Glory to Jesus Christ. Glory forever. Perhaps
you recall last week that I said that the gospel
readings that were given each week are not only
didactic, week by week by week, they're teaching
us to grow more in faith, to be more mature as
Christians. But they're also our encounter with
the living Christ, the Lord. And when we hear
those words, he's speaking to us, he's speaking
to me, he's speaking to you. His hand is upon
you. And what transpired there is important for
us to know. We were talking about faith this
whole last period. this whole month, and we're
talking about faith. The gospel's teaching us
about faith. A few weeks ago, it's faith that
is given to us so we can see with our hearts.
Because it's the blind men who actually know
it's the Lord. So we need that kind of vision
with our heart. And Christ heals his sight. And
then there was Christ coming to the midst of
the people in their hunger, like the fresco right
over there shows. Yes, feeding them with food,
multiplying the five loaves and the two fish.
I imagine it was like five pieces of pita bread
and some sardines. But that was enough for the
Lord to multiply. But he feeds us today here
upon his throne where he prepares himself for
our lives in the Eucharist. And last week it
was Christ in the storm teaching Peter, why did
you doubt a view of little faith? Yes, this is
the kind, sweet Jesus giving a stern word of
rebuke. But the Lord in the storm, he is there
with us. And today, it's an unusual scene, which
Matthew describes, but Mark describes even more
detail. His account is twice as long. He says,
this is Jesus coming down with Peter, James,
and John from the Mount of Tabor, where they
have just, the disciples have seen the glory
of God on the earth. This teaches us, brothers
and sisters, that's what we will see. and the
life of the age to come. Christ in his glory.
And more than that, we will participate in that
and be like him. This is salvation. They've just
come from that. And St. Mark, along with St.
Luke and St. Matthew, describe a scene. The scribes
are questioning the disciples. They're casting
doubt. upon Jesus' ministry because his disciples
have failed to do what Jesus himself had given
them to do some chapters earlier. And what do
they see? This crowd of people comes up and they
see a man with his young boy and he's flailing
around. There's confusion. There's allegations.
There's desperation, there's fear, there's sorrow,
there's fatherly love, there's demonic oppression.
The man says, my son, he's a lunatic. What he
means is moon crazy. Of course, he was wrong.
The boy had a demon. Here's a scene of God's
good creation. gone terribly wrong. So I want
to have a little catechism here today. I promise,
well, no, I won't promise. Briefly, I ask your
attention for the words of the Holy Fathers about
this creation. Gregory Palamas says this, God
created neither death nor illness. nor infirmities.
Now I'm asked about this frequently. God created
neither death, nor illness, nor infirmities.
Do you have that in your mind? Is that clear?
God created neither the death of the soul, nor
the death of the body. Are you following me?
Or rather, St. Gregory, this death of the body
was not given by God. He neither made it, nor
did he ordain that it should be. Nor is God the
author of bodily illnesses. The author of the
book of Wisdom had already affirmed that God,
quote, did not make death, and he does not delight
in the death of the living, for he created all
things that they might exist, and the creatures
of the world are wholesome, and there is no destructive
poison in them. It's wisdom. First chapter, verse
13. God created the world good. But it's man's
responsibility, say the saints, to preserve it
that way. Do you? Do I preserve it? God created
man as a microcosm. within the macrocosm, so
that man might in himself bring paradise to the
whole creation. God established man as king of
the creation, granting him the power over all
things within it. He made him mediator, to stand
between himself and his creatures, giving man
the task. of leading created beings to their
perfection. This is high. This is lofty. Stay
with me. This is truth. By uniting them with
God through participation in the grace which
he received from the Spirit. And St. Maximus
says our primary mission was to unite paradise
with the rest of the earth and to enable every,
other creature to participate in the life of
paradise. Adam was to enable all other creatures
to participate in the order, the harmony, the
beauty of which his own nature benefited because
of its union with God. But once Adam turned away
from God, now don't blame Adam. Look at yourself.
Once Adam turned away from God, nature was no
longer subject to him. Think of St. Herman stopping
the tidal wave, stopping the forest fire. Think
of St. Seraphim with his friends, the bear and
other animals. Think of St. Paisios on Mount
Athos with his friend, the snake. that he just
said, go away, go away, our visitors, and it
would go away. They had paradise within them.
