.

These people did not quite know Christ yet. They knew that He was very unique, and extraordinary, but they did not quite understand that He was the God-man, and that when He said “Young man, I say to unto thee, arise” [16], that He was the one, the Messiah. He had to show them many, many times, with many miracles, and many sweet words, and even  some did not understand until much later.

We have St. Paul speaking  of how he was one born “out  of season” [17], as he says. He was born out of season because he persecuted the Christians for a great length of time, and killed many hundreds of them, if not thousands, and with blood on his hands, on the way to Damascus, he was visited by the God-man, Jesus Christ, and his life was changed. [18] It took him quite some time, but we believe that he certainly made up for that time, by becoming a great apostle.

We can see several  things we should learn from this short passage. We can see many other miracles in the scriptures.  When we read them, do they make an effect on us, do they change us?

What do we see? First of  all, there is something earlier in this passage that we have not touched on, but need to, because it is very, very critical.  Our Lord touched the bier, and they that bear Him stood still. Stood still , because of obedience.

If we do not stand still in the Christian life, our Lord will not touch us, our Lord will not change us. We must stand still. And what  is it that we must do when we are standing still? Be obedient, and  listen to our Lord.

Why was this man raised from the dead?  Because he was in the way of Christ. What  is this way? It is the gospel, it is what our Lord teaches us. Preeminently, He has taught us to love, and He  has given us an apparatus as it were, to help us – the church. His body  is where we must be joined, or else we are not in the way, and God will not touch us, and will not redeem us, and will not change.

So all these things that we know about as Christians, such as following the fasts, because  they a prescribed for us, not by man, but by the Holy Spirit (the apostles  fasted after our Lord was gone, and taught the church to do so), the Holy services, partaking  of the Holy mysteries, reading the Holy Fathers, understanding all the doctrines and dogmas of our faith – all these things  comprise being in the way, but we surely know that they are all useless if we do not change because of them.

If we do not  change, it matters not what we believe, because the Devil believes. He knows. He knows  the truth of the matter, better than most of us do, and he will not change.

Our Lord gives us many opportunities to change. The Gospels are one continual  story after story of God showing Himself, manifesting Himself, showing His power, His wisdom. These people who did not know our  Lord yet, at least many of them would learn because they would  see other miracle, and our Lord would touch them in other ways, and they would come to an understanding. And then there are others, you know,  who, when they came to a greater understanding, rejected our  Lord. It is a mystery why one man  and another act differently with the knowledge of God.  This is something we do not know and cannot understand, only God knows – why some reject the truth even though they believe it. This is a hard  thing to understand, and a hard thing to know.

The bishop that we glorify today, Bishop  Jonah, lived a very extraordinary life in terms of the inner life in trify today, Bishop  Jonah, lived a very extraordinary life in terms of the inner life ihe church, but  very pedestrian in it’s outer aspect. He died very young, before he was forty. He died of typhus, just like anybody else, with a fever.  He had only begun his ministry in  Manchuria. He was there about three years, and yet, he left an indelible print upon the Russian people and upon the church because he invested in young  children, and those that had fallen away from the faith. Even to this day, surely you can find priests, and those who have lived pious lives or come back to the church because of his ministry. He only died in the late twenties.

His life did not look extraordinary to someone who would not be looking very carefully. This woman of Nain did not have an extraordinary life either, and yet extraordinary things happened to both of them.

The woman had her  son raised from the dead, merely because her way coincided with Christ. Bishop Jonah gave  his legs to a young boy who had lost the use of his, the night he died. He appeared in a dream to the boy and said, take my legs, I don’t need them anymore. This is one of the  signs by which we know that he is sanctified and that God has received his repentance, and numbers  him among those who please Him.

I want you to realize again , there was nothing extraordinary about his life externally. He just worked hard. He worked  in an orphanage. He took care of children. He preached. He taught. He labored. He administrated. In the midst  of all his work was Christ. He was a man with great love, and when you hear his testament and his life later on, you will agree that he is certainly numbered among the saints.

