WEBVTT 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:02.680 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 00:00:02.680 --> 00:00:06.379 of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Glory to Jesus Christ. 00:00:06.740 --> 00:00:12.480 Glory forever. Are you a gardener? This time 00:00:12.480 --> 00:00:16.359 of year, many people have planted, or maybe are 00:00:16.359 --> 00:00:21.899 now planting, a garden. They're planting seeds, 00:00:22.239 --> 00:00:28.300 and they expect to have a harvest. Perhaps it's 00:00:28.300 --> 00:00:31.929 squash. tomatoes, green beans, lettuce, or something 00:00:31.929 --> 00:00:35.810 more exotic, but they're expecting to have something 00:00:35.810 --> 00:00:40.189 come up and be the fruits of their labor, fruits, 00:00:40.310 --> 00:00:44.170 vegetables, whatever was planted. The gardener 00:00:44.170 --> 00:00:48.049 determines what to grow, choosing what seeds 00:00:48.049 --> 00:00:52.549 to plant, then watering and weeding as needed 00:00:52.549 --> 00:00:57.810 until the harvest. And this takes time. It takes 00:00:57.810 --> 00:01:02.780 planning. and effort. Last Sunday, we celebrated 00:01:02.780 --> 00:01:05.760 the great feast of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit 00:01:05.760 --> 00:01:08.939 descended from heaven to earth and filled the 00:01:08.939 --> 00:01:12.840 holy apostles with tongues of fire. And all of 00:01:12.840 --> 00:01:16.040 us who have been baptized and charismated have 00:01:16.040 --> 00:01:21.060 been given the same spirit. Galatians 5 .22 says, 00:01:21.359 --> 00:01:28.120 the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, 00:01:28.750 --> 00:01:33.849 long -suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 00:01:34.069 --> 00:01:40.750 gentleness, and self -control. These are the 00:01:40.750 --> 00:01:45.750 seeds that are planted in the garden of our hearts. 00:01:46.370 --> 00:01:50.629 These are the seeds that we need to help grow. 00:01:52.349 --> 00:01:56.430 We need to prioritize the care of the garden 00:01:56.430 --> 00:02:01.200 of our heart. This Sunday, we celebrate All Saints 00:02:01.200 --> 00:02:04.599 Day, and we look, and to remember, we look at 00:02:04.599 --> 00:02:07.439 the saints that have come before us, those that 00:02:07.439 --> 00:02:11.099 are known and those that are unknown to us, and 00:02:11.099 --> 00:02:15.699 we look to them as an example to us, as they 00:02:15.699 --> 00:02:20.560 did take care of the garden of their soul, and 00:02:20.560 --> 00:02:23.860 they committed themselves to God, even for many 00:02:23.860 --> 00:02:28.560 to death as the martyrs. And they are an example 00:02:28.560 --> 00:02:34.060 of a life of faith lived out in action. One might 00:02:34.060 --> 00:02:37.520 say their lives are an instruction manual for 00:02:37.520 --> 00:02:41.800 how to grow a garden of the heart, how to reach 00:02:41.800 --> 00:02:46.199 that harvest of the fruit, of the fruit of the 00:02:46.199 --> 00:02:52.099 Spirit, of love, joy, peace, long -suffering, 00:02:52.180 --> 00:02:57.650 kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, 00:02:57.889 --> 00:03:02.669 and self -control. Let us look now at our own 00:03:02.669 --> 00:03:06.509 lives and think of which of these fruits have 00:03:06.509 --> 00:03:10.129 already manifested themselves and which we need 00:03:10.129 --> 00:03:14.110 to still tend and grow. Today's gospel reading 00:03:14.110 --> 00:03:18.189 tells us of the importance of prioritizing God 00:03:18.189 --> 00:03:22.750 as first in our lives. Are we truly committed? 00:03:23.479 --> 00:03:26.199 To serving God and following his commandments? 00:03:27.120 --> 00:03:30.340 If we truly are, then it will be evident in our 00:03:30.340 --> 00:03:35.199 words and in our actions. Christ says in today's 00:03:35.199 --> 00:03:39.699 gospel, He who loves father or mother more than 00:03:39.699 --> 00:03:42.460 me is not worthy of me. And he who loves son 00:03:42.460 --> 00:03:45.699 or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 00:03:45.840 --> 00:03:49.319 And he that does not take up his cross and follow 00:03:49.319 --> 00:03:53.199 after me is not worthy of me. And the Lord also 00:03:53.199 --> 00:03:58.080 says, Therefore, whoever confesses me before 00:03:58.080 --> 00:04:03.360 men, him will I also confess before my Father 00:04:03.360 --> 00:04:07.939 who is in heaven. Caring for the garden of our 00:04:07.939 --> 00:04:13.580 hearts requires us to place God first, to confess 00:04:13.580 --> 00:04:19.199 him, to prioritize the care of our garden and 00:04:19.199 --> 00:04:24.699 our faith. For those of you who are former Protestant 00:04:24.699 --> 00:04:28.759 Christians like myself, you probably are familiar 00:04:28.759 --> 00:04:34.939 with this question. When were you saved? And 00:04:34.939 --> 00:04:38.160 for a Protestant Christian, it is the moment 00:04:38.160 --> 00:04:42.620 of confession that they are talking about. The 00:04:42.620 --> 00:04:46.339 moment when you commit your life to Christ. The 00:04:46.339 --> 00:04:49.720 moment when... There's a day and a time and a 00:04:49.720 --> 00:04:53.360 place that you know in your heart. For many people 00:04:53.360 --> 00:04:56.819 that were not baptized at birth, there's a moment 00:04:56.819 --> 00:05:00.279 of that decision where you become a Christian. 