WEBVTT 00:00:03.980 --> 00:00:06.240 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 00:00:06.240 --> 00:00:09.599 of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Glory to Jesus Christ. 00:00:10.019 --> 00:00:15.699 Glory to the Father. Today's Gospel reading is 00:00:15.699 --> 00:00:20.260 one that we hear every year at this time on the 00:00:20.260 --> 00:00:26.579 Sunday of the publican and of the Pharisee. But 00:00:26.579 --> 00:00:33.200 do we really see the message? Do we really hear 00:00:33.200 --> 00:00:38.060 what is being said? You know, in verse 9, which 00:00:38.060 --> 00:00:42.280 is the verse just before this parable starts, 00:00:42.460 --> 00:00:48.520 the author of this gospel, Luke, says these words. 00:00:50.299 --> 00:00:55.740 Also, he, meaning Jesus, spoke this parable to 00:00:55.740 --> 00:01:00.780 some who trusted in themselves that they were 00:01:00.780 --> 00:01:07.489 righteous. and despised others. So we know that 00:01:07.489 --> 00:01:10.590 this parable, a parable which is a story, which 00:01:10.590 --> 00:01:15.069 is to impart to us some message or truth, a moral, 00:01:15.209 --> 00:01:19.189 some truth that Jesus is trying to get to us, 00:01:19.290 --> 00:01:23.629 we're already told what that lesson is, even 00:01:23.629 --> 00:01:28.829 before we hear it. Luke has told us that he's 00:01:28.829 --> 00:01:31.829 telling this parable to the people who trust 00:01:31.829 --> 00:01:37.109 in themselves. They don't trust in God as much 00:01:37.109 --> 00:01:43.150 as they trust in themselves. And they despise 00:01:43.150 --> 00:01:46.510 others. Now, when we think of the word despise, 00:01:46.510 --> 00:01:51.930 we think of something that's really strong, right? 00:01:52.069 --> 00:01:57.310 You despise them. But along with this is this 00:01:57.310 --> 00:02:02.420 idea of judging their actions. So what is this 00:02:02.420 --> 00:02:07.920 parable about? It's about us when we think we 00:02:07.920 --> 00:02:11.439 are the ones in charge. We trust ourselves. And 00:02:11.439 --> 00:02:15.479 we look at everybody else. We often will pick 00:02:15.479 --> 00:02:18.780 people to choose. And then we compare ourselves 00:02:18.780 --> 00:02:24.099 to them. And we say, I'm really good. That person, 00:02:24.139 --> 00:02:28.379 they don't have it together. Whoever it is. So 00:02:28.379 --> 00:02:31.780 now... When Jesus is telling us this story, that 00:02:31.780 --> 00:02:35.979 to make us see that, he's going to do it by having 00:02:35.979 --> 00:02:42.379 two people and having one be a Pharisee. A Pharisee 00:02:42.379 --> 00:02:45.360 who is a teacher of the law, who is respected 00:02:45.360 --> 00:02:49.719 in the community, who is thought of very highly. 00:02:49.919 --> 00:02:53.699 And you can see the irony here because this is 00:02:53.699 --> 00:02:57.080 the person doing it wrong. And then there's the 00:02:57.080 --> 00:03:00.360 publican. Now, some of you may not know the word 00:03:00.360 --> 00:03:03.900 publican really means tax collector. And the 00:03:03.900 --> 00:03:06.780 Romans came into the land and took it over and 00:03:06.780 --> 00:03:11.180 hired local Jewish people to be the tax collectors 00:03:11.180 --> 00:03:14.759 of the land to take money. And they weren't always 00:03:14.759 --> 00:03:17.919 honest when they collected the money. Sometimes 00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:20.520 they collected a little bit extra for their own 00:03:20.520 --> 00:03:25.560 pocket. And so this person, the publican that 00:03:25.560 --> 00:03:29.590 Jesus tells us about, is a person that's looked 00:03:29.590 --> 00:03:33.030 down on in society, is looked on as a public 00:03:33.030 --> 00:03:36.669 sinner. Just by their very profession, they're 00:03:36.669 --> 00:03:39.069 a collaborator with the Romans who have invaded 00:03:39.069 --> 00:03:42.210 the land, and they're cheating people of their 00:03:42.210 --> 00:03:46.389 money. And this is the person that the Lord gives 00:03:46.389 --> 00:03:49.789 us as an example of someone doing something right. 