We can learn something from his life, so plain on the outside, or from the widow of Nain, that our life is just to follow Christ, simply and without pretense. God will indeed do miraculous things to  us, if we just live as He has told us.

This is very simple, a lot  simpler than we want it to be. We like to have things  complicated. We like to have things difficult. It is very simple. Christian, what  are you to do? You are to struggle to know Christ, and to know yourself. You are to struggle to  love those who hate you.  You are to struggle to learn God’s commandments, which are sweet, and to follow them.

You are not just  to say that you believe, because that just puts you in the same league with the devil, but you also must follow what you believe.  And you are to keep the fasts, you are to worship in the  services with fear and with trembling, and with awe, you are to  prepare yourself carefully for the mysteries. You are just to go on with your daily life, imbuing  it with Christ, Who lives within you.  If indeed, God ever gives you a mountain to climb, and some great work to do, then you will know it., And it will happen. Great works begin with very tiny beginnings.

When Bishop Jonah went to Manchuria, the people there were  very faithless. He would begin the divine liturgy, and nobody would show up until after the Cherubic  hymn, but he persevered. And his preaching was powerful. People saw something in this man that attracted them, and this something, of course, was Christ. So as he continued serving and preaching, in a very short while, the churches were filled to overflowing, and he was able to come  up with vast sums of money to create orphanages and schools.  At that time, the Russians in China that had been exiled were quite poor. There were children that had been sold into slavery, women being sold, dysentery, and disease … and typhus, from which our saint died. There were very  bad conditions. Bishop Jonah waded into those conditions and changed people. He made people  to see what it is they should do with their life, and follow Christ. He just did it by  being a Christian, by believing what he was doing. By laboring.

I don’t know why this  word “labor” is misunderstood so much among those that call themselves Christian today. Perhaps the greatest heresy of our day, and of all time is the divorcing  of … belief from action.

This is greater than the heresy  of Arianism, which if you are a student of heresies, and you should be, as a Christian, so you can know how to avoid them, leads to this great heresy,  since Arianism separates the flesh  from the spirit. We Christians don’t do that! The flesh and the spirit are joined. So as we believe, so we should act,  but so many believe and act differently, and have no qualms about this. This heresy has infiltrated all levels of life.

We cannot have this heresy  in our life! We must follow what God has taught us, or we cannot call ourselves Christians. And if we follow what God has taught us, most days it will not be spectacular. We will have struggles, we will be victorious in some, we will fall in others.  There may be some passion or sin that has a hold on us for a long period of time, and we fall again and again and again. 

How in the world can we say that we are making any progress when that happens? Oh, indeed, we are making progress! God wants us to be patient, to endure and to struggle. But we must struggle in truth, according to  what has been revealed in truth! If we struggle in something that  is not true, then it is of no benefit to us, except perhaps, that when we come to our senses, we will be ever grateful to God that He has delivered us from our previous life, before we were  Orthodox.

Let your way be in Christ’s way. This is the meaning of this scripture for today. Let  your way be in Christ’s way, follow what He teaches you. And when He touches you, stand still and listen. Listen to what He commands you to do. Don’t consider anything He says to you, through His church, to be a suggestion. The young man did not consider our Lord’s words to be a suggestion when He told him to arise. Nothing our Lord tells us is a suggestion. It is an order, from a king.

Check yourselves every moment, which way are you proceeding on? If you are proceeding on the way that  is Christ’s, then He will fill you.  He will change you, He will  enlighten you, He will raise you from the dead. If you deviate from that way, whether it be by incorrect belief, or pride,  or not trying to struggle against your sins, then you will not meet Him, because He will not be there. Stay on the way of Christ. Stay on the royal path. And then stand still, and listen, and God  will help you.

Amen.

Luke 7:11-16

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.    7:12  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.    7:13  And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto  her, Weep not.    7:14  And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still.  And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.    7:15  And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him  to his mother.    7:16  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

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

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I count all things but loss

The knowledge of Christ Jesus

That I may win Christ

Philippians 3:8

Biblical Exegesis

It is always about You!

