WEBVTT 00:00:00.110 --> 00:00:07.030 Before I offer you some thoughts about this epistle 00:00:07.030 --> 00:00:10.470 and gospel today, this tremendous gospel, this 00:00:10.470 --> 00:00:12.630 parable, which is only found in the gospel of 00:00:12.630 --> 00:00:16.469 St. Luke, the rich man, and Lazarus, just a few 00:00:16.469 --> 00:00:20.510 remarks, housekeeping rules, if you like. After 00:00:20.510 --> 00:00:24.089 the sermon, this is generally a good time that 00:00:24.089 --> 00:00:27.070 parents find to take kids outside for a little 00:00:27.070 --> 00:00:30.019 break. You don't have to. If your kid doesn't 00:00:30.019 --> 00:00:32.880 need to go, don't do it. Maybe he does. Maybe 00:00:32.880 --> 00:00:35.219 you need a break. I don't know. It's not for 00:00:35.219 --> 00:00:37.619 me to decide. I'm up here in front of the altar, 00:00:37.700 --> 00:00:43.780 so I just don't know. But I would ask that the 00:00:43.780 --> 00:00:47.700 children don't play in the playground because 00:00:47.700 --> 00:00:51.119 it's right outside the altar door. And we can 00:00:51.119 --> 00:00:53.740 hear all that. It's just like kind of blasted 00:00:53.740 --> 00:00:57.670 in. Don't play with balls. And, you know, I'm 00:00:57.670 --> 00:00:59.450 afraid a wiffle ball is going to come flying 00:00:59.450 --> 00:01:04.430 in the side door of the altar someday. Bikes 00:01:04.430 --> 00:01:08.090 and skateboards, all that, it's a break. It's 00:01:08.090 --> 00:01:13.989 not recess. So please keep that in mind. God 00:01:13.989 --> 00:01:18.189 did not speak just a long time ago. You read 00:01:18.189 --> 00:01:22.870 how the Lord came to so -and -so where Jesus 00:01:22.870 --> 00:01:27.629 spoke this parable. He speaks now. You just heard 00:01:27.629 --> 00:01:32.769 it. His words are written down by Luke. This 00:01:32.769 --> 00:01:35.930 is where we meet God right now, this moment, 00:01:35.989 --> 00:01:39.549 as we prepare to meet God in the Eucharist. First, 00:01:39.689 --> 00:01:44.109 the word is given to us to cleanse our ears, 00:01:44.349 --> 00:01:47.930 our heart, our thoughts. We meditate on those 00:01:47.930 --> 00:01:52.989 words of the Lord. And then we're preparing to 00:01:52.989 --> 00:01:58.859 receive the word. In our mouth. To consume him. 00:01:58.939 --> 00:02:03.900 He comes to us. In his mercy. That way too. Not 00:02:03.900 --> 00:02:07.040 every child. Little child can understand. What 00:02:07.040 --> 00:02:10.639 the gospel is. But every child can receive. The 00:02:10.639 --> 00:02:15.960 body and blood of Christ. So this parable. From 00:02:15.960 --> 00:02:21.259 Luke 16. We read it. Every year. At this time 00:02:21.259 --> 00:02:25.520 of the year. This is the time. in Sonoma County, 00:02:25.759 --> 00:02:29.199 elsewhere, of the harvest, isn't it? It's a time 00:02:29.199 --> 00:02:33.460 supposed to be of abundance. We hope fire season's 00:02:33.460 --> 00:02:37.219 over. This is a time of God's richness to us. 00:02:37.419 --> 00:02:40.620 The seeds were planted. God makes the growth. 00:02:40.759 --> 00:02:44.979 That's scriptural. And it's just what happens. 00:02:46.219 --> 00:02:49.080 And in this time of abundance, in this time of 00:02:49.080 --> 00:02:53.689 harvest, We have something to share out of the 00:02:53.689 --> 00:03:01.330 abundance that we have from God. So I think it's 00:03:01.330 --> 00:03:04.250 in my mind anyway that Jesus spoke this parable 00:03:04.250 --> 00:03:06.550 at the time of the harvest too. I don't know 00:03:06.550 --> 00:03:09.289 that for sure, but the church gives us this parable 00:03:09.289 --> 00:03:12.949 at precisely this time so we can consider what 00:03:12.949 --> 00:03:16.370 God has given us and how are we going to share. 