WEBVTT 00:00:06.599 --> 00:00:14.359 There have been times in my life as a priest 00:00:14.359 --> 00:00:20.960 when I have served alone. A couple weeks ago, 00:00:21.059 --> 00:00:23.320 I did the Akathis on a Friday night. Of course, 00:00:23.339 --> 00:00:27.039 I prayed for all those who are absent for honorable 00:00:27.039 --> 00:00:32.939 reasons. There have been times which I have served 00:00:32.939 --> 00:00:36.140 Divine Liturgy with just one singer. congregation 00:00:36.140 --> 00:00:41.140 but this is the first time that i have served 00:00:41.140 --> 00:00:45.100 divine liturgy on a sunday with empty church 00:00:45.100 --> 00:00:50.799 you can hear the echo in the building but this 00:00:50.799 --> 00:00:56.920 morning before the liturgy began i took all the 00:00:56.920 --> 00:01:01.840 commemoration books and prayed oh there must 00:01:01.840 --> 00:01:05.299 be over a thousand names so i don't feel as if 00:01:05.299 --> 00:01:09.439 I've been abandoned or alone. I'm reminded of 00:01:09.439 --> 00:01:16.099 the story of Father Dimitris Gagathakis, a very 00:01:16.099 --> 00:01:19.700 saintly priest who died in the mid -20th century, 00:01:19.799 --> 00:01:23.060 I suppose it was. No, had to be the 60s or 70s. 00:01:23.980 --> 00:01:27.980 He complained in the altar that the angels were 00:01:27.980 --> 00:01:31.280 crowding him and he needed more room. Get out 00:01:31.280 --> 00:01:33.560 of my way, I have to go out the door now, he 00:01:33.560 --> 00:01:38.140 said. But we have an empty church today, but 00:01:38.140 --> 00:01:40.599 many of you are watching, and I feel your prayers 00:01:40.599 --> 00:01:45.739 too. Normally I would try to aim to speak for 00:01:45.739 --> 00:01:50.099 10 minutes, but you haven't seen me much, and 00:01:50.099 --> 00:01:53.379 I haven't seen you in a long time, so forgive 00:01:53.379 --> 00:01:56.900 me if I go on a bit longer than usual with my 00:01:56.900 --> 00:02:03.890 words not being... very used to media. I'm not 00:02:03.890 --> 00:02:08.650 sure how that will carry, but may God grant help 00:02:08.650 --> 00:02:14.150 to me and discernment and the words that he wants. 00:02:15.490 --> 00:02:20.849 We now especially look for stability in our life 00:02:20.849 --> 00:02:24.909 assurance, don't we? Of course, job security 00:02:24.909 --> 00:02:28.250 is important. Our family being stable with a 00:02:28.250 --> 00:02:31.060 place to live. The lights go on. The water comes 00:02:31.060 --> 00:02:34.280 out of the faucet. There's food to eat. Our health 00:02:34.280 --> 00:02:37.639 care is reliable. And we have reasonable expectations 00:02:37.639 --> 00:02:41.680 for every day. But now, I think more than ever, 00:02:41.819 --> 00:02:46.219 we see the real nature of things, the real nature 00:02:46.219 --> 00:02:50.060 of this world, which we are blind to for the 00:02:50.060 --> 00:02:52.639 most part because we settle into our good routine, 00:02:52.919 --> 00:02:57.439 which God blesses us. Make no mistake, I understand 00:02:57.439 --> 00:03:03.219 that. But our life is in flux. This world is 00:03:03.219 --> 00:03:07.060 ever -changing, temporal, unstable, and it can 00:03:07.060 --> 00:03:11.800 be very scary. Right now there are spiritual 00:03:11.800 --> 00:03:15.819 and emotional and psychological earthquakes going 00:03:15.819 --> 00:03:21.659 on in the people of this world. There's dissatisfaction 00:03:21.659 --> 00:03:25.219 for us, too, maybe with the course of action 00:03:25.219 --> 00:03:29.180 that the church doors are locked. But it's for 00:03:29.180 --> 00:03:35.900 good reason, my dear friends. We do it voluntarily. 