Glory to Jesus Christ. I'm sorry we've had some
technical network difficulties. Anytime high
tech is involved, it's more unreliable than anything
else. The Savior has a radical message. Message
of God's love and care and providence and help.
It's a hard saying for many of us who trust in
many other things besides the Heavenly Father.
It's a hard saying and one over time perhaps
we can learn, we can become proficient and competent
at following. The heart saint I'm talking about
is the gospel you heard today. A monk once came
to St. Basil of Caesarea and said, Father, give
me a word. And St. Basil replied, Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart. And
the monk went away at once. Twenty years later,
he came back and said, Father, I have struggled
to keep your word. Now speak another word to
me. And he said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thyself. And the monk returned in obedience
to his cell to keep that also. Such is today's
lesson. That perhaps it's going to take us twenty
years of conscious, intentional struggle. to
keep this word of Christ. Hearing about the words
of Jesus today about anxiety, do not be anxious
about what you're going to wear, what you're
going to eat, what you're going to drink, this,
that, or the other thing. Anxiety has a certain
quality. We're talking about the anxiety that
comes from pursuing something you can never completely
have. to your satisfaction. And when we pursue
that thing, it becomes for us our slave master.
The Lord has another way for us. Here in the
words about anxiety, we might laugh today. Do
not be anxious about this other thing, especially
now during this time of COVID -19. Social problems,
economic problems, health problems, all resulting
from the mess we're already in, probably. These
things loom very large and scare us, and all
the other things in our lives that concern us,
our families, our children, the homes, what are
we going to eat, our jobs, these all bubble up
before us and present an invitation to live in
a tornado of anxiety. It can be a terrible distraction
and burden. The life of this world is like that.
Sometimes better, sometimes worse. The Lord invites
us to something else. Sometimes we have anxiety
so much we can't actually see the real problems
that we have that we should be anxious about
to deal with. It's like someone once said, my
life has been full of terrible misfortunes. most
of which never happened. Christ's words today
are the cure for us, but we are hesitant. We're
hesitant. The Savior was speaking these words
about life, about food, about what's our master.
Created things or God? And speaking about not
being anxious about the basic necessities of
life. Was he speaking to the rich and powerful?
It seems like that's who we direct this to. We
wouldn't include ourselves in this conversation.
It's like that other person should think about
this. The people he was speaking to lived on
the edge of starvation. The brink of sickness
which would end their lives. Subsistent living.
Some with no complete solid covering over their
heads. Some with just one set of clothes. Food
not easily available. The Palestinian Jewish
peasants, crushed by the Roman occupiers. Not
considered human by them, but considered property
by them. With barely a roof over their head.
No stores to shop in. No running waters. No light
switches you can turn on at night when it gets
dark. Some that were listening had nothing to
eat that day. The Lord is not telling us not
to eat, not to dress, not to live, not to be
responsible. He's asking us, who is our master?
If Christ then peace, then anxiety goes away,
and the peace reigns in the heart. We're gifted,
humans are, with vision. If I say to you, do
you see what I mean? It's not about the eyes,
is it? People have pets, and they try to train
their pets, unless you have cats, and forget
about that. They train their pets to follow,
to sit, to repeat, if you have a parrot. Animals
that are not trained are driven by their senses,
what they see and smell, hear. And they go for
that thing. If it's something that they can eat,
they go for it. If it's a male in heat, he finds
the female. Their senses give them information.
They react according to their nature. If you
put a treat on the floor, the dog will probably
go for it. Humans are gifted with vision, not
just to see what's in front of them and react.
Not just eyesight, not just instinct, but understanding.
The light of the body is the eye, says the Lord.
If therefore the eye be single, you know what
that means? Not like mine. I have trifocals.
If your vision is clear. Not fragmented, not
disjointed, not in threes. If your vision is
clear, your whole body will be full of light.
Your body, your eye, your heart. If we look at,
follow, pursue, and desire that which is light
and good, honest, true, godly, what's coming
into our senses, not just our physical senses,
but our spiritual senses, then we will be changed.
We will be transformed. This is a hard saying.
Because we don't trust Christ. Metropolitan Anthony
Bloom says this, the gospel is a harsh document.
It's an amazing thing to say. We usually think
of the gospel as inviting and the good news.
And that it is for those who are in need, for
those who feel oppressed, to those who are sick,
to those in sorrow, to those fearful of death,
to those overcome by sin. And it is the best
of news. But some of us, for some of us, the
gospel is a harsh document. He says the gospel
is ruthless and specific in what it says. The
gospel is not meant to be reworded, watered down,
brought to the level. of our understanding or
our taste. The gospel is proclaiming something
which is beyond us and which is there to stretch
our mind, to widen our heart beyond the bearable
at times, to recondition our life, to give us
a worldview which is simply the world upside
down, and this we are not keen to accept. Seek
first the kingdom of God and all that you need
will be given to you. How to do that? I'll give
you two ways. There are many more. The kingdom
of God is Christ. Not something or a philosophy
or a story. You know when he is there and you
know when he is not there. You know what he is
like from the gospel. You know what he is not
like. If you have a hard time discerning the
presence of Jesus Christ in your life, then look
around. First, everyone bears the image of Christ.
We are created in the image and likeness of God.
Each person is worthy of honor and respect. If
you can't see Christ in your life, look at some
other people. the homeless people under the Fifth
Street Bridge. When a beautiful icon is covered
with soot and wax and gunk and lipstick, we don't
throw it away. It's cleansed. Those of us that
have disfigured the image of God in ourselves
can't see the image of God in other people because
we only see what we are. See Christ in others
and honor that and you will see Christ in your
life. Secondly, to seek the kingdom of God and
his righteousness, trust in what you heard today
in the gospel. This source of information, Jesus
Christ, doesn't give you fake news or alternate
facts. He gives you the truth, the light. of
the body is the eye. If therefore thine eye be
single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
This is faith. This is how we acquire faith.
Saint Isaac the Syrian said this, We call faith
that light which dawns in the soul by grace.
It's a gift. And which by the testimony of the
mind, the understanding, establishes the heart
in freedom. from doubt and anxiety, through the
full assurance of hope because of what God has
done for us. This faith, he says, shows itself,
demonstrates itself, not in our words and our
arguments and in our external actions only, but
with the spiritual eyes. It beholds the mystery,
the mysteries concealed in the soul. and the
secret and divine riches that are hidden away
from the eyes of the world. Let your light, let
your body have the light that can come in through
the spiritual eye. If your eye is single, your
whole body shall be full of light. This is knowledge.
This is trust. This is faith in God. It's found
in the heart. Not just in the mind. So guard
your hearts, guard your eyes, guard your understanding,
and let your body be full of light. Amen.