In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Glory to Jesus Christ.
Glory to Christ. There's times that we need a
refresher. But as Christians, it's not just more
knowledge, more application. It's encouragement
from the gospel. It's encouragement from the
life of the church. And so today, for that refresher
course, we kind of start over with our readings
with Matthew. Matthew is the first gospel in
the New Testament. And the church gives us this
selection from chapter 4 to kind of restart us,
to refresh us, to reorient. reorientate us. The
word orient means east. Notice, it's the way
our church faces. When we are reorientated, we're
facing Christ. And so we have this gospel of
the story of the calling of the disciples. Notice
their response. Both times, St. Matthew says,
they immediately left their nets. And the church
on top of that says, well, it's the feast day
of all saints of America and Russia. Innumerable
saints. So we need to know, what is it that they
look like? Because that's what we're called to
be also. That's no joke. Our calling is to be
servants of God. The gift of the Holy Spirit.
Temples of God. That's what a saint is like to
begin with. So the church gives us the Beatitudes.
Did you notice? Beatitudes are the New Testament,
the Christian Ten Commandments. There are nine
blessings. Blessed are the pure in heart, blessed
are the merciful. And there's one imperative.
After you hear all those blessings, that imperative
is rejoice. Rejoice, says Christ. Kingdom of
heaven is yours. We hear these things, these
readings, not as church history. That's important
for us to remember. They're applicable to us.
We just have to figure out how. Each person's
different. It's going to apply to each one of
us differently. But it's applicable to us. It's
not only those first disciples that Christ made
evangelists. Everyone who hears and responds
to Jesus Christ also bears some responsibility.
A little bit. For the light that is within you
to not be hidden. We know that verse, let your
light so shine. before others that they may see
your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
This is how we become junior evangelists. We
let that light shine. Not through angry, rage
-filled posts on Facebook or Twitter. That's
just ridiculous and won't get you anywhere. But
through the peacemakers. For they shall be called
the children of God. That's what we want. So
having heard the verse about being fishers and
men, those disciples heard that. We heard it
too. We're also called to do a little fishing.
Notice, Christian fishing doesn't involve a line
and a hook. It involves a net. Line and a hook,
we just kill people. A very humble missionary
task, brothers and sisters. But it begins with
prayer. It begins with the apostles' fast. This
also is no joke. This is for us from the church.
And it begins with repentance. So we can shed
the light of God's grace upon that which is around
us in a very humble way. In a quiet way. There
was a news item. Probably some of you have seen
it. Mother Melania brought it to my attention
last week. Recently, three contestants, all three
contestants, in a current episode of Jeopardy,
which Father James says he loves to watch, alas,
he's not with us today, three contestants were
unable to complete the sentence from Matthew
6, verse 9. Now, you should know off the top
of your head what that verse is. without me telling
you, but I'll tell you. Our Father, who art in
heaven, blank, be thy name. These three contestants
could not answer that question. The internet
erupted with, well, comments. Let's just say
they could have been kinder. Of course, the answer
is hallowed, sanctified, holy, set apart, like
us. Hallowed be thy name. That's what we're supposed
to be. How else can God's will be done in heaven
and on earth? It's shocking that well -read and
educated people, those people in jeopardy are
no dummies, that they would not know. On the
other hand, as Mother Melania pointed out, we
haven't been hallowing God's name for a long
time now in society. And this tells me, this
is another revelation, just another reminder
that the people around us, in our town, in our
county, are hurting. They're hurting physically,
they're starving physically, many of them, and
spiritually. There's violence, there's brokenness,
there's abuse. The suffering is profound. To
not know that God loves us, weeps for us like
he did for Lazarus, and has a destiny, eternal
destiny, for each one of us. This leads so many
people into despair because what their life is
about. What's it all for? And so it's easy to
blame people on the other side of this country,
in Washington, D .C., for all the problems. They
don't know. what it is to hallow the name of
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. How can
they, unless it be revealed to them by those
who are hallowed and set apart and sanctified
and striving to be like the saints, striving
to acquire those 10 New Testament commandments
of the blessings. Who can reveal? That's the
right word, the truth to them. As I said, sharing
your rage on the internet, on social media, about
your favorite cause or why others are not sharing
your rage is just harmful and not spiritually
helpful. I sorrow greatly when I see that from
some of you because I love you. That's all about
the passions and opinions and that's all from
the evil one. Let's turn that around. Don't you
feel sometimes brothers and sisters, that you'd
like to share with some of your friends and acquaintances
what you know about the glory, the holiness,
the love of God, and the healing that you have
received from Jesus Christ. Don't you want to
show that this place is a spiritual hospital,
the place where souls are resurrected and forgiven?
