WEBVTT 00:00:00.270 --> 00:00:04.129 At the service, my father gave a rousing sermon. 00:00:06.509 --> 00:00:10.849 And I kind of didn't even listen to the first 00:00:10.849 --> 00:00:13.490 part of that gospel we heard because I'm thinking, 00:00:13.550 --> 00:00:17.410 what's it have to do with anything on Palm Sunday? 00:00:17.550 --> 00:00:19.710 It's just that bad news stuff. Judas is going 00:00:19.710 --> 00:00:22.269 to betray and, you know, that whole part of the 00:00:22.269 --> 00:00:25.649 story. But St. John is filling in the details. 00:00:25.730 --> 00:00:28.850 He's telling us the realities of this world. 00:00:31.239 --> 00:00:36.399 What we don't understand, we're afraid of. And 00:00:36.399 --> 00:00:40.240 maybe we even hate. And we find an ideology that 00:00:40.240 --> 00:00:48.179 is going to oppose that thing. The whole day 00:00:48.179 --> 00:00:51.700 was set by the raising of Lazarus and the people 00:00:51.700 --> 00:00:56.439 heard about it. The 1 .5 million extra pilgrims 00:00:56.439 --> 00:01:01.049 in Jerusalem hearing about that. And the leadership 00:01:01.049 --> 00:01:05.450 is thinking, we have to put this man to death. 00:01:05.769 --> 00:01:09.109 And Lazarus too, because he's a symbol of all 00:01:09.109 --> 00:01:12.530 that movement. And the Romans are going to take 00:01:12.530 --> 00:01:17.549 away everything otherwise. Jesus doesn't sneak 00:01:17.549 --> 00:01:21.670 into the city. He had left earlier because they 00:01:21.670 --> 00:01:23.870 were trying to kill him. And he comes back even 00:01:23.870 --> 00:01:26.450 though there's a bounty on his head. He doesn't 00:01:26.450 --> 00:01:32.200 sneak in. He rides in. On a donkey. After that. 00:01:33.500 --> 00:01:36.219 Glorious raising of Lazarus. We say the raising 00:01:36.219 --> 00:01:38.780 of Lazarus. It sounds so casual. But can you 00:01:38.780 --> 00:01:45.260 imagine. The incredible intensity. And the feeling. 00:01:46.219 --> 00:01:54.459 Of awe. Incredulity. How could this be? This 00:01:54.459 --> 00:01:57.959 man was dead four years. We say the raising of 00:01:57.959 --> 00:02:02.560 Lazarus. It is incredible, an incredible thing. 00:02:02.760 --> 00:02:06.560 As the hymn says, it's a sign also of the general 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:10.400 resurrection of our raising. And the Lord comes 00:02:10.400 --> 00:02:14.159 into the city and all the people hear about this. 00:02:14.300 --> 00:02:17.319 St. Gregory Palamas tells us how, just following 00:02:17.319 --> 00:02:20.960 what the scripture says. Your king, your king, 00:02:21.159 --> 00:02:24.719 because that's what this is about today. Your 00:02:24.719 --> 00:02:27.840 king does not arouse fear in those who see him. 00:02:29.229 --> 00:02:34.289 nor is he an oppressor or an evildoer, accompanied 00:02:34.289 --> 00:02:39.610 by shield -bearers and spearmen. His banner is 00:02:39.610 --> 00:02:45.849 humility, poverty, and lowliness. That's the 00:02:45.849 --> 00:02:50.349 kind of king we have. That's the way those who 00:02:50.349 --> 00:02:55.610 love this king are expected to be. They are empowered 00:02:55.610 --> 00:02:59.460 to be. They are taught to be. They're given every 00:02:59.460 --> 00:03:02.400 chance to be that way by the grace of the Holy 00:03:02.400 --> 00:03:06.159 Spirit, which the hymn last night says, has assembled 00:03:06.159 --> 00:03:12.159 us. Today, the grace of the Holy Spirit has assembled 00:03:12.159 --> 00:03:16.159 us. Our King. We say, blessed is the kingdom 00:03:16.159 --> 00:03:19.340 at the beginning of the divine liturgy. We say, 00:03:19.360 --> 00:03:25.060 thy kingdom come. Thy will be done. We say, in 00:03:25.060 --> 00:03:28.710 thy kingdom, remember us, O Lord. when thou comest. 