00:03:16.590 --> 00:03:19.889 How are we going to distribute something for 00:03:19.889 --> 00:03:24.300 those? who are needy and have less than we do. 00:03:25.039 --> 00:03:27.819 And last week prepared us for today's gospel. 00:03:28.439 --> 00:03:31.860 Last week, last Sunday. How so? Do you recall 00:03:31.860 --> 00:03:35.360 it was the commemoration of the Holy Fathers 00:03:35.360 --> 00:03:38.659 of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, and we talked 00:03:38.659 --> 00:03:41.280 about the veneration of icons, we talked about 00:03:41.280 --> 00:03:44.979 that council, how it was affirmed that painting 00:03:44.979 --> 00:03:49.139 them, adorning our churches with them, and venerating 00:03:49.139 --> 00:03:54.680 them, was to be restored after a time of terrible 00:03:54.680 --> 00:04:02.979 discord in the church. So today, we make real 00:04:02.979 --> 00:04:07.460 what we learned last week about veneration and 00:04:07.460 --> 00:04:10.740 honoring the image of God, not just in the wood, 00:04:10.900 --> 00:04:15.080 not just on the walls. We make the Sunday of 00:04:15.080 --> 00:04:19.720 Orthodoxy real. We make the Sunday of the last... 00:04:19.959 --> 00:04:25.600 judgment with the same message real. I was hungry. 00:04:26.519 --> 00:04:31.100 You fed me. I was thirsty. You gave me to drink. 00:04:31.600 --> 00:04:35.899 I was naked. You clothed me. Who's speaking? 00:04:37.420 --> 00:04:41.980 Jesus. Jesus is speaking. I was in prison. I 00:04:41.980 --> 00:04:47.899 was sick. You visited me. Lord, when did we see 00:04:47.899 --> 00:04:54.709 you? naked or hungry or sick or in prison. And 00:04:54.709 --> 00:04:58.629 you know what the Lord said. If you've done it 00:04:58.629 --> 00:05:04.230 to me, you've done it in no uncertain terms to 00:05:04.230 --> 00:05:08.009 the most. Down and out, the least person, the 00:05:08.009 --> 00:05:11.209 most lonely person, the most poor person, the 00:05:11.209 --> 00:05:14.149 most forgotten person, the most thirsty, hungry, 00:05:14.329 --> 00:05:17.889 and sick, and lonely person, because we do it 00:05:17.889 --> 00:05:22.089 for the image of God. There's no such thing as 00:05:22.089 --> 00:05:25.009 veneration of icon unless you accept this fact, 00:05:25.250 --> 00:05:29.149 that the image of God is in other people, even 00:05:29.149 --> 00:05:35.160 those that we... Certainly, we simply just look 00:05:35.160 --> 00:05:40.339 down on. So we honor, we serve, we venerate the 00:05:40.339 --> 00:05:43.160 image of God, that other person as Christ. You 00:05:43.160 --> 00:05:46.000 know this. This is not news to any of you. And 00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:49.360 I know you all do this. You act this way because 00:05:49.360 --> 00:05:52.339 you're Orthodox Christians. But in this time 00:05:52.339 --> 00:05:55.480 of abundance in the harvest, the message takes 00:05:55.480 --> 00:06:00.699 on a certain immediacy for us. This parable begins 00:06:00.699 --> 00:06:03.920 with these words. There was a certain rich man, 00:06:04.120 --> 00:06:07.480 there was a rich man, particular guy, no name, 00:06:07.600 --> 00:06:11.360 because maybe he stands for all of them, I don't 00:06:11.360 --> 00:06:14.779 know, who was clothed in purple and fine linen, 00:06:14.899 --> 00:06:20.720 and he feasted sumptuously every day. Every day. 00:06:20.779 --> 00:06:22.379 That's not good for your health, for one thing, 