 Oct 10/23 2009 20^th Friday after Pentecost

Today’s reading from Philippians is too good to miss. If one only had this passage and the Gospels it would be enough. Let’s do a little exegetical study of a small portion of the mellifluous words in this passage.

Remember what exegesis is – to glean what the writer intended the passage to mean.  These are not mere facts! This cannot be done without reading the text in an intensely personal way. One must consider these words to be written to him, and the moral admonitions to be fully binding, even if all specific circumstances do not apply to our particular lives.

The meaning of the text is only the beginning for us. We then must apply this meaning to our own lives. Perhaps there is something we should do, or be not doing, or perhaps in understanding the text, as if the scales fall from our eyes, we tremble because we are so far from perfection. Merely understanding what we should do or not do is not enough. We must also glean from the text encouragement and method, and allow our soul to be changed by mediation on the extreme beauty that is Jesus Christ. We must look carefully for instructions about how we should think, and what our attitudes and priorities should be, because as a man thinks, so he does.

Learn to read the scripture with the expectation and firm conviction that something is going to change in you for the better, right here, right now.

This passage is a deep well. Let’s put our toes in. It is important to understand the meaning of the scripture, but its application is as varied as the people who read it. Therefore, what “hits” me may not “hit” you, however, if you can read this passage without being touched to your very marrow [1], you will not have understood it in any meaningful way.

3:8 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,

There is a lot here. I am far from perfection. I know the Saints were those who embodied this attitude (and more than an attitude – it is a state of being – of being totally IN Christ). This is my goal – to count ALL things but loss except for the knowledge of Christ. Our Lord has also taught this:

He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. (Mat 10:37)

St Paul is merely rephrasing our Lord’s admonition. “Mother and Father” and “son and daughter” are “all things”. Taking St Paul’s assertion and combining it with our Lord’s words we have an equally true statement:

He that loveth ANYTHING more than me is not worthy of me.

What does the Apostle value above ALL THINGS? It is the KNOWLEDGE of Christ Jesus. He is referring here to experiential knowledge – that which is gained by toil and fasting and prayer and repentance. He is describing THEOSIS, when a man becomes like Christ, by emulation and grace. It is impossible to have the “knowledge of Christ” without become like Christ. Our religion is one of emulation. We imitate the God-man Jesus Christ to the extent we are able, and His grace is sufficient for us if we truly count all things as loss except Him.

St Paul uses a powerful term: he states that he (has) suffered the loss of all things …

that I may win Christ.

This brings to mind the athlete (a favorite subject for the Apostle), who strives above all others to win the contest and is victorious. Our modern view of Christianity is very passive, but Christianity is aggressive! Nobody wins in sport by being passive. We must go about our life “with loins girded” because we are in a battle to the death. Can you see the Apostle’s urgency?  This begs the question: where is our urgency? If we are not as urgent, there must be an attitude/priority problem in our life – we must be valuing something above Christ! What is it?

“… the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Mat 11:12)

Please read the rest of the passage, below.

     Philippians 3:8-19 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, 9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. 12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. 16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. 17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. 18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

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

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A house upon a rock

Words to build by.

Luke 6:46-7:1

Children’s Liturgy

Oct 8/21 2009 20^th Wednesday after Pentecost

We just so happen to building a church just now (have you heard? J ) Today’s Gospel reading applies in a very direct way to our building project. This project is ongoing, and will continue after the last brick is in place, and the last icon is painted, because the building that our Lord is referring to is the “building” of the soul – the one and only purpose of human life – the perfection of the soul.

Building a temple is similar to building the soul in one’s personal life. Without effort and proper priorities, all will be for naught. Without belief in Christ, which purely an simply means following Christ by taking His yoke upon us in all things, all will be for naught.

In the secular world, a man builds after taking careful account of finances, and planning, including design, choice of location and materials. We have done all that, but the most important things, which this reading describes, have nothing to do with these things.