00:03:30.830 --> 00:03:33.289 The catechumens yesterday were asked, do you 00:03:33.289 --> 00:03:37.310 believe in him? And their answer was not, well, 00:03:37.430 --> 00:03:41.569 yes, obviously, why would I be here? The answer 00:03:41.569 --> 00:03:44.370 was to the question, do you believe in him, is 00:03:44.370 --> 00:03:47.969 I believe in him as king and God. Because even 00:03:47.969 --> 00:03:51.569 the demons believe God, but they don't give him 00:03:51.569 --> 00:03:56.969 their fidelity and love. Our celebration today, 00:03:57.289 --> 00:03:59.930 there's so much that one could say, but let me 00:03:59.930 --> 00:04:04.210 boil it down to what our response ought to be. 00:04:04.629 --> 00:04:09.849 At least I think from reading those who know 00:04:09.849 --> 00:04:13.530 more than I do, the Holy Fathers, those preachers 00:04:13.530 --> 00:04:16.470 that have come before me. Our celebration today, 00:04:16.629 --> 00:04:18.870 the commemoration of the entrance of the Lord 00:04:18.870 --> 00:04:21.990 into Jerusalem is certainly not about ancient 00:04:21.990 --> 00:04:25.500 history. It happened. It happened, but it's happening 00:04:25.500 --> 00:04:29.379 right now, and we are there. We are with Christ 00:04:29.379 --> 00:04:33.259 today. Why do you think we sing those hymns that 00:04:33.259 --> 00:04:37.360 say, today the Lord comes to Jerusalem? Is it 00:04:37.360 --> 00:04:40.399 just some kind of strange poetic device? No, 00:04:40.519 --> 00:04:44.399 it means that the ceremony, the ritual of the 00:04:44.399 --> 00:04:47.399 liturgy has brought us to that place, and we 00:04:47.399 --> 00:04:49.860 are with Christ today. That's why we're holding 00:04:49.860 --> 00:04:56.920 poems too. By our presence today. Our prayers. 00:04:57.660 --> 00:05:01.959 Our hopes. This is the Lord's entrance into our 00:05:01.959 --> 00:05:05.740 homes. The entrance of the Lord in Jerusalem 00:05:05.740 --> 00:05:10.240 is the Lord's entrance into our souls. Because 00:05:10.240 --> 00:05:12.379 we are members of his kingdom. What does that 00:05:12.379 --> 00:05:15.879 mean? It sounds kind of religious and interesting, 00:05:16.100 --> 00:05:19.399 but what does it mean? That we are members of 00:05:19.399 --> 00:05:21.500 his kingdom. That he has come into our soul. 00:05:24.970 --> 00:05:32.069 When I survey, just briefly, the world, the news, 00:05:32.189 --> 00:05:36.269 I can see how easy it is to unite people against 00:05:36.269 --> 00:05:42.569 something. Hatred's very easy to pull together, 00:05:42.689 --> 00:05:48.990 to hate an opponent. Unity is pretty impossible 00:05:48.990 --> 00:05:53.829 in this world. It's easy to create opposition. 00:05:54.959 --> 00:05:57.939 One against the other. Our world's full of it. 00:05:59.839 --> 00:06:02.319 So what does the entrance of the Lord into our 00:06:02.319 --> 00:06:06.040 souls mean in light of that? What's my response? 00:06:07.740 --> 00:06:12.459 Yes, I say Jesus is my king. I say, oh Lord and 00:06:12.459 --> 00:06:18.500 master of my life. But I ask myself, really, 00:06:18.660 --> 00:06:24.339 who's the king of my life? Mostly myself. I suppose. 