WEBVTT 00:00:00.970 --> 00:00:03.569 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 00:00:03.569 --> 00:00:07.089 of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Glory to Jesus Christ. 00:00:07.330 --> 00:00:13.570 Glory to Christ. I could speak to you about some 00:00:13.570 --> 00:00:17.109 topics that I'm interested in with some proficiency, 00:00:17.109 --> 00:00:22.769 some knowledge about guitars, about audio equipment 00:00:22.769 --> 00:00:27.890 and microphones, and live streaming, about masks. 00:00:30.730 --> 00:00:35.609 about some things in scripture, history, some 00:00:35.609 --> 00:00:39.549 things in theology, liturgics. I could tell you 00:00:39.549 --> 00:00:43.270 all about liturgics after I teach some catechism. 00:00:43.329 --> 00:00:46.469 So there's a few things I know about. But today, 00:00:46.609 --> 00:00:52.030 I'm going to speak to you about something I really 00:00:52.030 --> 00:00:55.270 don't know anything about. You know, if you go 00:00:55.270 --> 00:00:56.710 to the doctor and you want to know something 00:00:56.710 --> 00:00:59.740 about your health, you expect that doctor. to 00:00:59.740 --> 00:01:03.079 have some information. You go to your mechanic 00:01:03.079 --> 00:01:07.840 about your car, you want someone that has some 00:01:07.840 --> 00:01:12.099 proficiency. But today I need to speak about 00:01:12.099 --> 00:01:18.219 something that I really am, I lack. And that 00:01:18.219 --> 00:01:23.459 is the topic of humility. Humility is usually 00:01:23.459 --> 00:01:26.680 not what we think it is. Our society tells us 00:01:26.680 --> 00:01:30.260 you can do Anything you set your mind to do. 00:01:30.299 --> 00:01:33.719 We just heard this wonderful recording from Father 00:01:33.719 --> 00:01:37.200 Sarah from Mo, where he talked about the societal 00:01:37.200 --> 00:01:42.180 emphasis on you can get it done. You set your 00:01:42.180 --> 00:01:45.340 mind to it. You're good just the way you are. 00:01:46.799 --> 00:01:53.379 And this lifting up of the self. And of course 00:01:53.379 --> 00:01:56.019 we see sports figures and the way they talk too. 00:01:58.599 --> 00:02:01.939 Well, that's not humility. We live in a culture 00:02:01.939 --> 00:02:04.980 of pride. And so, if we don't know what humility 00:02:04.980 --> 00:02:08.560 is, if we don't have it, it's no surprise. The 00:02:08.560 --> 00:02:10.419 first thing I can tell you, though, it's a gift 00:02:10.419 --> 00:02:13.419 from God. It's not something you can manufacture. 00:02:14.340 --> 00:02:16.780 It's not something you can pretend you have. 00:02:19.020 --> 00:02:25.099 This Pharisee and this tax collector story. The 00:02:25.099 --> 00:02:30.099 Pharisee, well, he looks pretty good. But is 00:02:30.099 --> 00:02:34.520 he the bad guy here? And the publican, he looks 00:02:34.520 --> 00:02:37.879 pretty bad, but is he the good guy here? That's 00:02:37.879 --> 00:02:40.319 the superficial reading of the story. And by 00:02:40.319 --> 00:02:43.580 the way, the term publican in our older English 00:02:43.580 --> 00:02:46.719 translations rather than tax collector comes 00:02:46.719 --> 00:02:51.020 from the Latin meaning public contractor. The 00:02:51.020 --> 00:02:54.599 man who would collect the public taxes for the 00:02:54.599 --> 00:02:57.789 Romans under contract. We know about that from 00:02:57.789 --> 00:03:02.050 last week. In any case, this parable is not a 00:03:02.050 --> 00:03:06.650 moral tale about who was good and who was bad. 00:03:08.349 --> 00:03:13.810 The modern view, let's say, if you were looking 00:03:13.810 --> 00:03:19.409 at this gospel passage in a university now, in 00:03:19.409 --> 00:03:21.789 a literature class, using so -called critical 00:03:21.789 --> 00:03:25.789 theory, you would see that the Pharisee was of 00:03:25.789 --> 00:03:28.610 the privileged class. And he was oppressing the 00:03:28.610 --> 00:03:32.110 tax collector and everybody else. And the tax 00:03:32.110 --> 00:03:34.590 collector came from the lower class, so he was 00:03:34.590 --> 00:03:37.870 just trying to get by. But he also was an oppressor. 00:03:39.370 --> 00:03:43.610 How uninteresting. Lord have mercy. What could 00:03:43.610 --> 00:03:48.110 we learn from that? Nothing at all. What we can 00:03:48.110 --> 00:03:53.800 learn today is one brief point. This parable 00:03:53.800 --> 00:03:56.659 begins with the comment by St. Luke that our 00:03:56.659 --> 00:03:59.879 Savior Jesus Christ told the parable while teaching 00:03:59.879 --> 00:04:03.560 about prayer and who is first and who comes last 00:04:03.560 --> 00:04:05.860 and the last shall be first and the first shall 00:04:05.860 --> 00:04:08.219 be last. He begins with this comment. He says, 00:04:08.379 --> 00:04:12.840 he said the parable to those who trust in themselves 00:04:12.840 --> 00:04:19.519 that they are righteous and look down and despise 00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:28.009 others. So, examine yourself, brothers and sisters. 00:04:29.490 --> 00:04:33.250 We've all come into the temple. We've all come 00:04:33.250 --> 00:04:39.490 to pray. God, I thank thee. And how does it go 00:04:39.490 --> 00:04:47.490 from there for us? That I'm a good person. We 00:04:47.490 --> 00:04:51.149 have to examine our inner attitude in light of 00:04:51.149 --> 00:04:55.600 this parable. The Pharisee who boasted to God 00:04:55.600 --> 00:05:00.040 rather than prayed was a zealot for the Lord. 00:05:01.699 --> 00:05:06.759 He's the kind of parishioner on the surface you 00:05:06.759 --> 00:05:16.079 want. Tithes, fasts, gives alms, prays, like 00:05:16.079 --> 00:05:18.199 we're encouraged to do. But he proclaims himself 00:05:18.199 --> 00:05:21.319 righteous, that is, right with God and the world. 00:05:22.419 --> 00:05:26.319 justified by what he did, and God should be thanking 00:05:26.319 --> 00:05:29.600 him instead. The Almighty Father in heaven should 00:05:29.600 --> 00:05:33.300 be applauding. Now we contemporary Orthodox, 00:05:33.879 --> 00:05:39.939 like me, not proficient in prayer, not very zealous 00:05:39.939 --> 00:05:44.300 about fasting, or tithing, or giving alms, works 00:05:44.300 --> 00:05:47.540 of mercy to the poor, nothing to boast about. 00:05:49.420 --> 00:05:52.360 In that sense, we are not pharisaical, are we? 00:05:53.540 --> 00:05:58.920 We're not legalistic about our faith. And often, 00:05:59.000 --> 00:06:01.779 we're not judgmental towards others either. We 00:06:01.779 --> 00:06:07.040 try not to be. That's good. Kind of. Yet, we 00:06:07.040 --> 00:06:13.379 do, many of us, think thusly. Oh God, I am a 00:06:13.379 --> 00:06:17.319 good person. Really. Although some terrible things 00:06:17.319 --> 00:06:21.220 have happened to me in my life. Not my fault. 