WEBVTT

00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:04.519
As with all of the great healings and miracles

00:00:04.519 --> 00:00:12.279
accomplished as Jesus walked amongst us, there's

00:00:12.279 --> 00:00:16.199
something for us to learn in them for our personal

00:00:16.199 --> 00:00:22.519
lives. Today, right now, whatever we're dealing

00:00:22.519 --> 00:00:29.199
with in life. This woman was... bowed down with

00:00:29.199 --> 00:00:34.000
an infirmity. And the Fathers teach us that this

00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:41.420
symbolizes the fact that when we are growing

00:00:41.420 --> 00:00:44.880
into the creatures we are from our youth, from

00:00:44.880 --> 00:00:53.500
our early days, we become bowed down too. The

00:00:53.500 --> 00:00:55.299
question is, what are we bowed down to? What

00:00:55.299 --> 00:01:00.700
are we bent over? Where is our focus? And the

00:01:00.700 --> 00:01:04.340
Fathers tell us that this denotes a man whose

00:01:04.340 --> 00:01:08.319
cares are in the world. All of the stuff, all

00:01:08.319 --> 00:01:12.340
of the things we have to do, all of our preoccupations

00:01:12.340 --> 00:01:14.200
and our worries and the things that go right

00:01:14.200 --> 00:01:16.859
and the things that go wrong. We want to celebrate

00:01:16.859 --> 00:01:18.439
some of the time, but there's always something

00:01:18.439 --> 00:01:21.700
else happening. And there's no resolution to

00:01:21.700 --> 00:01:26.359
this. There's no resolution to a man being able

00:01:26.359 --> 00:01:28.980
to sort out all of the things he's worried about

00:01:28.980 --> 00:01:35.439
in a way that will ever be satisfying. We do

00:01:35.439 --> 00:01:42.680
what we can. We try to enjoy and reap and celebrate,

00:01:42.780 --> 00:01:50.299
party. But what does it do? It just brings back

00:01:50.299 --> 00:01:53.439
a new level of being caved in on what happened

00:01:53.439 --> 00:01:55.799
and what did this person do and how much money

00:01:55.799 --> 00:01:57.840
did I spend and now what am I going to do because

00:01:57.840 --> 00:02:00.760
this and because of that. And we cycle back in

00:02:00.760 --> 00:02:03.920
and we become more and more and more burdened

00:02:03.920 --> 00:02:11.039
and bowed down as time goes on. And we all know

00:02:11.039 --> 00:02:13.740
that this isn't what we should be. This isn't

00:02:13.740 --> 00:02:18.039
what we should do. Every one of us, whether here,

00:02:18.719 --> 00:02:21.860
In this parish, where Orthodox Christians all

00:02:21.860 --> 00:02:25.840
over the world are people of any persuasion or

00:02:25.840 --> 00:02:30.560
creed or faith, it's known everywhere that that

00:02:30.560 --> 00:02:34.479
isn't the point of life. But she symbolizes us.

00:02:34.520 --> 00:02:41.120
She could not lift herself up. Try as we might,

00:02:41.219 --> 00:02:44.659
we're never going to be able to leave it behind.

00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:52.599
But we can do the one thing needful. Make ourselves

00:02:52.599 --> 00:02:59.680
available to the one who brought us healing and

00:02:59.680 --> 00:03:08.860
freedom. Jesus' presence in her represents for

00:03:08.860 --> 00:03:13.800
us that time when that still, silent voice calls

00:03:13.800 --> 00:03:20.490
us. to rise up, to lift our heads above the world

00:03:20.490 --> 00:03:24.310
that has us drawn down and brings us to a place

00:03:24.310 --> 00:03:30.490
where we can see. Man was created to be upright,

00:03:30.710 --> 00:03:36.909
not just in stature, but in spirit, in sentience,

00:03:36.949 --> 00:03:42.030
to be upright with our head heavenward, all of

00:03:42.030 --> 00:03:45.879
our senses above the rest. We have beautiful

00:03:45.879 --> 00:03:48.900
creatures around us. I'm staying with my daughter

00:03:48.900 --> 00:03:53.900
and they have this wonderful dog. But a dog is

00:03:53.900 --> 00:03:57.800
designed to participate in the elements of its

00:03:57.800 --> 00:04:01.319
surrounding and its earth. And they are by nature,

00:04:01.500 --> 00:04:05.240
same with horses and cows, and most creatures

00:04:05.240 --> 00:04:08.580
are by nature bound to live in this interaction

00:04:08.580 --> 00:04:15.319
of the world in which they were created. that

00:04:15.319 --> 00:04:20.339
exalted place in creation where his creature

00:04:20.339 --> 00:04:28.839
meets God. She's exalted because she's raised

00:04:28.839 --> 00:04:33.660
up. And the nature of being truly healed or lifted

00:04:33.660 --> 00:04:36.980
up or just seeing for the first time something

00:04:36.980 --> 00:04:39.879
you haven't seen or being freed from the burdens

00:04:39.879 --> 00:04:46.240
of the life we live The sure sign is one of gratitude.