00:06:25.060 --> 00:06:30.800 Occasionally Jesus. But that's not good. We can't 00:06:30.800 --> 00:06:36.259 put Jesus occasionally. Do you recall the first 00:06:36.259 --> 00:06:40.319 commandment, the greatest commandment that a 00:06:40.319 --> 00:06:43.879 disciple is to follow? Do you remember when Jesus 00:06:43.879 --> 00:06:47.199 was asked that? And he quoted Exodus and Deuteronomy, 00:06:47.339 --> 00:06:51.240 and then he added something more. Of course you 00:06:51.240 --> 00:06:55.769 know this. Love the Lord thy God with all thy 00:06:55.769 --> 00:06:59.029 soul, with all thy mind, thy heart, thy strength, 00:06:59.029 --> 00:07:06.350 and thy neighbor as thyself. Love. That's Jesus' 00:07:06.550 --> 00:07:12.810 kingdom. Not, quote, love is love, unquote, which 00:07:12.810 --> 00:07:16.769 is a slogan, which I think means well, but it's 00:07:16.769 --> 00:07:20.050 too general, it's very superficial, and now it's 00:07:20.050 --> 00:07:24.259 political. Love is love. One can love all kinds 00:07:24.259 --> 00:07:27.620 of things that are not proper or healthy, and 00:07:27.620 --> 00:07:31.180 that's obvious. St. John records Jesus saying, 00:07:31.339 --> 00:07:34.259 and this is the condemnation, that light has 00:07:34.259 --> 00:07:40.360 come into the world, and men loved darkness rather 00:07:40.360 --> 00:07:43.579 than the light because their deeds were evil. 00:07:43.740 --> 00:07:48.420 Yes, one can love all kinds of things, and it 00:07:48.420 --> 00:07:51.000 could be extremely dysfunctional and harmful. 00:07:54.029 --> 00:07:57.470 Friday morning, we had the last Lenten Matins. 00:07:58.829 --> 00:08:01.550 It was wonderful. We did Matins every day, Tuesday 00:08:01.550 --> 00:08:08.529 through Friday. And this hymn grabbed me by my 00:08:08.529 --> 00:08:16.569 neck and was a warning to me why I love, sometimes, 00:08:16.930 --> 00:08:21.649 darkness more than light. Why the world is in 00:08:21.649 --> 00:08:24.839 the situation it is in. Listen to what that hymn 00:08:24.839 --> 00:08:29.379 said. Despising the divine commands, my soul, 00:08:29.639 --> 00:08:34.440 thou hast become easy prey to the snares of the 00:08:34.440 --> 00:08:39.940 enemy. And by thine own choice, thou hast surrendered 00:08:39.940 --> 00:08:45.360 thyself to corruption, sunk in slumber through 00:08:45.360 --> 00:08:49.879 thy many trespasses. Thou hast covered with filth 00:08:49.879 --> 00:08:54.470 the garment that God wove for thee. This is me 00:08:54.470 --> 00:08:58.549 talking to myself. I've covered with filth the 00:08:58.549 --> 00:09:01.009 garment that God wove for me, the garment of 00:09:01.009 --> 00:09:04.590 light, of joy, of beauty, the garment of truth, 00:09:04.809 --> 00:09:09.250 honesty, justice, those things that St. Paul 00:09:09.250 --> 00:09:11.809 mentioned in the Philippians today. But cry to 00:09:11.809 --> 00:09:16.429 the Savior, the hymn says, O dread eye of God, 00:09:16.649 --> 00:09:23.970 thou hast become what I am. You became man, O 00:09:23.970 --> 00:09:29.210 Lord, without ceasing to be who thou wast. Before 00:09:29.210 --> 00:09:32.250 thy crucifixion for my sake thou hast worn a 00:09:32.250 --> 00:09:37.370 robe of mockery. Tear in pieces my sackcloth 00:09:37.370 --> 00:09:40.769 and clothe me with gladness. Deliver me from 00:09:40.769 --> 00:09:43.470 the outer darkness and eternal weeping and have 00:09:43.470 --> 00:09:48.009 mercy on me. That's the hymn that took me by 00:09:48.009 --> 00:09:50.649 surprise finally when I really started to listen. 00:09:50.970 --> 00:09:53.710 It only took 40 days of matins for me to start 00:09:53.710 --> 00:09:57.210 listening. This hymn revealed the state of my 00:09:57.210 --> 00:10:00.190 soul. This hymn reveals the state of our society, 00:10:00.490 --> 00:10:03.230 those in power and those in governance. Why? 00:10:03.370 --> 00:10:06.429 Because without Christ, without his love, his 00:10:06.429 --> 00:10:12.870 specific love, because God is love, it's hopeless. 