The rock that our Lord mentions is Himself. The scripture refers to Christ, that is, belief in Him, and following Him, as “rock”:

And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.  (17)   And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.  (18)   And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Mat 16:16-18)

As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. (Rom 9:33)

Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;  (2)   And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;  (3)   And did all eat the same spiritual meat;  (4)   And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. (1Co 10:1-4)

Our church edifice happens to look a bit like rock, and will be covered in rock, but these are external things.

As a parish, we build upon a rock when we corporately and individually dedicate our lives the Christ. I cannot do anything about how an individual builds, but as a pastor I can only help to provide the mortar and the bricks.

Among our most important materials is prayer. I serve a weekly Thursday liturgy, and have been doing so for almost two years. This is one of our most important ministries. Many times, I have served with only the reader and myself, with God among us, and with the Saints and angels [1]. In the world, one would say that this act of worship has little impact, since hardly anybody comes. If we were a Home Depot, we would have long ago closed our doors on this day and hour, because so few come, but we are a church, and we must pray, faithfully.

Our weekday liturgy has been the most important reason why our building project has been succeeding.

I will continue serving, no matter how many lean days there are, because in this service, we pray for everyone in the parish by name in the Great Ectenia. There is no way for our feeble minds to understand the grace that this brings to our community, but is does come!

I have seen very consoling signs that this liturgy is important personally to our flock, because of the steady attendance in our two monthly “children’s liturgies”. There is no value that can be attached to the grace that our children (and us) receive by worshipping together, and teaching them to sing.

My custom of sitting down and giving a simple homily after the Gospel, with the children gathered around, and excitedly (and often quite correctly, but sometimes with an … interesting perspective!) interjecting their answers and feelings is the best part of my week. This may not be considered to be pristine liturgics, but it is good theology.

How can any parishioner, whatever his station in life, help to build his parish upon a rock? Personally we must struggle, with fasting and prayer and a continual reassessment and adjustment of our thoughts and priorities. Corporately, we must consider ourselves to be a part of the body, therefore critical to its functioning. Participation in prayer, giving alms, praying for each other, baking prosphora, cleaning the church, church classes and activities, and anything and everything else that affects our parish life together is the way we contribute to building our parish upon the rock.

46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? 47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: 48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 49 But 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. 1 Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum. Luke 6:46-7:1

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

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Construction Photos

Building of the Apse

Oct 7/20 2009 20^th Tuesday after Pentecost

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

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October 6/19 20^th Holy Apostle Thomas, 20^th Monday after Pentecost

I did not know much about life skills back then, but I got one right at least!

At college, about 1980, on Valentine’s Day. This picture is still in my bible from back then.

Lets us be perfectly honest with one-another; we do not pray enough. There are many reasons for this, with of course the primary reason being that we do not love God enough and our passions interfere with everything holy.

Okay, we know the problem, what is the solution?

Another life skill which I will eventually write about can be summed up: “Do what you can do, so that eventually you will be able to do what you cannot do”. When applied to prayer, this means we must pray now, as much as we can, even though we do not pray very well, or consistently.

Let’s start with what we CAN DO. We can be more consistent. It takes some planning and effort, but it is “doable” to be more consistent in prayer.

This is where the “four bows” come in. I have taught these to just about everybody for years now (the originals article that has been one the web for years is here (http://www.orthodox.net/articles/fourbows.html) ) and they have had a profound effect on those who have listened. They are a “little thing”, but like so many “little things” they lead to big things.

If we are honest with ourselves, we should lament our inattention to God, our weak and inconstant prayer, our false priorities, and the time we waste on things that are not effectual for our salvation. We are weak creatures, driven by habit, and many of these habits are sinful and destructive. So many of our activities are thieves - they steal time from prayer.

There is a superb article, from an old "Nicodemus" publication (which later became "Orthodox America") which provided the seed for this instruction. In the article, a bishop was instructing a group of children. I will try to reproduce the gist of his words here.

