WEBVTT 00:00:03.540 --> 00:00:07.839 I'd like to do two things today. First, I'd like 00:00:07.839 --> 00:00:13.060 to speak to our younger parishioners, the kids. 00:00:13.339 --> 00:00:16.480 So kids, if you don't mind, would you come up 00:00:16.480 --> 00:00:22.019 here and sit close to me? Yeah, all you guys. 00:00:23.780 --> 00:00:29.300 All y 'all. And secondly, I have a short word. 00:00:29.929 --> 00:00:43.609 to offer to the rest of us. Let me ask you something. 00:00:44.509 --> 00:00:50.590 If I put this seed, let's say, on the pathway 00:00:50.590 --> 00:00:58.729 going to the parish hall, would it grow? No. 00:00:59.210 --> 00:01:04.829 Why? There's nothing to hold it. If I put this 00:01:04.829 --> 00:01:09.510 seed on the grass next to the pathway, would 00:01:09.510 --> 00:01:13.269 it grow? No, it wouldn't, because the guy with 00:01:13.269 --> 00:01:16.010 the mower comes, and he's got a leaf blower, 00:01:16.189 --> 00:01:18.650 and he's got a weed whacker, and then we stomp 00:01:18.650 --> 00:01:22.769 all over it. It wouldn't grow. If I, like, threw 00:01:22.769 --> 00:01:29.840 it into the parking lot, it wouldn't grow. But 00:01:29.840 --> 00:01:34.359 if I took that seed and I put it over there where 00:01:34.359 --> 00:01:38.260 the tomatoes are when they used to be red, summertime, 00:01:38.799 --> 00:01:43.879 took care of it, and I took out all the rocks, 00:01:44.019 --> 00:01:48.260 and I took out the weeds, well, I shouldn't be 00:01:48.260 --> 00:01:50.319 talking. My wife knows that I don't do any gardening 00:01:50.319 --> 00:01:56.959 at all. If she took out all the weeds and then 00:01:56.959 --> 00:02:00.579 she watered it, She put fertilizer on it. That's 00:02:00.579 --> 00:02:04.140 food for plants. It would start to grow. Now, 00:02:04.200 --> 00:02:06.200 when I put a seed in the ground in the right 00:02:06.200 --> 00:02:09.419 place and it grows, let's say I put an apple 00:02:09.419 --> 00:02:13.439 seed. Does an apple grow out of the ground? What 00:02:13.439 --> 00:02:16.479 grows out of the ground? A tree. If I take a 00:02:16.479 --> 00:02:19.180 grape seed and I put it in there, is a grape 00:02:19.180 --> 00:02:24.409 going to grow? No. What grows? A vine. Whatever 00:02:24.409 --> 00:02:27.009 that we put in there that we take care of, not 00:02:27.009 --> 00:02:31.250 just one thing comes out, but a tree with a lot 00:02:31.250 --> 00:02:35.430 of fruit. And that's very important to remember 00:02:35.430 --> 00:02:39.389 because today you heard a story. It's called 00:02:39.389 --> 00:02:48.509 a parable that Jesus told. It says in the Gospel 00:02:48.509 --> 00:02:54.590 of St. Luke. If your parents ask you, what chapter 00:02:54.590 --> 00:02:58.150 of St. Luke did it come from? Remember, it's 00:02:58.150 --> 00:03:03.770 chapter 8. 8. Like the figure 8? That's easier 00:03:03.770 --> 00:03:09.090 to remember. It says here that Jesus was walking 00:03:09.090 --> 00:03:12.409 from village and town to town. And many, many, 00:03:12.430 --> 00:03:14.830 many people, huge crowds were following him. 00:03:14.930 --> 00:03:19.990 They wanted to hear him speak. Because he told 00:03:19.990 --> 00:03:23.909 incredible stories. But he healed people too. 00:03:24.050 --> 00:03:27.870 People that were blind. People that were paralyzed. 00:03:28.389 --> 00:03:31.810 People that couldn't speak. People that were 00:03:31.810 --> 00:03:35.030 sick. People that had all kinds of diseases. 00:03:35.210 --> 00:03:38.949 He healed them. And so all these people kept 00:03:38.949 --> 00:03:44.229 following him. And so he says this story. It's 00:03:44.229 --> 00:03:46.969 a parable. A parable is a story, but it's really 00:03:46.969 --> 00:03:49.840 about something else. He says in this story, 00:03:49.960 --> 00:03:53.280 this parable, there's a farmer. I'm going to 00:03:53.280 --> 00:03:55.919 tell you in my own words. There's a farmer and 00:03:55.919 --> 00:04:00.639 he is going to throw seeds out to grow things. 00:04:02.099 --> 00:04:04.460 And he's not careful about where it goes because 00:04:04.460 --> 00:04:07.780 he wants the seeds to go everywhere. Everywhere. 