00:10:14.809 --> 00:10:18.330 Members of the kingdom of God, that is you, brothers 00:10:18.330 --> 00:10:23.669 and sisters. We are invited and led inevitably, 00:10:24.029 --> 00:10:30.490 inescapably, necessarily to be like our king, 00:10:30.669 --> 00:10:35.870 to put on that robe of humility first so we can 00:10:35.870 --> 00:10:40.590 receive the glory of his love, to be full of 00:10:40.590 --> 00:10:46.269 love, the love supplied by God. And it's going 00:10:46.269 --> 00:10:50.460 to come. Through that humility in prayer, when 00:10:50.460 --> 00:10:57.620 we enter to the low gate, the low gate, the church 00:10:57.620 --> 00:11:01.679 in Bethlehem built by Justinian in the 6th century, 00:11:01.840 --> 00:11:07.179 the front door is like this high. You have to 00:11:07.179 --> 00:11:13.039 bow low to get in. So we learn by prayer, by 00:11:13.039 --> 00:11:15.799 prayer more deeply, by prayer knowing that perhaps 00:11:15.799 --> 00:11:19.179 today is my last day as a member of his kingdom 00:11:19.179 --> 00:11:24.100 on this earth. That I might possess as a gift 00:11:24.100 --> 00:11:27.559 that love toward my neighbor that the Lord says, 00:11:27.820 --> 00:11:32.419 a new commandment I give to you, that you love 00:11:32.419 --> 00:11:38.139 one another. How? Even as I have loved you. To 00:11:38.139 --> 00:11:44.100 the end. Not just the neighbor. But the neighbor 00:11:44.100 --> 00:11:49.019 you can't love. That's the enemy. Jesus says, 00:11:49.159 --> 00:11:51.320 love your neighbor, sure. He also says, love 00:11:51.320 --> 00:11:54.820 your enemy. The one that's impossible to love. 00:11:54.879 --> 00:11:57.299 The one that's not achievable to love in this 00:11:57.299 --> 00:12:00.779 world. It's the radical thing. But it's essential 00:12:00.779 --> 00:12:03.980 because as soon as you identify someone who is 00:12:03.980 --> 00:12:07.960 not your neighbor, then all talk of love, you 00:12:07.960 --> 00:12:10.710 might as well forget it. and it becomes opposition 00:12:10.710 --> 00:12:17.929 again. Our Lord commands us, love one another 00:12:17.929 --> 00:12:22.389 even as I have loved you. We are so deeply desirous 00:12:22.389 --> 00:12:25.429 of this love, but we continually fall away from 00:12:25.429 --> 00:12:31.570 Christ. Today, and I use that word meaning truly 00:12:31.570 --> 00:12:35.590 today, we are with him as he enters Jerusalem, 00:12:35.769 --> 00:12:40.500 as he goes to Jerusalem. his passion to the cross 00:12:40.500 --> 00:12:44.320 this is our path to if we want to love if we 00:12:44.320 --> 00:12:47.799 want to have godly love that's the sign of his 00:12:47.799 --> 00:12:50.340 immeasurable love for us that cross so let's 00:12:50.340 --> 00:12:56.379 beg for love from above things we like from below 00:12:56.379 --> 00:13:01.299 that's easy but love from above that's a consecration 00:13:01.299 --> 00:13:05.639 of our heart our mind that's a crucifixion of 00:13:05.639 --> 00:13:10.600 our passions It's a cleansing, a washing, a renewal 00:13:10.600 --> 00:13:14.419 in us of God's love. For God, as we heard yesterday 00:13:14.419 --> 00:13:18.279 in the epistle, is a consuming fire, and he will 00:13:18.279 --> 00:13:22.740 burn up all that is not love within us. If a 00:13:22.740 --> 00:13:26.519 man loved me, and this is the promise, he will 00:13:26.519 --> 00:13:31.899 keep my words, and my Father will love him, and 00:13:31.899 --> 00:13:37.500 we will come unto him. and make our abode with 00:13:37.500 --> 00:13:42.879 him, what more wonderful destiny could we possibly 00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:43.919 hope for?