00:06:22.079 --> 00:06:25.800 I'm a sinner, yes. But I've done pretty well 00:06:25.800 --> 00:06:30.920 under the present circumstances. Looking at the 00:06:30.920 --> 00:06:33.860 spiritual ledger of my life as if I was writing 00:06:33.860 --> 00:06:39.019 it down, I am pretty good. I thank thee, oh God, 00:06:39.240 --> 00:06:43.980 that I'm not like that Democrat, that Republican, 00:06:44.220 --> 00:06:52.420 that Anti -mask wearer. That homeless man. That 00:06:52.420 --> 00:06:56.319 activist. That commentator. All people notice. 00:06:56.500 --> 00:07:03.279 All people we don't know for the most part. Let's 00:07:03.279 --> 00:07:08.720 reorientate ourselves. Everything. Absolutely 00:07:08.720 --> 00:07:13.399 everything. And we can be joyous about this. 00:07:13.459 --> 00:07:18.579 All virtue. All holiness, all goodness, all truth, 00:07:18.860 --> 00:07:22.720 all beauty, all kindness, all spiritual health, 00:07:22.800 --> 00:07:28.399 and all humility comes from our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:07:28.959 --> 00:07:33.879 And from being joined to him in his glorious 00:07:33.879 --> 00:07:38.079 death and his resurrection when we were baptized. 00:07:39.139 --> 00:07:43.899 The humble person is moved by the greatness of 00:07:43.899 --> 00:07:50.500 God. who is humble. We're not going to be fasting 00:07:50.500 --> 00:07:55.579 this week. You know that, right? Next week we 00:07:55.579 --> 00:07:58.360 go back to normal. The week after that we start 00:07:58.360 --> 00:08:01.639 to fast, abstain from meat products, and the 00:08:01.639 --> 00:08:04.220 week after that, forgiveness Sunday, we will 00:08:04.220 --> 00:08:07.279 begin fasting. We're going to be doing all the 00:08:07.279 --> 00:08:11.500 things that the Pharisee is congratulating himself 00:08:11.500 --> 00:08:16.939 about. That's what we're enjoined to do. And 00:08:16.939 --> 00:08:20.120 we're not fasting this week. Not so we get fat 00:08:20.120 --> 00:08:25.379 and, you know, put on some extra pounds to take 00:08:25.379 --> 00:08:28.839 off during Lent. Not to use up our meat and dairy 00:08:28.839 --> 00:08:30.680 products, because Lord knows we're going to go 00:08:30.680 --> 00:08:34.879 back to the store. But in order to set our minds 00:08:34.879 --> 00:08:39.080 and our hearts straight. That a fast is not a 00:08:39.080 --> 00:08:45.879 diet. United with prayer, humble prayer, weak 00:08:45.879 --> 00:08:50.059 prayer, poverty of spirit prayer, not knowing 00:08:50.059 --> 00:08:54.059 what we're doing prayer, it is a medicine not 00:08:54.059 --> 00:08:58.360 just to cure gluttony, but it humbles us further. 00:08:59.960 --> 00:09:04.100 Alms is not something we do to feel good. It's 00:09:04.100 --> 00:09:07.720 the way God is, and being his servant in this 00:09:07.720 --> 00:09:12.480 sad and corrupt world. We are asked to be his 00:09:12.480 --> 00:09:15.539 image. We've been created to be his image. Now 00:09:15.539 --> 00:09:17.620 we just have to be cleansed to be his image. 00:09:18.799 --> 00:09:21.460 Prayer is not something the Almighty God needs 00:09:21.460 --> 00:09:25.820 from us. We are invited to draw close to him. 00:09:27.840 --> 00:09:32.019 And it was the publican who drew close to God. 00:09:32.779 --> 00:09:36.720 Yes, he was a bad man. The Pharisee was a good 00:09:36.720 --> 00:09:39.629 man. But the Pharisee couldn't change to become 00:09:39.629 --> 00:09:42.929 godlike, whereas the publican was being transformed. 