00:06:22.420 --> 00:06:25.699 but every day. To whom is Jesus telling this 00:06:25.699 --> 00:06:32.860 parable? Well, it's very good. a practice when 00:06:32.860 --> 00:06:35.259 you read something from scripture to look what 00:06:35.259 --> 00:06:38.680 comes before and look what comes after. And immediately 00:06:38.680 --> 00:06:44.959 before this, St. Luke records that Jesus is speaking 00:06:44.959 --> 00:06:49.579 to the Pharisees. They were lovers of money, 00:06:49.759 --> 00:06:53.540 St. Luke tells us. They heard all these things 00:06:53.540 --> 00:06:59.819 and they ridiculed Jesus. And he said to them, 00:07:00.750 --> 00:07:03.750 You are those who justify yourselves before others. 00:07:04.529 --> 00:07:09.170 But God knows your heart. For what is exalted 00:07:09.170 --> 00:07:12.970 among men, what looks good, what's accepted, 00:07:13.310 --> 00:07:17.990 what's famous, what's celebrated in this world, 00:07:18.050 --> 00:07:21.990 is an abomination in the sight of God, says Jesus. 00:07:23.129 --> 00:07:28.910 Ponder that. Rich man in purple and fine linen, 00:07:29.050 --> 00:07:32.189 eating sumptuously every day, is directed towards 00:07:32.189 --> 00:07:37.089 them, these religious people. We're religious 00:07:37.089 --> 00:07:42.509 people. As I never fail to say to people, I'm 00:07:42.509 --> 00:07:44.750 religious but not spiritual, when they tell me 00:07:44.750 --> 00:07:47.329 they're spiritual but not religious. I'm religious 00:07:47.329 --> 00:07:50.329 in that I can do this, I can serve at the altar, 00:07:50.410 --> 00:07:54.250 I can pray, but really is my heart being changed 00:07:54.250 --> 00:08:00.290 or am I the same? Am I the same? Do I never change? 00:08:00.910 --> 00:08:04.370 Become more and more like the image of Christ? 00:08:06.329 --> 00:08:09.310 So, this purple and fine linen is directed to 00:08:09.310 --> 00:08:12.769 them on two levels. Please note, first, first 00:08:12.769 --> 00:08:15.269 he means that they have the revelation of the 00:08:15.269 --> 00:08:18.970 true God. They have the temple. They have the 00:08:18.970 --> 00:08:22.170 scriptures. They have the ceremonies, the vestments, 00:08:22.189 --> 00:08:24.649 the purple and the fine linen for the priests, 00:08:24.670 --> 00:08:27.980 only the best. They have the sacrifices, the 00:08:27.980 --> 00:08:32.259 sharing of the meal with the living God. They 00:08:32.259 --> 00:08:36.360 worship the true God in a place, a very small 00:08:36.360 --> 00:08:39.840 location geographically, surrounded by paganism 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:42.379 that does not worship the true God. They have 00:08:42.379 --> 00:08:47.990 it all. And do they share? No. Jesus says they 00:08:47.990 --> 00:08:51.009 hold all these things for themselves. That's 00:08:51.009 --> 00:08:53.509 the story of the elder son and the prodigal son. 00:08:53.730 --> 00:08:55.990 They don't share the riches of the faith. They 00:08:55.990 --> 00:08:59.070 don't invite others to come in to be transformed 00:08:59.070 --> 00:09:04.110 by the law of God. They don't invite sinners 00:09:04.110 --> 00:09:07.549 to repentance and change. They're disdainful. 00:09:07.669 --> 00:09:10.690 They're arrogant. They're dismissive of the poor 00:09:10.690 --> 00:09:14.230 and the sinners to whom Jesus himself says he 00:09:14.230 --> 00:09:20.049 has come for them. I think most of us could probably 00:09:20.049 --> 00:09:25.970 do a little bit better at sharing with others 00:09:25.970 --> 00:09:31.850 the good that God has done for us in our lives. 