00:03:50.289 --> 00:03:55.860 So there's irony here at the start. You know, 00:03:55.900 --> 00:03:59.919 it tells us, you've heard, never judge a book 00:03:59.919 --> 00:04:03.900 by its cover, or perhaps in modern days we could 00:04:03.900 --> 00:04:08.340 say, never judge a book by its movie, right? 00:04:08.520 --> 00:04:10.680 Because usually the book's better than the movie. 00:04:10.780 --> 00:04:15.219 But in any case, it's what's on the inside that 00:04:15.219 --> 00:04:19.019 really counts, not what's on the outside. What 00:04:19.019 --> 00:04:22.480 the world sees is a Pharisee, supposedly very 00:04:22.480 --> 00:04:26.939 respectable, Of course, we have the publican 00:04:26.939 --> 00:04:31.160 who is looked down upon, and yet we'll see it's 00:04:31.160 --> 00:04:37.300 reversed. The Pharisee prays this. God, I thank 00:04:37.300 --> 00:04:40.459 you that I am not like other men, extortioners, 00:04:40.480 --> 00:04:44.139 unjust, adulterous, or even as this tax collector. 00:04:44.379 --> 00:04:48.920 I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that 00:04:48.920 --> 00:04:53.720 I possess. So, at first glance, we might see... 00:04:54.009 --> 00:04:58.149 Someone thanking God. That's good. Someone fasting. 00:04:58.629 --> 00:05:02.350 We do our best to fast, as the church calls us 00:05:02.350 --> 00:05:06.389 to. And tithing. None of these things are bad. 00:05:06.850 --> 00:05:10.949 But you can see an attitude, a worldview, this 00:05:10.949 --> 00:05:15.029 inner person that's shining out. And what is 00:05:15.029 --> 00:05:18.170 he giving thanks for? Well, he's thanking God 00:05:18.170 --> 00:05:20.189 that he's not like those other people, those 00:05:20.189 --> 00:05:23.850 losers. Is he loving those other people around 00:05:23.850 --> 00:05:30.449 him? Not at all. And he's saying, I am not unjust. 00:05:31.449 --> 00:05:36.910 I'm not adulterous. I give tithes. Therefore, 00:05:37.170 --> 00:05:41.230 I'm going to go to heaven. And he's very confident 00:05:41.230 --> 00:05:46.689 in himself. He's not confident necessarily that 00:05:46.689 --> 00:05:51.980 God is going to do it. He is the one that's going 00:05:51.980 --> 00:05:55.819 to do it. We have to be careful because we can 00:05:55.819 --> 00:05:59.279 be like that. We can think we are the ones that 00:05:59.279 --> 00:06:01.759 are going to do what's right and make it to heaven 00:06:01.759 --> 00:06:07.000 because we do what is right. I did that. I'm 00:06:07.000 --> 00:06:11.399 good. Well, be careful. Be careful. Let's look 00:06:11.399 --> 00:06:18.180 at the publican. The tax collector says, he doesn't 00:06:18.180 --> 00:06:21.029 even speak right away. He would not so much as 00:06:21.029 --> 00:06:24.709 raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, 00:06:24.850 --> 00:06:29.569 and then says, God be merciful to me, a sinner. 00:06:31.110 --> 00:06:36.170 We see repentance, a person admitting their need 00:06:36.170 --> 00:06:42.350 for God. We see, perhaps, where the Jesus prayer 00:06:42.350 --> 00:06:45.389 even comes from. Perhaps it was motivated by 00:06:45.389 --> 00:06:49.600 these words of this parable. The Jesus prayer, 00:06:49.800 --> 00:06:54.019 which I say as Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, 00:06:54.160 --> 00:06:58.100 have mercy on me, a sinner. And this man is saying, 00:06:58.319 --> 00:07:01.339 God be merciful to me, a sinner. He's coming 00:07:01.339 --> 00:07:08.560 before God broken, contrite, humbled. This isn't 00:07:08.560 --> 00:07:13.019 the example that we are to have. And Jesus sums 00:07:13.019 --> 00:07:16.870 up the parable by saying this. I tell you, this 00:07:16.870 --> 00:07:20.250 man went down to his house, meaning the publican, 00:07:20.250 --> 00:07:24.009 justified rather than the other, the Pharisee. 