00:03:37.280 --> 00:03:42.780 No one forces us. The world now, and has always 00:03:42.780 --> 00:03:47.460 had in itself, in itself, because it's a fallen 00:03:47.460 --> 00:03:51.680 world, nothing to lay hold of. Christians experience 00:03:51.680 --> 00:03:54.819 all the turmoil, all the suffering that everyone 00:03:54.819 --> 00:03:58.530 else does. We are not exempt. but we can also 00:03:58.530 --> 00:04:02.669 experience the peace of God in our heart. Our 00:04:02.669 --> 00:04:08.810 goal in our life is not to make peace with this 00:04:08.810 --> 00:04:12.590 world in that way that I'm speaking of, to keep 00:04:12.590 --> 00:04:15.469 things from falling apart, to hold it together, 00:04:15.550 --> 00:04:20.350 to find a comfortable place in life. That can't 00:04:20.350 --> 00:04:23.680 be done too well here on earth anyway. And it 00:04:23.680 --> 00:04:26.060 can't be permanent. And those who seek after 00:04:26.060 --> 00:04:28.459 that is their goal. I'm not saying we shouldn't 00:04:28.459 --> 00:04:31.420 ask for God as a blessing for that stability 00:04:31.420 --> 00:04:33.860 and goodness and blessing, material blessing. 00:04:33.980 --> 00:04:37.220 But if we seek after it, then we have done two 00:04:37.220 --> 00:04:41.220 things. We have ignored the Lord's command. Seek 00:04:41.220 --> 00:04:45.740 first the kingdom of God. And secondly, we will 00:04:45.740 --> 00:04:49.240 find out what St. Isaac the Syrian wrote about. 00:04:49.360 --> 00:04:52.389 He said this. when the world completely strips 00:04:52.389 --> 00:04:55.149 a man of everything and carries him in a coffin 00:04:55.149 --> 00:04:58.529 out of his house on the day of his death, then 00:04:58.529 --> 00:05:02.550 the man finds out that the world is a flatterer 00:05:02.550 --> 00:05:07.050 and a liar. The world does everything it can 00:05:07.050 --> 00:05:11.389 to help us spend our lives chasing after a worldly 00:05:11.389 --> 00:05:16.550 good, seeking that first. Seeking the blessings 00:05:16.550 --> 00:05:21.220 first, rather than the Creator. And we forget 00:05:21.220 --> 00:05:26.620 about God and his love and our eternal soul and 00:05:26.620 --> 00:05:29.459 the life of the age to come and the resurrection. 00:05:29.600 --> 00:05:34.120 We forget about our sins. Today we heard the 00:05:34.120 --> 00:05:37.439 epistle. We heard two epistles striking in how 00:05:37.439 --> 00:05:40.300 relevant they are, especially the second one 00:05:40.300 --> 00:05:46.620 from Ephesians. Awake, O sleeper. Redeem the 00:05:46.620 --> 00:05:51.839 time. Be sober. In the epistle to the Hebrews 00:05:51.839 --> 00:05:55.060 we read that we have a sure and steadfast anchor 00:05:55.060 --> 00:05:59.819 of the soul. A hope that enters into the inner 00:05:59.819 --> 00:06:04.420 shrine behind the curtain where Jesus has gone 00:06:04.420 --> 00:06:10.639 as forerunner on our behalf. A sure and steadfast 00:06:10.639 --> 00:06:16.199 anchor of the soul. Only one is holy. Only one 00:06:16.199 --> 00:06:18.600 is Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the 00:06:18.600 --> 00:06:22.360 Father. Amen. We sing, and only God is the same 00:06:22.360 --> 00:06:25.759 yesterday, today, and forever, as the epistle 00:06:25.759 --> 00:06:29.339 of the Hebrews teaches us. We have a sure and 00:06:29.339 --> 00:06:32.060 steadfast anchor of the soul. Now, a normal anchor 00:06:32.060 --> 00:06:35.959 makes the ship stationary, keeps it in one place, 00:06:36.019 --> 00:06:38.379 and that's not a very good image for the spiritual 00:06:38.379 --> 00:06:42.180 life. Although stability and habit are good, 00:06:42.300 --> 00:06:48.230 but that's a different story. I've read that 00:06:48.230 --> 00:06:51.949 the anchor that's been written about in Hebrews 00:06:51.949 --> 00:06:57.129 chapter 6 is a different kind of anchor. This 00:06:57.129 --> 00:07:01.689 anchor is called a kedge, K -E -D -G -E. And 00:07:01.689 --> 00:07:04.709 a kedge is an anchor used to pull a sea vessel 00:07:04.709 --> 00:07:09.709 forward. That process