00:04:08.020 --> 00:04:11.039 So he's walking on the path. The seeds are going 00:04:11.039 --> 00:04:14.539 on the path. He's walking on the rocky, like 00:04:14.539 --> 00:04:17.439 the parking lot. He doesn't care. He's throwing 00:04:17.439 --> 00:04:20.720 the seeds out. He's going to where there's thorns 00:04:20.720 --> 00:04:26.740 and bushes and weeds, throws that out there. 00:04:26.860 --> 00:04:29.339 And he even goes to the ground that's the good 00:04:29.339 --> 00:04:32.060 ground that has been taken care of, where all 00:04:32.060 --> 00:04:34.579 this stuff has been taken out, like the old cans 00:04:34.579 --> 00:04:38.579 and bottles and rocks and all the toys that get 00:04:38.579 --> 00:04:43.029 left behind on Sunday. The coffee cups that get 00:04:43.029 --> 00:04:46.490 left out. I know you guys don't. It must be the 00:04:46.490 --> 00:04:49.509 adults that do that. Probably, yeah. Anyway, 00:04:49.649 --> 00:04:51.629 so this farmer, he's taking care of all that. 00:04:51.709 --> 00:04:55.290 It's all cleared out. See what I did parents 00:04:55.290 --> 00:05:04.529 there? And he's throwing seed. And he says, he 00:05:04.529 --> 00:05:06.790 who has ears to hear, let him hear. In other 00:05:06.790 --> 00:05:08.870 words, Jesus says, do you know what I'm saying 00:05:08.870 --> 00:05:12.439 there? And the apostles come up to him. They 00:05:12.439 --> 00:05:15.279 say, we don't understand what the story's about. 00:05:16.139 --> 00:05:21.120 We don't get it. And he says to them, the story. 00:05:22.699 --> 00:05:30.160 He says this. The parable means this. The seed 00:05:30.160 --> 00:05:34.300 is the word of God. What is the word of God? 00:05:34.620 --> 00:05:37.220 Word of God is what you hear when we're singing 00:05:37.220 --> 00:05:41.399 the Psalms. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise 00:05:41.399 --> 00:05:44.180 the Lord, O my soul. Holy God, holy mighty, holy 00:05:44.180 --> 00:05:46.920 immortal. The word of God is what you hear when 00:05:46.920 --> 00:05:48.860 the deacon comes to the middle of the church 00:05:48.860 --> 00:05:54.500 and he reads to you from the gospel. The word 00:05:54.500 --> 00:06:00.500 of God is when you go home and you say your prayers. 00:06:01.779 --> 00:06:06.680 And the word of God is in your heart. So the 00:06:06.680 --> 00:06:10.980 seed, in this case, is not... Like an apple seed 00:06:10.980 --> 00:06:13.600 or a grape seed. But it's something you hear. 00:06:14.300 --> 00:06:18.620 And something that we become the ground. What 00:06:18.620 --> 00:06:21.839 kind of ground are you? That's the question Jesus 00:06:21.839 --> 00:06:24.879 is saying. So, the seed is the word of God. Those 00:06:24.879 --> 00:06:30.639 who are on the pathway, he says, they hear. They 00:06:30.639 --> 00:06:35.100 hear. But then the devil, like a bird, picks 00:06:35.100 --> 00:06:37.319 up the seed. Because it's just out there in the 00:06:37.319 --> 00:06:42.250 open. And it's gone. And those people, although 00:06:42.250 --> 00:06:46.870 they heard, they simply don't get it. Then he 00:06:46.870 --> 00:06:51.329 says, there's the ones on the rocks, rocky ground 00:06:51.329 --> 00:06:55.850 like the parking lot. And Jesus says, when they 00:06:55.850 --> 00:07:01.089 hear. So they're hearing it. And when they hear 00:07:01.089 --> 00:07:03.329 it, they're like, oh, this is great. This is 00:07:03.329 --> 00:07:07.959 great. They have joy. They're really happy they 00:07:07.959 --> 00:07:10.379 found the church. They're happy they found Jesus 00:07:10.379 --> 00:07:14.620 Christ in their life and that God is truly God 00:07:14.620 --> 00:07:20.620 and above all things. But he became man. He even 00:07:20.620 --> 00:07:25.399 became a child. And they're happy. But it's on 00:07:25.399 --> 00:07:29.480 the rock. The seed, their heart is like the rock 00:07:29.480 --> 00:07:33.699 and it doesn't stay there because if I put the 00:07:33.699 --> 00:07:37.310 seed in the parking lot, will it grow? No. And 00:07:37.310 --> 00:07:42.209 then Jesus says, now the ones, the seeds that 00:07:42.209 --> 00:07:45.069 fell among thorns, imagine thorns. You know the 00:07:45.069 --> 00:07:47.009 blackberry bushes out there in the vineyard? 