00:07:24.170 --> 00:07:27.730 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, 00:07:27.889 --> 00:07:33.930 and he who humbles himself will be exalted. There's 00:07:33.930 --> 00:07:37.129 a virtue and there's a vice. There's a virtue 00:07:37.129 --> 00:07:44.060 of humility and there's a vice of pride. Each 00:07:44.060 --> 00:07:48.879 one of us needs to look at ourselves. I know 00:07:48.879 --> 00:07:55.120 I have and I do suffer from some pride. I admit 00:07:55.120 --> 00:07:59.560 it to everyone here. And I repent of that. And 00:07:59.560 --> 00:08:03.360 I'm trying to learn humility. I'm urging God 00:08:03.360 --> 00:08:07.100 to help it move forward. And I encourage all 00:08:07.100 --> 00:08:11.220 of you to do the same. Ask God to grant you humility. 00:08:12.120 --> 00:08:17.079 The words of scripture say in Matthew, blessed 00:08:17.079 --> 00:08:19.600 are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. 00:08:19.879 --> 00:08:24.360 And in the Psalms, a broken and contrite heart 00:08:24.360 --> 00:08:28.540 God will not despise. And in another Psalm, I 00:08:28.540 --> 00:08:32.360 was brought low and the Lord helped me. And in 00:08:32.360 --> 00:08:35.919 a proverb, everyone that is proud of heart is 00:08:35.919 --> 00:08:39.080 an abomination to the Lord. And in another proverb, 00:08:39.379 --> 00:08:43.370 God resists the proud. And the prophet Isaiah 00:08:43.370 --> 00:08:47.570 says, woe to them that are wise in their own 00:08:47.570 --> 00:08:53.210 eyes and prudent in their own sight. And James, 00:08:53.429 --> 00:08:57.990 in the book of James, says, humble thyself in 00:08:57.990 --> 00:09:02.929 the sight of the Lord and he will lift you up. 00:09:05.129 --> 00:09:09.730 You know, our community, we've gone through several 00:09:09.730 --> 00:09:14.840 funerals here. We've felt the losses of George 00:09:14.840 --> 00:09:19.240 and Karen and Merope, and there's others of us 00:09:19.240 --> 00:09:22.320 who have members in our family who have either 00:09:22.320 --> 00:09:27.240 just passed away or are close to that. And we 00:09:27.240 --> 00:09:30.580 can mourn and weep, but we should also see the 00:09:30.580 --> 00:09:34.820 gift that's given to us in the remembrance of 00:09:34.820 --> 00:09:39.879 death, that each one of us, we need to recognize. 00:09:40.809 --> 00:09:44.169 We're going to be that person who passed away 00:09:44.169 --> 00:09:48.070 should the Lord tarry and not return. We will 00:09:48.070 --> 00:09:53.789 also face that same result. And we know that 00:09:53.789 --> 00:09:56.309 there is an afterlife. We know that there is 00:09:56.309 --> 00:10:00.549 life after death, that there is an eternal time. 00:10:01.610 --> 00:10:05.929 There is God's love, there's God's mercy, there's 00:10:05.929 --> 00:10:09.090 God's grace. There's a plan of salvation for 00:10:09.090 --> 00:10:12.250 all humanity, for you and me and every person 00:10:12.250 --> 00:10:15.850 that would take it. And the Holy Spirit will 00:10:15.850 --> 00:10:19.629 speak to us in our inner man, in our noose, in 00:10:19.629 --> 00:10:24.809 our heart. If we open up our inner self, just 00:10:24.809 --> 00:10:30.769 as that publican had repentance in his heart. 00:10:30.889 --> 00:10:35.970 If we do that, then we open the floodgates to 00:10:35.970 --> 00:10:39.669 God working. And purifying and sanctifying and 00:10:39.669 --> 00:10:43.490 making us holy and preparing us for that time 00:10:43.490 --> 00:10:48.789 when we do pass on. We are swiftly approaching 00:10:48.789 --> 00:10:53.649 Lent. And this is a gift to us. Sometimes we 00:10:53.649 --> 00:10:56.970 kind of, I know, I'll speak for myself. I think, 00:10:56.970 --> 00:11:01.350 oh no, here it is. I'm going to have to do this 00:11:01.350 --> 00:11:05.629 or not do that. Or, you know, oh no. It's going 00:11:05.629 --> 00:11:07.730 to be so busy. It's going to take so much of 00:11:07.730 --> 00:11:11.570 