is called kedging. I've 00:07:09.709 --> 00:07:12.310 learned this from listening to Father Patrick 00:07:12.310 --> 00:07:18.350 Reardon in a sermon some years ago. To kedge 00:07:18.350 --> 00:07:20.689 a vessel is to place the anchor at some distance 00:07:20.689 --> 00:07:24.370 from the ship and pull towards it. The ship moves 00:07:24.370 --> 00:07:30.449 forward, even against the current, and is winched 00:07:30.449 --> 00:07:33.089 into a particular heading, held steady against 00:07:33.089 --> 00:07:36.629 the tide. The kedge anchor holds the vessel fast 00:07:36.629 --> 00:07:39.790 in the proper direction. Sailing ships use the 00:07:39.790 --> 00:07:48.000 kedge anchor when becalmed or drifting. On a 00:07:48.000 --> 00:07:52.680 ship, the whole good of an anchor depends on 00:07:52.680 --> 00:07:57.360 the ship not losing contact with it. Just so. 00:07:59.220 --> 00:08:03.639 Hope cannot be hypothetical. A sure hope in an 00:08:03.639 --> 00:08:06.860 anchor, we say. We must be tied to it, holding 00:08:06.860 --> 00:08:10.680 fast. In the epistle to the Hebrews, we hear 00:08:10.680 --> 00:08:13.100 that the anchor of hope has already been carried 00:08:13.100 --> 00:08:15.100 out in front of us, and that anchor is Jesus 00:08:15.100 --> 00:08:19.730 Christ. He is already behind the veil. He has 00:08:19.730 --> 00:08:26.769 been crucified, buried, died, died and buried 00:08:26.769 --> 00:08:29.329 and rose again, ascended into heaven and sits 00:08:29.329 --> 00:08:31.050 at the right hand of the Father. He's gone beyond 00:08:31.050 --> 00:08:34.889 the veil of death and we that are baptized sit 00:08:34.889 --> 00:08:39.769 with him as he sits in glory. We are united to 00:08:39.769 --> 00:08:45.009 him. Jesus is drawing him, hedging us to himself. 00:08:45.720 --> 00:08:48.460 to the full glory of the kingdom of God. And 00:08:48.460 --> 00:08:51.080 right now, this moment, we are joined to him 00:08:51.080 --> 00:08:54.820 and ever maintain our proper position and direction 00:08:54.820 --> 00:08:58.480 by pulling towards him to the labor that we have 00:08:58.480 --> 00:09:01.440 to assert on our part, keeping the prow of our 00:09:01.440 --> 00:09:05.059 life, our ship, ever drawn toward him and with 00:09:05.059 --> 00:09:10.799 him. This gives us assurance because we can experience 00:09:10.799 --> 00:09:16.009 God's love this way, his providence. What did 00:09:16.009 --> 00:09:18.429 Jesus say to the apostles about the man whose 00:09:18.429 --> 00:09:20.990 faith was foundering on the rocks of his pain 00:09:20.990 --> 00:09:23.129 and despair? You heard that story today from 00:09:23.129 --> 00:09:27.190 the Gospel of Mark. The boy throwing himself 00:09:27.190 --> 00:09:30.710 into fire and into water. The man didn't know 00:09:30.710 --> 00:09:37.169 what to do. The apostles couldn't help. We can't 00:09:37.169 --> 00:09:38.970 be very tempted by those who are spiritually 00:09:38.970 --> 00:09:42.389 weak like ourselves, can't we? We can lose our 00:09:42.389 --> 00:09:49.330 equilibrium. if we focus on them. Do you remember 00:09:49.330 --> 00:09:51.570 what Jesus said to the apostles at that incident? 00:09:51.870 --> 00:09:54.990 He said, when they asked, why couldn't they cast 00:09:54.990 --> 00:09:57.649 it out? He said, prayer and fasting. Prayer and 00:09:57.649 --> 00:10:02.149 fasting. Lent. We hear about the coming resurrection, 00:10:02.669 --> 00:10:05.049 the crucifixion and the resurrection too, but 00:10:05.049 --> 00:10:09.409 we really don't understand fasting. Maybe because 00:10:09.409 --> 00:10:14.840 we don't trust it. Because we don't do it. to 00:10:14.840 --> 00:10:20.539 the extent to find Christ and hunger for God 00:10:20.539 --> 00:10:24.840 and our own mortality and weakness in that fasting. 