00:07:47.389 --> 00:07:49.829 Lots of blackberries. Those are thorn. You can't 00:07:49.829 --> 00:07:51.730 walk, if you touch them, you get scraped up. 00:07:52.629 --> 00:07:55.709 The ones among the thorns are those who, when 00:07:55.709 --> 00:07:59.529 they have heard. So the first hear, the second, 00:07:59.589 --> 00:08:03.069 when they hear, and this Jesus says, when they 00:08:03.069 --> 00:08:09.939 have heard. Go out, and their life is too busy. 00:08:10.899 --> 00:08:15.839 Too busy for God. They can't remember. They forget. 00:08:15.959 --> 00:08:19.060 They think of God as, well, there's the man upstairs, 00:08:19.180 --> 00:08:21.759 like I told the catechumen yesterday, or the 00:08:21.759 --> 00:08:25.699 big guy. And God is somewhere, but he's not with 00:08:25.699 --> 00:08:30.480 them. And when you sing at Christmastime, God 00:08:30.480 --> 00:08:35.269 is with us. Understand, all ye nations. We remember 00:08:35.269 --> 00:08:39.529 that God became man. He is with us. Jesus says, 00:08:39.590 --> 00:08:43.549 where two or three are gathered in my name. That 00:08:43.549 --> 00:08:47.649 is, who live like Jesus has commanded and asked 00:08:47.649 --> 00:08:50.789 us. And we gather together. There he is in the 00:08:50.789 --> 00:08:53.750 middle. And that's what's happening today. When 00:08:53.750 --> 00:08:56.269 you heard the gospel, when you heard deacon, 00:08:56.389 --> 00:08:58.970 proto -deacon, you know what proto means? It 00:08:58.970 --> 00:09:01.769 means first. So he has a special award. Proto 00:09:01.769 --> 00:09:05.409 -deacon Jeremiah read the gospel. You heard Jesus 00:09:05.409 --> 00:09:09.929 talking to you. That's why we had the censor 00:09:09.929 --> 00:09:13.049 to welcome him first with all that sweet smoke. 00:09:15.269 --> 00:09:18.169 When they have heard, they're choked. They're 00:09:18.169 --> 00:09:21.230 too busy. They have too many cares. Maybe it's 00:09:21.230 --> 00:09:23.690 their job. Or maybe they're just having too much 00:09:23.690 --> 00:09:26.950 fun. And they'll think, I'll pay attention to 00:09:26.950 --> 00:09:35.600 God later when I'm older. I will take care. Once, 00:09:35.600 --> 00:09:39.559 there was a man a long time ago. I asked him 00:09:39.559 --> 00:09:42.820 why he never ever came to confession or communion. 00:09:43.220 --> 00:09:46.639 He had Orthodox since he was a child. And he 00:09:46.639 --> 00:09:49.899 says, oh, I can't do that now. I have too many 00:09:49.899 --> 00:09:53.779 things. I'll do it later. I'm thinking, what 00:09:53.779 --> 00:09:56.620 if you don't live till later? Besides all your 00:09:56.620 --> 00:09:59.639 bad habits, they will only get worse unless you 00:09:59.639 --> 00:10:02.860 do something. So those people that... have a 00:10:02.860 --> 00:10:09.799 heart that are like thorns they're too busy but 00:10:09.799 --> 00:10:13.500 then Jesus says the seed that fell on the good 00:10:13.500 --> 00:10:20.539 ground are those who having heard the word with 00:10:20.539 --> 00:10:25.399 a good and noble heart why because the heart 00:10:25.399 --> 00:10:30.019 is where our soul is we listen with our ears 00:10:31.470 --> 00:10:35.389 But we let the Word of God in church, the prayers, 00:10:35.529 --> 00:10:38.370 go to our heart. We have to work on that. This 00:10:38.370 --> 00:10:41.210 is the challenge for this week for you. When 00:10:41.210 --> 00:10:43.429 you say your prayers at home, and I want everybody 00:10:43.429 --> 00:10:47.590 here, you kids, to memorize a prayer this week. 00:10:48.769 --> 00:10:51.830 The prayer is, O Heavenly King, the Comforter, 00:10:51.830 --> 00:10:53.570 the Spirit of... It's in your prayer book. It's 00:10:53.570 --> 00:10:56.429 easy. We do it all the time. And when you say 00:10:56.429 --> 00:10:59.289 that prayer, I want you to hear the words you're 00:10:59.289 --> 00:11:04.759 saying. And I want the word to go into your ears 00:11:04.759 --> 00:11:08.399 and then into your heart so that you say the 00:11:08.399 --> 00:11:12.580 prayer with your heart. Now, how does that work? 00:11:12.659 --> 00:11:18.759 You try it. You will see. Anyone here can be 00:11:18.759 --> 00:11:23.480 the hard ground, the hard path. Anyone here can 00:11:23.480 --> 00:11:26.759 be the thorny path. Anyone here