my time. We can come at it with that attitude, 00:11:11.750 --> 00:11:15.710 which I have in the past. Or we can say, this 00:11:15.710 --> 00:11:20.190 is a gift from God to help us to become sanctified, 00:11:20.389 --> 00:11:25.909 to be ready for heaven, to take ourselves and 00:11:25.909 --> 00:11:28.889 place them in God's, place all of who we are 00:11:28.889 --> 00:11:32.289 in God's hands and let him work to perfect us 00:11:32.289 --> 00:11:38.570 and reunite us to him. St. Gregory Palamas says 00:11:38.570 --> 00:11:43.049 these words that I believe deal with this virtue 00:11:43.049 --> 00:11:46.769 and vice that we're looking at of pride and humility 00:11:46.769 --> 00:11:52.230 in today's gospel. St. Gregory says, Let us humble 00:11:52.230 --> 00:11:56.490 ourselves of our own free will, brethren, that 00:11:56.490 --> 00:11:59.629 we may demonstrate our faith in Christ and also 00:11:59.629 --> 00:12:03.659 be exalted by him. Or rather, may we acknowledge 00:12:03.659 --> 00:12:07.940 our innate lowliness and the fact that the misleading 00:12:07.940 --> 00:12:11.379 thoughts which sometimes arise within us are 00:12:11.379 --> 00:12:15.519 from the demons. Then let us cry out to Christ 00:12:15.519 --> 00:12:19.120 like the Canaanite woman, fall down before him, 00:12:19.220 --> 00:12:22.980 and persevere in humble prayer, and we shall 00:12:22.980 --> 00:12:26.440 obtain the grace which is given to the humble 00:12:26.440 --> 00:12:30.419 -minded and speedily ascend to divine heights. 00:12:32.470 --> 00:12:36.769 Imagine, if you will, two tall buildings with 00:12:36.769 --> 00:12:41.090 a tight rope between the two of the buildings 00:12:41.090 --> 00:12:44.809 and a long distance across. And there's a tight 00:12:44.809 --> 00:12:48.669 rope walker and we're all on top of one of the 00:12:48.669 --> 00:12:52.990 buildings watching this tight rope walker. And 00:12:52.990 --> 00:12:57.789 he has a wheelbarrow. And he takes it and goes 00:12:57.789 --> 00:13:02.259 across from one building and we watch. And he 00:13:02.259 --> 00:13:04.740 goes across and across and across and makes it 00:13:04.740 --> 00:13:07.320 to the other building. And then he comes back. 00:13:07.720 --> 00:13:11.740 And there's no stumbling. Nothing goes wrong. 00:13:11.919 --> 00:13:14.740 Everything looks perfect. And he gets back and 00:13:14.740 --> 00:13:20.139 he says to all of the crowd there, he says, do 00:13:20.139 --> 00:13:23.879 you think I can do it again? And everybody kind 00:13:23.879 --> 00:13:25.919 of shakes their head. Yeah, yeah, you could do 00:13:25.919 --> 00:13:29.039 it again. He said, okay, I would like a volunteer 00:13:29.039 --> 00:13:34.019 to ride in this wheelbarrow. Not too many hands 00:13:34.019 --> 00:13:39.340 went up. But if you think about it, there have 00:13:39.340 --> 00:13:42.940 been many people who have ridden in the wheelbarrow. 00:13:43.419 --> 00:13:47.919 They are saints because they trusted God, not 00:13:47.919 --> 00:13:51.440 themselves. They got into the wheelbarrow and 00:13:51.440 --> 00:13:56.039 let the Lord Jesus Christ take them across to 00:13:56.039 --> 00:13:59.860 being sanctified and made holy and entered into 00:13:59.860 --> 00:14:04.419 eternity. In a good way with the Lord. Can't 00:14:04.419 --> 00:14:06.940 we do that? Can't we get into that wheelbarrow? 00:14:07.080 --> 00:14:11.080 Won't you let yourself do that? And this Lent 00:14:11.080 --> 00:14:16.240 is the time. We are entering the Triodion today. 00:14:17.279 --> 00:14:21.220 We aren't officially entering Lent. But we are 00:14:21.220 --> 00:14:24.539 officially entering the preparation for that 00:14:24.539 --> 00:14:28.740 time. So begin to prepare yourself to enter Lent. 00:14:28.799 --> 00:14:31.889 And to get into the wheelbarrow. And let Christ 00:14:31.889 --> 00:14:34.750 take you across and sanctify you and make you 00:14:34.750 --> 00:14:36.870 holy. Glory to Jesus Christ.