00:04:46.639 --> 00:04:52.399
She glorified God. Her natural response wasn't

00:04:52.399 --> 00:04:55.160
anything to do with what she'd been through.

00:04:56.100 --> 00:05:06.779
Utter thankfulness. Jubilant spirit inside. And

00:05:06.779 --> 00:05:12.279
of course, there's those that live Like an actor

00:05:12.279 --> 00:05:14.540
on a stage, which is where the word hypocrite

00:05:14.540 --> 00:05:18.680
comes from in Greek. Someone who is one way,

00:05:18.720 --> 00:05:22.519
but they behaved another way. And so we have

00:05:22.519 --> 00:05:28.800
a man of the temple. And beware lest you get

00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:33.079
caught in that yourself. Where you use the things

00:05:33.079 --> 00:05:36.680
that have been preciously God -given as a way

00:05:36.680 --> 00:05:40.220
to position yourself with others. He wanted to

00:05:40.220 --> 00:05:43.019
position himself as the one with real authority.

00:05:44.180 --> 00:05:47.920
He condemned the healing that took place because

00:05:47.920 --> 00:05:50.860
it was on the Sabbath. And Christ calls him a

00:05:50.860 --> 00:05:56.980
hypocrite because he was using the Sabbath for

00:05:56.980 --> 00:06:03.379
his own inner greedy means. We all need to be

00:06:03.379 --> 00:06:06.379
careful of being that kind of hypocrite about

00:06:06.379 --> 00:06:09.500
what we do in our lives. whether it's in the

00:06:09.500 --> 00:06:11.439
church or outside of the church, no matter who

00:06:11.439 --> 00:06:15.060
it's with or where it's at, do we find ourselves

00:06:15.060 --> 00:06:19.600
being two -faced, putting on the mask of a certain

00:06:19.600 --> 00:06:25.939
kind of person, or are we being honest and transparent

00:06:25.939 --> 00:06:29.259
and free in the freedom of having been lifted

00:06:29.259 --> 00:06:34.240
up? Now, the people around that witnessed this

00:06:37.610 --> 00:06:40.170
What did they do? Did they envy? Did they judge?

00:06:41.589 --> 00:06:46.149
The gospel witnesses for us what they did when

00:06:46.149 --> 00:06:50.110
they witnessed the great miracle. They gave great

00:06:50.110 --> 00:06:53.790
thanks to God that someone else had been lifted

00:06:53.790 --> 00:07:00.329
above. They recognized what had happened. They

00:07:00.329 --> 00:07:04.269
glorified God for that very thing that no one

00:07:04.269 --> 00:07:07.480
of us can do on our own. No group of us can do

00:07:07.480 --> 00:07:13.060
together. The only thing we can do is to make

00:07:13.060 --> 00:07:18.019
ourselves available to the coming of the kingdom

00:07:18.019 --> 00:07:23.240
that lies within us. It's our inner disposition

00:07:23.240 --> 00:07:30.040
that matters in all things. What are our hearts

00:07:30.040 --> 00:07:34.220
and minds inclined towards when everything we

00:07:34.220 --> 00:07:39.709
do? And do we give thanks? Is that our immediate

00:07:39.709 --> 00:07:45.009
response? We need to live, as the Fathers say,

00:07:45.170 --> 00:07:48.329
giving thanks for all things and being aware

00:07:48.329 --> 00:07:51.430
that we could be taken at any time. We certainly

00:07:51.430 --> 00:07:55.470
are aware of that now. The doors are wide open,

00:07:55.569 --> 00:07:57.589
the chairs are spaced far apart, and we have

00:07:57.589 --> 00:08:02.470
all got masks on. Because it could take us at

00:08:02.470 --> 00:08:08.019
any time. But it won't matter if in that moment

00:08:08.019 --> 00:08:11.540
we're standing up and we're not bowed down with

00:08:11.540 --> 00:08:14.800
the cares of the world. Can you find that place

00:08:14.800 --> 00:08:17.800
no matter what's going on? Will you struggle

00:08:17.800 --> 00:08:23.139
for it? Will you ask God to and invite the presence

00:08:23.139 --> 00:08:29.220
of that divine emanating love and life that he

00:08:29.220 --> 00:08:33.759
gives us to illumine us so that we can stand

00:08:33.759 --> 00:08:38.389
up? Thanksgiving is what it's all about. It's

00:08:38.389 --> 00:08:42.690
something we just celebrated as a nation. And

00:08:42.690 --> 00:08:46.549
it's something that we can't ever, ever have

00:08:46.549 --> 00:08:51.409
too much of. Giving thanks at all times, in all

00:08:51.409 --> 00:08:56.789
situations, no matter how hard it looks. Accept

00:08:56.789 --> 00:09:01.250
him and let him open your heart to being thankful

00:09:01.250 --> 00:09:04.820
that you can be transformed. and that you can

00:09:04.820 --> 00:09:06.860
be raised up glory be to god