00:10:25.120 --> 00:10:29.399 But the Lord's words are pure words, says the 00:10:29.399 --> 00:10:33.139 psalmist. And the prayer and the fasting is the 00:10:33.139 --> 00:10:36.279 kedge. It's the winch we use to maintain our 00:10:36.279 --> 00:10:39.340 direction, to advance our course. That's how 00:10:39.340 --> 00:10:42.639 this anchor works. That's how we're going to 00:10:42.639 --> 00:10:44.960 maintain union with Jesus Christ, especially 00:10:44.960 --> 00:10:49.600 now, during this time. And we learn, like this 00:10:49.600 --> 00:10:54.960 man in the gospel, that our faith is weak. And 00:10:54.960 --> 00:10:57.399 this is good news to know, because we can do 00:10:57.399 --> 00:10:59.899 something about it. It's a valuable lesson. And 00:10:59.899 --> 00:11:02.340 then we can stop pushing our own will all the 00:11:02.340 --> 00:11:04.559 time. We've placed ourselves in God's hands. 00:11:04.860 --> 00:11:10.059 We say to him, Lord and Master of my life. And 00:11:10.059 --> 00:11:15.320 then, A situation comes and we've given him authority. 00:11:15.519 --> 00:11:19.700 He doesn't take it. We give it to him. Authority 00:11:19.700 --> 00:11:22.200 over our life. Because love couldn't bear to 00:11:22.200 --> 00:11:26.659 force. And he loves us. A situation comes to 00:11:26.659 --> 00:11:31.620 us that he allows. And we push back. We resist. 00:11:32.539 --> 00:11:37.139 We push our own will. We don't want it. We won't 00:11:37.139 --> 00:11:42.029 approve and we complain. Faith in Christ is fundamental 00:11:42.029 --> 00:11:50.169 because faith, which is a virtue from God, implies 00:11:50.169 --> 00:11:54.269 that I renounce my arrogance. I can't remember 00:11:54.269 --> 00:11:56.330 which pope wrote this, but it was a recent one. 00:11:57.789 --> 00:12:01.590 I renounce my arrogance, my thoughts, my idea 00:12:01.590 --> 00:12:05.210 of myself, and the claim to judge by myself without 00:12:05.210 --> 00:12:09.029 entrusting myself to others, knowing that I may 00:12:09.029 --> 00:12:13.279 be wrong. And I need to overcome, when I trust 00:12:13.279 --> 00:12:17.259 in Christ, the attitude of arrogance that makes 00:12:17.259 --> 00:12:20.120 a person say, well, I know better. My goodness, 00:12:20.200 --> 00:12:22.600 this is the 21st century, whatever that means. 00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:27.799 I know what people before did not know. No, we 00:12:27.799 --> 00:12:32.179 entrust ourselves to the Lord. And right now, 00:12:32.179 --> 00:12:39.519 to entrust yourself to the sure anchor. We have 00:12:39.519 --> 00:12:44.879 so many opportunities to become more, what would 00:12:44.879 --> 00:12:48.559 you think I was going to say? More joyful, more 00:12:48.559 --> 00:12:52.620 happy, more sure in God's help, more settled 00:12:52.620 --> 00:12:54.700 on things. No, that's not what I'm going to say. 00:12:55.320 --> 00:12:58.299 Our life is now full of opportunities to admit 00:12:58.299 --> 00:13:04.840 that we are like that brokenhearted, honest, 00:13:05.080 --> 00:13:10.090 humble father in the gospel today who said, I 00:13:10.090 --> 00:13:13.350 have faith, I believe, but help my unbelief. 00:13:14.129 --> 00:13:18.309 So many challenges now are going to reveal, and 00:13:18.309 --> 00:13:20.250 that will be good news because it's the light 00:13:20.250 --> 00:13:23.090 of God shining on us, the weakness of faith and 00:13:23.090 --> 00:13:26.490 the sickness of our souls. And that's good that 00:13:26.490 --> 00:13:30.090 we have this time to discover that. And in that, 00:13:30.149 --> 00:13:32.409 we will grieve for those who are really, truly 00:13:32.409 --> 00:13:36.990 suffering and pray for those who have died. Ask 00:13:36.990 --> 00:13:41.750 God to receive them. Lent is the time, this Lent, 00:13:41.750 --> 00:13:45.049 because, brothers and sisters, will we have another? 