Isn't there a desire sometimes in your heart?
When you know someone else is bearing a burden
of sin and despair and darkness. And the fear
of death. When they just might find the joy of
the resurrection. The grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ. The love of God the Father. And the communion
of the Holy Spirit. That we enjoy here in this
liturgy. How? How will it come? Through you.
That's how. We sing, we have seen the true light.
We have received the heavenly spirit. We sing,
we have found the true faith, worshiping the
undivided trinity who has saved us. It's not
pride that tells us that. It's not triumphalism.
This is the faith that was handed over to us,
that we are responsible. These are words we confess
as literally true. We have found the true faith.
We have received the heavenly kingdom. Now, it
may seem presumptuous to put ourselves anywhere
near the place of the holy apostles who first
heard that call, follow me, I will make you fishers
of men. It's a little presumptuous. We are not
the apostles. The point is not that we are somehow
to repeat their unique roles. But we must learn
from them, as we learn from all the saints. the
reset, the beginning of the renewal of our refresher
course, we have all these saints before us. All
saints remind us that holiness is not a calling
for a select few, but the vocation of all. St.
Paul says, glory, honor, and peace to everyone
who works what is good. To the Jew first. And
also to the Gentiles. For there is no partiality
with God. Might I suggest three things then that
we do. Practical things that you and I can do.
The first is, I've asked you this some years
ago. I hope that some of you actually did it.
We have 22 glorified saints in this land. I ask
you, each week, read the life of one of those
saints. You can find them on the OC website.
You all have internet. If you don't, call me.
I'll give you the life. You and I will read it
together. That's 22. Easy. Next year at this
time, I hope to be able to pick out of the crowd
this blessed congregation of brothers and sisters,
just one of you, and say, Brian, tell me about
St. Sebastian of Jackson. You speak today on
all saints. And you will be able to do it. Because
the life of that saint will become something
you want to emulate. Not exactly. We can't copy
them. But we let them inspire us. And we want
to become like them. That's the first thing.
Read the lives of the saints, especially the
ones of our land. In California, we have so many
that were just here. It's an amazing thing. Secondly,
having learned the life of a saint, then develop
a relationship. Get one of the Akathists or the
Canons and pray for your neighbors. Pray for
those who are hurting. Pray for those that you
would like to yell at on the other side of the
country. Don't be like the old man shaking his
fist and yelling at the clouds. Come to God in
prayer. Let the saint stand with you, and you
will be changed. And thirdly, let me suggest
that each one of us take the opportunity to humbly,
humbly, let me stress that, prayerfully, kindly
introduce and bring someone to church. Just one
person a year. Let's say there's a hundred people
here that could do that. If each of us, 100,
invite one person a year, and youth, you're invited
to do this too. Imagine, next year, there'll
be 200. After that, there'll be 400. After that,
There'll be 800. After that, you can do the math.
It's going to take a year, believe me, for you
to get one person to come to get, to invite.
Believe me, I ask people all the time, every
week, please visit our church. It's wonderful,
wonderful choir, beautiful atmosphere. The congregation
is so loving and welcoming. It takes a lot of
asking for one person to come. This is not about
numbers, brothers and sisters. It's about sharing.
It's about courage. It's about witnessing and
living the faith. Inviting others is a sign of
your love for that person. To witness for your
love of God. To invite them to the mystery of
repentance and healing in the hospital. To invite
them to answer the Lord's call. Come, follow
me. And do what? The apostles didn't stop to
say, but what do you want us to do? And we'll
think about it. It seems that life itself, our
life in this world, is designed by God to take
the measure, if I could put it that way, of each
soul's desire for truth, for beauty, perhaps
for love of God. And the soul becomes dissatisfied
with itself. And it's ego, it's loneliness, it's
sin, and yearns for something better. And when
Christ calls us, he doesn't say where to. He
calls us to himself. He is the pearl. He is the
treasure. Wherever he goes, we want to be with
him. Glory to Jesus Christ.