Our hearts are like coal, which is cold, but may be lit with persistent effort. Coal lights very slowly, and much care must be taken to tend it, even when it is burning. Our prayer is like blowing on the coal, which gradually becomes warmer, and eventually a hot fire, but only after much persistence on our part. The key is persistence, and not to lose heart. Even a small effort is rewarded by God, if we are persistent.

The bishop then went on to instruct the children to do three bows in the morning, IMMEDIATELY after they got out of bed. I added one more bow to the list, and have told almost everyone in confession or another time about this rule.

This rule follows, and I beg all of you to follow it with all your strength.

The Four Bows

Upon arising in the morning, before anything else, direct your heart and mind towards God, and face your icons, or face east and with compunction, and without haste, make four bows [1], or better, four prostrations [2].

Do this with hope in God, and the sure belief that He will receive your prayer, as He received the widow’s two mites, and protect you during the day, even if you fall into inattention and these prayers are the last you will say for the entire day.

Making the sign of the cross, with a bow of prostration during each prayer say:

1.Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God have mercy on me a sinner.

2.Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

3.Holy Saint ______ (your patron saint), pray to God for me.

4.Holy Angel of God, my guardian, pray to God for me.

After these prayers, it is best to continue with your morning prayers, and then turn your attentions to the cares of the day. Even if the weakness of the flesh compels us to abandon our prayer and rush into our day, perhaps not to return to our morning prayer, at least we have begun the by giving our "first fruits" to God.

Let us do these "few things": four short prayers that take under a minute, so that in time, our heart will become aflame with the love of God, and our Lord will say to us:

“Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. (Mat 25:21)

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

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LISTEN NOW

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.

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The Orthodox Dogma of sanctity, by St Justin Popovich

Oct 3/16 2009 19^th Friday after Pentecost

 “What are Christians? Christians are Christ-bearers, and by virtue of this bearers and possessors of eternal life, and this according to the measure of faith and according to the measure of holiness which is from faith.

The Saints are the most perfect Christians, for they have been sanctified to the highest degree with the podvigs [1] of holy faith in the risen and eternally-living Lord Christ and no death has power over them. Their life is entirely from the Lord Christ, and for this reason is entirely Christ’s life; and their thought is entirely Christ’s thought; and their perception is Christ’s perception. All that they have is first Christ’s and then theirs. If the soul, it is first Christ’s and then theirs. In them is nothing of themselves but rather wholly and in everything the Lord Christ.

Therefore the Lives of the Saints are nothing else but the life of the Lord Christ, repeated in this or that form.” (St Justin Popovich, “Orthodox Faith and Life in Christ, in the Chapter “Introduction to the Lives of the Saints”, pp 34,35)

How far away is our life from Fr Justin’s description of what we should be! How far away is the conception of the typical Christian of this reality!

I hope to serialize other portions of this “desert island” book by St Justin in the future.

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

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A Wonderful Revelation to the World

Oct 2/15 2009 St Anna of Kashin

Today we commemorate St Anna of Kushin, who happens to be the patroness of one of my granddaughters. Many years Ann-banan! The Gospel reading for her service is the Parable of the Ten Virgins.

This parable is one of the most important in all of Scripture, and a proper understanding of it is crucial. The interpreter par-excellence of this Gospel is my Patron, St Seraphim of Sarov. His “Conversation with Motovilov” (also here) contains pearls regarding this parable.

This is worth spending some time on. If you are skimming, at least read St Seraphim’s comments, which follow the Gospel selection.

Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.  (2)   And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  (3)   They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:  (4)   But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  (5)  While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.  (6)   And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.  (7)   Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.  (8)   And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.  (9)  But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.  (10)   And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.  (11)   Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.  (12)   But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.  (13)   Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. (Mat 25:1-13)

Prayer, fasting, vigil and all other Christian activities, however good they may be in themselves, do not constitute the aim of our Christian life, although they serve as the indispensable means of reaching this end. The true aim of our Christian life consists in the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God. As for fasts, and vigils, and prayer, and almsgiving, and every good deed done for Christ’s sake, they are only means of acquiring the Holy Spirit of God. But mark, my son, only the good deed done for Christ’s sake brings us the fruits of the Holy Spirit. All that is not done for Christ’s sake, even though it be good, brings neither reward in the future life nor the grace of God in this. That is why our Lord Jesus Christ said: He who gathers not with Me scatters (Luke 11:23). Not that a good deed can be called anything but gathering, since even though it is not done for Christ’s sake, yet it is good. Scripture says: In every nation he who fears God and works righteousness is acceptable to Him.[1]

…

"In the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, when the foolish ones lacked oil, it was said: ‘Go and buy in the market.’ But when they had bought, the door of the bride-chamber was already shut and they could not get in. Some say that the lack of oil in the lamps of the foolish virgins means a lack of good deeds in their lifetime. Such an interpretation is not quite correct. Why should they be lacking in good deeds if they are called virgins, even though foolish ones? Virginity is the supreme virtue, an angelic state, and it could take the place of all other good works.

"I think that what they were lacking was the grace of the All-Holy Spirit of God. These virgins practiced the virtues, but in their spiritual ignorance they supposed that the Christian life consisted merely in doing good works. By doing a good deed they thought they were doing the work of God, but they little cared whether they acquired thereby the grace of God’s Spirit. Such ways of life based merely on doing good without carefully testing whether they bring the grace of the Spirit of God, are mentioned in the Patristic books: ‘There is another way which is deemed good at the beginning, but it ends at the bottom of hell.’

"Antony the Great in his letters to Monks says of such virgins: ‘Many Monks and virgins have no idea of the different kinds of will which act in man, and they do not know that we are influenced by three wills: the first is God’s all-perfect and all-saving will: the second is our own human will which, if not destructive, yet neither is it saving; and the third is the devil’s will—wholly destructive.’

And this third will of the enemy teaches man either not to do any good deeds, or to do them out of vanity, or to do them merely for virtue’s sake and not for Christ’s sake. The second, our own will, teaches us to do everything to flatter our passions, or else it teaches us like the enemy to do good for the sake of good and not care for the grace which is acquired by it. But the first, God’s all-saving will, consists in doing good solely to acquire the Holy Spirit, as an eternal, inexhaustible treasure which cannot be rightly valued. The acquisition of the Holy Spirit is, so to say, the oil which the foolish virgins lacked. They were called foolish just because they had forgotten the necessary fruit of virtue, the grace of the Holy Spirit, without which no one is or can be saved, for: ‘Every soul is quickened by the Holy Spirit and exalted by purity and mystically illumined by the Trinal Unity.’ [2]

"This is the oil in the lamps of the wise virgins which could burn long and brightly, and these virgins with their burning lamps were able to meet the Bridegroom, Who came at midnight, and could enter the bridechamber of joy with Him. But the foolish ones, though they went to market to buy some oil when they saw their lamps going out, were unable to return in time, for the door was already shut.

The market is our life;

the door of the bridechamber which was shut and which barred the way to the Bridegroom is human death;

the wise and foolish virgins are Christian souls;

the oil is not good deeds but the grace of the All-Holy Spirit of God which is obtained through them and which changes souls from one state to another—that is, from corruption to incorruption, from spiritual death to spiritual life, from darkness to light, from the stable of our being (where the passions are tied up like dumb animals and wild beasts) into a Temple of the Divinity, into the shining bridechamber of eternal joy in Christ Jesus our Lord, the Creator and Redeemer and eternal Bridegroom of our souls.

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

This article is at:

http://www.orthodox.net/journal/2009-10-15_parable-of-the-ten-virgins-the-oil-is-the-holy-spirit-the-proper-dogma-regarding-works-st-seraphim-of-sarov-conversation-with-motovilov.html

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http://www.orthodox.net/journal/2009-10-15_parable-of-the-ten-virgins-the-oil-is-the-holy-spirit-the-proper-dogma-regarding-works-st-seraphim-of-sarov-conversation-with-motovilov.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)