00:09:43.409 --> 00:09:48.090 He was giving up his sin. The Pharisee could 00:09:48.090 --> 00:09:53.629 not even see his sin. All these Lenten practices 00:09:53.629 --> 00:09:56.870 that we're going to do are essential for us, 00:09:57.090 --> 00:10:01.490 but none of them could help us. None of them 00:10:01.490 --> 00:10:06.399 are worth anything without Jesus Christ. So to 00:10:06.399 --> 00:10:11.940 boast in them is insanity. St. Paul says if we're 00:10:11.940 --> 00:10:15.200 going to boast, what do we boast in? What did 00:10:15.200 --> 00:10:19.279 he tell us? I boast in the cross of Christ. It's 00:10:19.279 --> 00:10:21.740 the sign that the Christian suffers. There's 00:10:21.740 --> 00:10:24.419 no cross that we can carry that's not going to 00:10:24.419 --> 00:10:29.399 bring some suffering. Because it puts our passions 00:10:29.399 --> 00:10:32.460 and our sins to death. We can boast that through 00:10:32.460 --> 00:10:35.720 the cross Christ is in our heart. in our home, 00:10:35.799 --> 00:10:41.399 in our mind, in our body. The boast of the cross 00:10:41.399 --> 00:10:45.360 of Christ is what St. Macarius of Optina said. 00:10:45.679 --> 00:10:53.840 We can bring our shame, our weakness, our sins, 00:10:53.840 --> 00:10:57.720 our failures to Christ, and he is going to love 00:10:57.720 --> 00:11:04.029 us. Humility, in the light of that, is knowing 00:11:04.029 --> 00:11:07.450 your weaknesses and sins before God without shame 00:11:07.450 --> 00:11:14.029 or despondency, but with hope. Because it's a 00:11:14.029 --> 00:11:18.590 gift from God. Humility is not wretched abasement. 00:11:18.610 --> 00:11:21.870 It's not negativity. It's not hatred of yourself. 00:11:22.230 --> 00:11:25.830 It's not woe is me. Humility is self -knowledge. 00:11:26.690 --> 00:11:30.529 Again, of one's sinfulness and brokenness before 00:11:30.529 --> 00:11:35.330 God and my neighbor. but without shame and without 00:11:35.330 --> 00:11:40.889 despondency. Today's gospel, today's message, 00:11:40.929 --> 00:11:44.509 which we are invited to meditate on all week, 00:11:44.690 --> 00:11:51.049 is given to us so we can reflect on it ourselves. 00:11:51.769 --> 00:11:54.950 I can't tell you what to do about it. I can't 00:11:54.950 --> 00:11:57.929 say, here are five easy things to do so you can 00:11:57.929 --> 00:12:02.639 be humble. One of the saints says that as long 00:12:02.639 --> 00:12:08.639 as we run away from humility, the Lord our God 00:12:08.639 --> 00:12:11.740 himself is going to continue to chase us and 00:12:11.740 --> 00:12:16.860 to humble us in every way possible so that we 00:12:16.860 --> 00:12:21.899 will become like him. Today is so that we can 00:12:21.899 --> 00:12:28.090 gauge our own attitude when we stand here. when 00:12:28.090 --> 00:12:30.450 I stand before my neighbor, when I stand before 00:12:30.450 --> 00:12:33.809 the person that I don't know and maybe don't 00:12:33.809 --> 00:12:38.230 like. And we see ourselves. Ask yourself right 00:12:38.230 --> 00:12:43.509 now, five minutes before this homily started, 00:12:43.690 --> 00:12:48.389 as we were singing and praying, what was the 00:12:48.389 --> 00:12:54.350 state of your mind and thoughts? Pray to God 00:12:54.350 --> 00:12:57.190 that he will illumine you. We all need this, 00:12:57.190 --> 00:12:59.750 brothers and sisters, if we are going to fight 00:12:59.750 --> 00:13:02.309 the good fight of the great season of the fast. 00:13:02.590 --> 00:13:03.070 Amen.