The story of the beheading of John the Baptist shows us how an ordinary life ends in death. Herod was an ordinary man, since he was ruled by his passions and sins (lust,adultery,ambition,drunkeness) and because of his indulgence in his passions, most if which he was not aware of, he was also a coward, and when he made an unwise oath, he was unwilling to renege on it to save face. Therefore, he had Saint john beheaded, who then passed into eternal life, and Herod continued his descent into eternal death. We explore especially how hidden passions (present in all of us!) can kill the soul.
Category: Audio homilies
Beheading of the Glorious Prophet Forerunner and Baptist John. Exegesis of Vespers Readings
The Vespers parables for the commemoration of the beheading of John the Baptist contain many prophesies concering him, and also an incredibly poetic and accurate description of the human condition and the solution for it, which John announced – the Messiah. The following is a short exegesis of these readings.
Pilot and govern me into thy sheltered port for thou art author of good things and staff of the faithful – Exegesis of Ode 3 Irmos of the Paraklesis CanonPolit
Exegesis of the Irmos from Ode 3: “I have thee as the shelter and defense of my life, thee the Theotokos and Virgin, pilot and govern me into thy sheltered port for thou art author of good things and staff of the faithful, o thou only all lauded one. ” There are many beautiful scriptural allusions here, such as, “sheltered port”, “staff of the faithful” (an allusion to the rod of Aaron that budded – a symbol of the Theotokos, which refers to her ever-virginity”, “author of good things”. We also discuss the spirit of this canon and what is the most important thing to “get out” of it.
Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. But by the grace of God I am what I am. 1 Corinthians 1 5:1-11.
Homily on 1 Corinthians 1 5:1-11, concentrating on the verses: Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and But by the grace of God I am what I am.
“Mary hath chosen that good part” and “blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it.” Dormition of the Theotokos.
The usual reading for feasts of the Mother of God is actually a composite reading in which she does not appear at all, but another “Mary” (the sister of Lazarus) is mentioned, who shares her name. The reason why is because this selection, coupled with a later part of the same Gospel succinctly sums up the virtues of the Theotokos: “Mary hath chosen that good part” and “blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it.” On this great day, let us examine ourselves, as to whether we have also chosen that good part, and kept the word of God. This is why we venerate the Most Holy Theotokos with such love; our veneration is in vain if we do not also emulate! Let us examine how we can accomplish this.
Illumined With Effulgence Of The Virtues. To Be In The Presence Of God
Old for the new but still new for the old since we are in the post-festival period of the Transfiguration, this short homily highlights something we must keep in mind every day.
Synopsis: The most important aspect of the Transfiguration of our Lord on Mount Tabor is that it is a harbinger of things to come. The apostles were not ready to be in the presence of the divine uncreated light of God, and yet in the end we all will be in His presence. What must we do to become ready? The aposticha for the forefeast teaches us: “Illumined with the effulgence of the virtues, let us proceed to the holy mountain, that we may behold the divine Transfiguration of the Lord.” (Vespers Aposticha, August 5, Forefeast of the Transfiguration). Let us look at what happened to the apostles and why and what we must do as the aposticha teaches.
Old Testament Appearances Of Jesus Christ. Exegesis of the Parables For Transfiguration Vespers
Old for the new, but still new for the old since we are in the midst of the after-feast for transfiguration, the Parables at Transfiguration Vespers are important to understand. Similar events to the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ occurred in the Old Testament. Three selections from the Old Testament are read during the Vespers, involving Moses twice and also the Prophet Elijah. These parables are briefly explained.
Understanding the Law of God in the Paraklesis Canon, Ode 5
New for the old, and old for the new (although at least some parishes chant this canon weekly); we are currently chanting the Small Canon to the Theotokos in the Paraklesis service nightly, and giving short meditations on the content of this beautiful prayer.
A meditation on the 5th Ode of the Small Paraklesis Canon to the Theotokos, especially about how to understand the law of God. It is not even close to what the West thinks! The following hymns are discussed:
“Lord, enlighten us by Thy precepts and by thy commands; and by the power of Thy lofty arm bestow Thy peace upon us all, since Thou art Friend of man.”
“Dissipate the gloom of my trespasses, O bride of God, with the clear brightness of thy radiance; for thou didst bear the Light divine which was before all-time.”
“Heal me, O Pure one, of the sickness which the passions bring, and make me worthy of a guardiancy; and by thy prayers intercessions grant thou health to me.
Exorcism of the demoniac son. A very common question and the 2 ways to understand the answer.
The story of the exorcism of the lunatic son contains a very important question that all of us ask everyday – “Why?” We ask this question consciously and unconsciously and even dissatisfaction, confusion and ignorance are forms of this question. The solution is given in two parts. Firstly, our Lord tells us but we asked this question because of our unbelief, and the solution to this unbelief is given; prayer and fasting, and, very importantly, our admission of our unbelief and prayer that the Lord will help us to believe.
The feeding of the five thousand. Simple truth and layers of truth: Compassion, Trust, Giving thanks and the Apostolic Church.
The Feeding of the Five Thousand has many truths that we must learn. Some are apparently obvious, but still we should take note of them, since we do not do them enough: We must cultivate compassion for everyone, give thanks for all things, and trust our Lord Jesus Christ in all things and in all circumstances. The powerful truths of this miracle can be thought of as deeper layers. They are not immediately apparent from a surface interpretation of the text. Let us look especially at these truths as the Lord teaches us about true compassion, and trust in all circumstances. Another layer of truth in this event regarding the ministry of the twelve apostles, and the government of the apostolic church.