00:05:00.360 --> 00:05:04.759 You say, I am going to follow Christ. It may 00:05:04.759 --> 00:05:10.060 have been an altar call. When a public confession 00:05:10.060 --> 00:05:14.699 of faith is made, this is what is being referred 00:05:14.699 --> 00:05:18.180 to when they ask that question. When were you 00:05:18.180 --> 00:05:23.100 saved? But for an Orthodox Christian, salvation 00:05:23.100 --> 00:05:28.800 goes along with sanctification, and they are 00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:33.660 united together. There is not just one moment 00:05:33.660 --> 00:05:37.920 of being saved, but there is a process of being 00:05:37.920 --> 00:05:42.079 saved. And so an Orthodox Christian may answer 00:05:42.079 --> 00:05:45.160 this question differently. Are you saved would 00:05:45.160 --> 00:05:50.480 be, I am in the process of being saved. For sanctification, 00:05:50.879 --> 00:05:56.560 the process of being made holy, it's a very involved 00:05:56.560 --> 00:06:02.079 process. And it is important to have a moment 00:06:02.079 --> 00:06:07.759 of decision, a confession, a time when we say, 00:06:07.819 --> 00:06:11.259 yes, Lord, I will follow you and I will keep 00:06:11.259 --> 00:06:14.100 your commandments. That is all very important. 00:06:15.240 --> 00:06:18.579 But once the seed is planted, it still needs 00:06:18.579 --> 00:06:22.879 to be cared for. And our garden in our heart 00:06:22.879 --> 00:06:26.620 needs to have weeds pulled around those seeds. 00:06:27.120 --> 00:06:33.399 And we need to water it. Tomorrow we begin the 00:06:33.399 --> 00:06:37.660 Apostles' Fast, which will last until the Feast 00:06:37.660 --> 00:06:42.699 of St. Peter and Paul on June 29th. There is 00:06:42.699 --> 00:06:46.040 no better time. than right now during this fast 00:06:46.040 --> 00:06:50.959 to commit to caring for the garden of your heart. 00:06:51.500 --> 00:06:54.800 Let us all do that. Let us all pick something 00:06:54.800 --> 00:06:58.279 that we can do. Sometimes we think of a fast 00:06:58.279 --> 00:07:01.100 as just, well, I'm not going to eat these foods, 00:07:01.160 --> 00:07:04.720 something I'm not going to do. But let's think 00:07:04.720 --> 00:07:07.980 of it as something that I can do more. What could 00:07:07.980 --> 00:07:12.959 I do in my life more? Not take away, just take 00:07:12.959 --> 00:07:17.360 away. but add. Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk gives 00:07:17.360 --> 00:07:22.319 us guidance on how to do this. First, he says, 00:07:22.500 --> 00:07:27.600 by the diligent hearing or reading, meditation, 00:07:27.600 --> 00:07:32.540 contemplation, and attentiveness to Holy Scripture. 00:07:32.819 --> 00:07:37.360 If we want to be directed to righteousness and 00:07:37.360 --> 00:07:43.920 true piety, it guides us there. Two, We are guided 00:07:43.920 --> 00:07:46.740 to growth in Christian matters by various crosses 00:07:46.740 --> 00:07:52.240 and temptations. These are a spiritual school 00:07:52.240 --> 00:07:57.240 in which Christians are studying. As silver and 00:07:57.240 --> 00:08:00.980 gold are tried in the furnace and become more 00:08:00.980 --> 00:08:04.899 pure, so Christians are cleansed of evil ways 00:08:04.899 --> 00:08:10.199 in the furnace of temptations, misfortunes, adversities, 00:08:10.199 --> 00:08:16.709 and the cross. and become more pure. St. Ticon 00:08:16.709 --> 00:08:21.410 is telling us that all those things that challenge 00:08:21.410 --> 00:08:27.410 us are there to help us grow. Let us go in with 00:08:27.410 --> 00:08:32.549 faith, trusting that God will help us grow. The 00:08:32.549 --> 00:08:36.289 third example he gives is of Christ's holy, blameless 00:08:36.289 --> 00:08:40.730 life. It is the perfect example and true rule, 00:08:40.870 --> 00:08:44.409 and by looking upon it more frequently, Christians 00:08:44.409 --> 00:08:48.090 can collect themselves and increase in virtuous 00:08:48.090 --> 00:08:53.970 living. And the last thing is constant and fervent 00:08:53.970 --> 00:08:57.629 prayer. The one who wants to grow and increase 00:08:57.629 --> 00:09:02.669 in piety must pray fervently and ask for God's 00:09:02.669 --> 00:09:08.039 help in this. It is God's help. that we need, 00:09:08.059 --> 00:09:13.360 and we need to pray and ask for it. So let us 00:09:13.360 --> 00:09:17.039 enter this time of the Apostles' Fast with these 00:09:17.039 --> 00:09:21.559 things in mind, to care for the garden of our 00:09:21.559 --> 00:09:25.620 souls, that the fruits of the Holy Spirit could 00:09:25.620 --> 00:09:29.899 grow and become evident in our lives to his glory. 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:32.019 Glory to Jesus Christ.