could be the 00:11:26.759 --> 00:11:29.559 rocky path. Brothers and sisters, the Lord gives 00:11:29.559 --> 00:11:35.039 us every single tool to cultivate the heart so 00:11:35.039 --> 00:11:38.100 it becomes the good ground so we receive it with 00:11:38.100 --> 00:11:41.740 a good and noble heart. And fruit, like a tree, 00:11:41.919 --> 00:11:44.679 when you put the seed in the ground, you don't 00:11:44.679 --> 00:11:47.860 get one apple, you get many apples. And what 00:11:47.860 --> 00:11:52.220 is the fruit? The fruit is the love of God. It's 00:11:52.220 --> 00:11:55.220 a special kind of love. Now I'm going to say 00:11:55.220 --> 00:12:00.039 something to your parents. This was a short letter 00:12:00.039 --> 00:12:02.559 that was written by a priest of our diocese, 00:12:02.559 --> 00:12:07.299 two other priests, and Archbishop Benjamin loved 00:12:07.299 --> 00:12:10.860 it so much, he asked that we consider it. And 00:12:10.860 --> 00:12:15.519 this is what he said. This is dear fathers, but 00:12:15.519 --> 00:12:17.480 I'll say dear brothers and sisters and children. 00:12:18.159 --> 00:12:21.980 The increase in armed conflict and human suffering 00:12:21.980 --> 00:12:28.909 grieves my soul and my heart. Ongoing wars were 00:12:28.909 --> 00:12:31.929 more than enough. Then Ukraine, now the state 00:12:31.929 --> 00:12:36.250 of Israel. Tomorrow? At the Holy Altar this past 00:12:36.250 --> 00:12:38.809 Sunday, during the consecration of the bread 00:12:38.809 --> 00:12:42.330 and the wine, praying for the whole world, I 00:12:42.330 --> 00:12:45.850 felt such a heavy and great weight upon me as 00:12:45.850 --> 00:12:48.889 a priest, lifting up his people to him in prayer. 00:12:49.350 --> 00:12:54.230 It was very palpable. In that time, at that moment, 00:12:54.370 --> 00:12:58.110 I thought, How unimaginable the weight of the 00:12:58.110 --> 00:13:03.389 sins of the whole world must have felt on the 00:13:03.389 --> 00:13:08.590 shoulders of the crucified Lord. Brothers and 00:13:08.590 --> 00:13:12.309 sisters, we know that God absolutely loves each 00:13:12.309 --> 00:13:16.950 and every person, not more than any other. He 00:13:16.950 --> 00:13:21.289 hates no one, not one. He does not desire the 00:13:21.289 --> 00:13:24.799 death or the suffering of anyone. not one. He 00:13:24.799 --> 00:13:27.980 desires to draw all people to himself that they 00:13:27.980 --> 00:13:33.279 might be saved. We, the priests, the people, 00:13:33.379 --> 00:13:37.259 with a priestly vocation to pray and offer and 00:13:37.259 --> 00:13:41.679 sacrifice of the most high God, must absolutely 00:13:41.679 --> 00:13:45.879 be instruments of his peace. That's one of the 00:13:45.879 --> 00:13:49.379 fruits of the word of God in a good and noble 00:13:49.379 --> 00:13:53.720 heart. Individually, we cannot hate any person 00:13:53.720 --> 00:13:57.179 or any group of people. We cannot speak badly 00:13:57.179 --> 00:14:02.299 or even poorly about a single person. We absolutely 00:14:02.299 --> 00:14:05.799 must see the image of God in every single human 00:14:05.799 --> 00:14:11.519 being, each one. Every war begins with me, with 00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:15.019 me, myself. Each war starts with an unkind thought, 00:14:15.240 --> 00:14:20.399 an unkind glance, an ugly word. We know this, 00:14:20.399 --> 00:14:22.980 brothers and sisters. We absolutely know this. 00:14:23.279 --> 00:14:27.519 I beseech all of us, let us eradicate any uncaring 00:14:27.519 --> 00:14:30.440 thought or word or action from ourselves. Let 00:14:30.440 --> 00:14:34.399 us teach and beseech each other to do likewise. 00:14:35.100 --> 00:14:39.299 The alternative is only more hatred, more death, 00:14:39.500 --> 00:14:44.000 more murder, more warfare. Let us not grieve 00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:50.320 the Lord God any further, That he brings upon 00:14:50.320 --> 00:14:57.379 the earth. He says. I came to light a fire. And 00:14:57.379 --> 00:15:01.259 would it be kindled. What is that fire? It's 00:15:01.259 --> 00:15:04.200 the fire of love. From one person to another. 00:15:04.440 --> 00:15:08.700 The light of Christ. Which illumines all. Amen.