00:09:32.830 --> 00:09:37.990 The good news. How God has helped us and exalted 00:09:37.990 --> 00:09:41.450 us and cleansed us, forgiven us and fed us. And 00:09:41.450 --> 00:09:43.610 now we can be clothed in the purple and fine 00:09:43.610 --> 00:09:48.039 linen of the glory of the church. and feast sumptuously 00:09:48.039 --> 00:09:52.879 here at the liturgy. Think about that. But secondly 00:09:52.879 --> 00:09:55.720 in this story, and most obviously the message 00:09:55.720 --> 00:09:59.840 is, the Lord is telling us in this parable and 00:09:59.840 --> 00:10:06.259 in many other accounts over and over again that 00:10:06.259 --> 00:10:09.940 one of the most difficult passions for human 00:10:09.940 --> 00:10:14.419 beings to overcome is enslavement to possessions. 00:10:17.070 --> 00:10:22.809 The rich man, again, nameless. He died, he was 00:10:22.809 --> 00:10:29.009 buried. I'm sure that funeral was splendid. But 00:10:29.009 --> 00:10:35.750 he was buried. He's in Hades. He seems to want 00:10:35.750 --> 00:10:38.990 to order Lazarus through Abraham. Father Abraham, 00:10:39.450 --> 00:10:44.370 send Lazarus to me. To have him give me some 00:10:44.370 --> 00:10:47.620 water. He hasn't learned to repent even in that 00:10:47.620 --> 00:10:53.919 place. He's imperious. He's bossy. But there's 00:10:53.919 --> 00:10:58.059 a vast chasm, says Father Abraham. There's a 00:10:58.059 --> 00:11:02.220 vast chasm. It's a pit of selfishness and enslavement 00:11:02.220 --> 00:11:05.940 to passions which has resulted of ignoring the 00:11:05.940 --> 00:11:08.799 needs of others right in front of your face. 00:11:10.399 --> 00:11:16.190 On the doorstep. At the gate. The whole of this 00:11:16.190 --> 00:11:19.450 rich man's life was moving toward this chasm 00:11:19.450 --> 00:11:25.850 in his life. This rich man has, in fact, effectively 00:11:25.850 --> 00:11:29.110 constructed it. He put together his own prison. 00:11:29.370 --> 00:11:32.250 He's the creator of his own hell. He spent a 00:11:32.250 --> 00:11:35.330 lifetime being accustomed to the absence of God 00:11:35.330 --> 00:11:40.009 and the absence of responsibility to anyone else. 00:11:40.029 --> 00:11:43.740 And day by day, Think of Marley and Scrooge, 00:11:43.860 --> 00:11:48.039 right? Day by day, he forged the chain of his 00:11:48.039 --> 00:11:52.639 servitude, and he became less and less free, 00:11:52.759 --> 00:11:58.039 little by little, and the slave of what he owned. 00:11:58.860 --> 00:12:04.500 By the way, this is not a parable about punishment. 00:12:05.549 --> 00:12:08.629 It's not really a parable about life after death. 00:12:08.830 --> 00:12:11.889 It's a parable about a man that appears to be 00:12:11.889 --> 00:12:17.009 living, but he's truly dead. Looking at Lazarus 00:12:17.009 --> 00:12:23.309 now, we see if we really want to elevate things, 00:12:23.409 --> 00:12:26.169 we see that he represents Christ. Why? He has 00:12:26.169 --> 00:12:31.470 nothing. What did Jesus say of himself? Foxes 00:12:31.470 --> 00:12:34.029 have holes. Birds there have nests, but the Son 00:12:34.029 --> 00:12:38.129 of Man has nowhere to lay his head. Where was 00:12:38.129 --> 00:12:41.450 Lazarus laying his head? Outside the gate of 00:12:41.450 --> 00:12:45.110 the rich man's splendid house. And he only wanted 00:12:45.110 --> 00:12:47.909 a few crumbs that would fall from the table. 