00:13:46.889 --> 00:13:49.590 I don't mean that the virus may wipe out the 00:13:49.590 --> 00:13:52.009 entire population. I mean, you or I might not 00:13:52.009 --> 00:13:56.210 exist this next year. Will we have another? Lent 00:13:56.210 --> 00:13:59.190 is the time to see ourselves in that brutally 00:13:59.190 --> 00:14:03.889 honest Father, who even in the midst of His love 00:14:03.889 --> 00:14:08.179 for His Son, and the confusion around him, and 00:14:08.179 --> 00:14:11.580 the apostles being unable to help, and no doubt 00:14:11.580 --> 00:14:15.659 the jeering and criticism of the Pharisees around 00:14:15.659 --> 00:14:18.399 them. He told the truth about the weakness of 00:14:18.399 --> 00:14:21.919 his faith. Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief. 00:14:21.919 --> 00:14:24.360 He didn't say, Lord, I believe these things, 00:14:24.419 --> 00:14:26.279 but these are the things I don't believe. And 00:14:26.279 --> 00:14:29.759 because this is the way I am. No, he wanted to 00:14:29.759 --> 00:14:33.519 be put right. The more we become like that man, 00:14:35.049 --> 00:14:38.009 the better. Then we grasp our own sinfulness 00:14:38.009 --> 00:14:42.789 and our weakness. The more we cry out from our 00:14:42.789 --> 00:14:47.169 hearts, really in a heartfelt way, Lord have 00:14:47.169 --> 00:14:51.269 mercy, and the Lord will answer. Because he did 00:14:51.269 --> 00:14:55.230 in the story, and he will again. All things are 00:14:55.230 --> 00:15:02.289 possible to him who believes. Right now, today, 00:15:02.470 --> 00:15:06.980 in our state of separation, We're given the opportunity 00:15:06.980 --> 00:15:12.500 to practice patience and endure temptation. We're 00:15:12.500 --> 00:15:15.279 given the opportunity to show confidence in our 00:15:15.279 --> 00:15:19.700 church by receiving the decisions of our Archbishop 00:15:19.700 --> 00:15:22.080 and our Metropolitan, trusting that they love 00:15:22.080 --> 00:15:26.220 us and they seek the best for us. We have the 00:15:26.220 --> 00:15:29.639 opportunity to spend more hours, many more hours 00:15:29.639 --> 00:15:33.220 at home and come to peace with that. We have 00:15:33.220 --> 00:15:35.440 the opportunity to spend more time with our spouse. 00:15:36.179 --> 00:15:38.740 Couples move away from each other through the 00:15:38.740 --> 00:15:40.980 weeks and the months of duties and responsibilities, 00:15:41.220 --> 00:15:44.019 and then that brings lack of understanding, lack 00:15:44.019 --> 00:15:50.000 of conversation, and maybe alienation. We have 00:15:50.000 --> 00:15:52.259 the opportunities to be with our children more. 00:15:53.539 --> 00:15:56.740 We have the opportunities to devote time to ourselves, 00:15:57.200 --> 00:16:02.809 which we have neglected to do. We have the opportunity 00:16:02.809 --> 00:16:06.230 to pray more and be with God because we forget 00:16:06.230 --> 00:16:09.470 him in our daily busyness. We have the opportunity 00:16:09.470 --> 00:16:13.889 to serve the liturgy at the altar of the heart. 00:16:14.549 --> 00:16:20.429 And the time is now at hand. Not just to accomplish 00:16:20.429 --> 00:16:23.110 things, the opportunity is here to accomplish 00:16:23.110 --> 00:16:26.509 all these things, but if it is not in the altar 00:16:26.509 --> 00:16:30.500 of the heart that we seek to be pulled By Christ. 00:16:30.580 --> 00:16:35.539 Our anchor. Then we have lost. The ability to 00:16:35.539 --> 00:16:39.059 redeem the time. That St. Paul spoke about. Stay 00:16:39.059 --> 00:16:43.980 connected to the altar. Which is Christ. The 00:16:43.980 --> 00:16:48.580 anchor. The catch. The loving Christ. Is drawing 00:16:48.580 --> 00:16:54.320 us. As if we were drowning. He is drawing us 00:16:54.320 --> 00:16:58.019 to himself. To him be glory. Now and ever. To 00:16:58.019 --> 00:16:58.679 ages of ages.