Following Adam's sin, and then especially with
Cain, disorder establishes itself between all
creation and within ourself. Cursed is the ground
because of you, God declares to man, thus announcing,
not condemning, but announcing what happened.
the cosmic catastrophe which Adam's sin had provoked,
the separation that happened, deprived of the
grace of God, and evil spread through the devil
and through the acceptance of the devil's temptation.
Man was no longer king of creation, but the devil
was, the prince of this world. and illness multiply,
grew, spread, reinforced itself. These are the
words of the Holy Fathers about that scene. But
Christ comes, and what does he say? He says,
how long do I have to bear with you? And he rebukes.
The people, not just the disciples, not just
the man, not just the scribes, but us too. Because
we don't follow God's way. The Lord says, what
is the beginning of the path towards the restoration
of that kind of paradise that's in the beginning
with Adam and Eve and garden? What's the first
steps he gives us? It's so simple, we just miss
it. And we think we have to grasp on to some
kind of... deep and profound truths and doctrines
of the faith, which are true and the teachings
of the church, but this is about faith, not about
dogma. And the faith is in the one who cures
the blind, feeds the hungry, pulls those who
are drowning out of disaster, and cures demonic
oppression and reestablishes true life. What
does he say? Simple. Prayer and fasting. That's
what we start with. It's the beginning of the
restoration of his life in us. Because our problem
is not political parties. Now, if you watch the
news all day, that's what you're going to think.
Our problem is not enemies of the state, people
we don't like, people that are different from
us. No, that's just hatred. Our problem is against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers
of the darkness of this age, against spiritual
hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Those
of you that don't read the Bible, I didn't make
up those words. That's from St. Paul. There's
another way of saying what St. Paul just... I
just quoted, that Christ came to destroy him
that held the power of death, that is the devil,
and deliver them who through fear of death were
all their lifetime subject to bondage. Christ
promises, and see, this is about faith in Christ.
This is about reliance in him, not on our strength
to believe doctrines. And teachings which are
important and essential, but we only come to
them when we know Jesus Christ. And once we know
him, then we share in his victory over all that
corruption and evil and sin and suffering. Because
Christ has given us baptism in which we become
children of the Father. We've been given the
seal of the Holy Spirit in which we become like
Christ himself, having the Spirit of God. And
we have the whole armor of God that we may be
able to withstand in the evil day. And having
done all, to stand. And here we are today. The
liturgy is the celebration of that victory. And
we receive Christ the King within ourself in
holy communion. Our faith is not moralistic,
it's therapeutic. It's about becoming holy, not
just good. It's about acquiring divine love to
elevate our human love. Fasting teaches us, I'll
be brief, body and soul to oppose temptation,
to oppose egotism, hypocrisy, addiction, self
-will, sinful impulses and compulsions. It teaches
us gratitude. Fasting will remind us that we
are dust and ashes. And out of that, we learn
compassion for those who are in need. The Lord
mentioned prayer too. Prayer brings us to the
Holy Trinity, the Theotokos, and the saints,
and teaches us again that without it being dust
and ashes, we have no existence without God.
So in prayer, we enter in not just a supplication,
Lord, I need this, I need that, please help me
with this, please help her with that. No, we
enter into gratitude and joy for giving us life,
and after that, we can supplicate. We start with
prayer and fasting in order to gain faith, which
is a gift from God. He tells the apostles, your
faith isn't even as big as a mustard seed. No
wonder you couldn't do anything. If you have
faith that big, it's enough to move a mountain.
Now, we don't need to move any mountain. Not
a physical mountain. But with the widow's two
mites, you know that story. Faith is not about
quantity. It's about quality. That's what's important.
What I mean by that is it's simple. It's pure.
It's sincere. It's childlike. It depends on one
who is stronger than us. It's like this. Jesus
says, I thank thee, Father, that thou hast hid
these things from the wise and the prudent and
the mighty and hast revealed them. unto babes
let us be children of the father walk the road
that jesus has for us and have faith in him and
not in ourself and we shall restore a little
bit of paradise in the heart and around us let's
be joyful brothers and sisters because here we
are in this church and we see these icons and
their reflection their manifestation of that
paradise at life Let's rise up to that with the
help of the Holy Spirit and rejoice with each
other. Amen.