00:12:49.029 --> 00:12:53.769 The man in the ancient times probably used bread 00:12:53.769 --> 00:12:59.690 as a napkin to wipe his hands and face. Lazarus 00:12:59.690 --> 00:13:02.879 suffers terrible. Terrible bodily pain. He's 00:13:02.879 --> 00:13:05.440 covered with wounds. Who was wounded for us? 00:13:07.179 --> 00:13:11.919 Christ. So Christ is teaching us to be liberal 00:13:11.919 --> 00:13:16.399 in our giving. Because our giving is for our 00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:20.100 salvation. Our giving is an opportunity to honor 00:13:20.100 --> 00:13:24.840 the Lord. And mind you, there's no particular 00:13:24.840 --> 00:13:29.820 virtue in being poor. There's no particular vice 00:13:29.820 --> 00:13:33.500 in being rich. The virtue or the vice lies in 00:13:33.500 --> 00:13:40.960 what we do. Love is lived in actions. Our deeds, 00:13:41.059 --> 00:13:46.460 brothers and sisters, how can we serve the Lazarus 00:13:46.460 --> 00:13:51.440 before us? Well, we have Catholic charities. 00:13:52.779 --> 00:13:55.039 I heard a complaint that we shouldn't be involved 00:13:55.039 --> 00:13:57.000 in Catholic charities because they're not Orthodox. 00:13:57.320 --> 00:14:00.500 Well, if Orthodox had programs like them, it 00:14:00.500 --> 00:14:06.519 might be a good thing, but we don't. Charity 00:14:06.519 --> 00:14:12.500 isn't about theological arguments. So we have 00:14:12.500 --> 00:14:15.860 Catholic charities. You, each one of us, can 00:14:15.860 --> 00:14:21.139 volunteer at some level in some small way. To 00:14:21.139 --> 00:14:24.919 be face -to -face, not just wallet -to -wallet. 00:14:25.679 --> 00:14:29.100 Face -to -face, not just wallet -to -wallet. 00:14:29.159 --> 00:14:32.899 You can volunteer in area food banks. They're 00:14:32.899 --> 00:14:36.720 all over the place. You can volunteer at Angels 00:14:36.720 --> 00:14:40.320 Unawares here on the first Thursday of the month. 00:14:40.700 --> 00:14:43.919 You can take water to some homeless encampment. 00:14:43.919 --> 00:14:45.620 Yeah, it's going to leave plastic bottles all 00:14:45.620 --> 00:14:50.799 over the place, but that's not your worry. You 00:14:50.799 --> 00:14:55.159 can make a blessing bag and give it out. There 00:14:55.159 --> 00:14:59.279 is a Lazarus at your gate. I promise you that. 00:15:01.200 --> 00:15:04.259 St. Gregory of Palamas, just to wrap this up, 00:15:04.480 --> 00:15:08.720 he said this, our Savior has made salvation easy 00:15:08.720 --> 00:15:13.519 because he loves us with an indescribable love. 00:15:14.460 --> 00:15:18.480 He says this, our lowly our earthly, our bodily 00:15:18.480 --> 00:15:23.820 needs, namely food and drink, the money we earn, 00:15:23.940 --> 00:15:28.100 are in the end, in terms of eternity, nothing 00:15:28.100 --> 00:15:32.159 but dust and ashes. Nothing in view of eternity. 00:15:32.580 --> 00:15:36.059 And even of less value than anything else. Yet 00:15:36.059 --> 00:15:39.039 these very things, worthless before the very 00:15:39.039 --> 00:15:42.120 judgment seat of Christ, can be the means by 00:15:42.120 --> 00:15:46.139 which if someone offers what he has in excess 00:15:46.139 --> 00:15:49.299 of what he needs, to those who have nothing, 00:15:49.440 --> 00:15:55.820 he can be saved. Because he ministers even to 00:15:55.820 --> 00:16:00.559 Christ in that person. I suppose I could have 00:16:00.559 --> 00:16:02.960 just said this simple sentence and not even given 00:16:02.960 --> 00:16:07.659 you a sermon today. Do unto others as you would 00:16:07.659 --> 00:16:11.539 have them do unto you. To our Lord who gives 00:16:11.539 --> 00:16:16.100 us this... immeasurable love and these profound 00:16:16.100 --> 00:16:19.240 teachings be glory and honor now and ever to 00:16:19.240 --> 00:16:20.960 ages of ages. Amen.