WEBVTT 00:00:00.010 --> 00:00:03.790 Amen. Glory to Jesus Christ. Glory to Jesus Christ. 00:00:04.690 --> 00:00:10.810 Imagine, if you will, a great harbor of the 16th 00:00:10.810 --> 00:00:15.410 or 17th century in Western Europe during the 00:00:15.410 --> 00:00:20.390 age of exploration, and you are on the docks 00:00:20.390 --> 00:00:24.649 getting ready to board a great clipper ship. 00:00:27.170 --> 00:00:32.350 You are on the docks. The journey is before you. 00:00:33.810 --> 00:00:38.689 And the church is the grand sailing vessel that 00:00:38.689 --> 00:00:43.009 all of us will board together. Because the seas 00:00:43.009 --> 00:00:48.390 of Lent are not just done individually, but we 00:00:48.390 --> 00:00:52.390 go through it together. We're in the harbor. 00:00:52.609 --> 00:00:56.369 The sails are trimmed, ready to fill with winds, 00:00:56.590 --> 00:01:00.979 with spiritual winds. which will carry us across 00:01:00.979 --> 00:01:07.200 the vast seas of Lent. And our destination is 00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:12.079 the great and holy Pascha, the resurrection of 00:01:12.079 --> 00:01:15.480 our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ, the 00:01:15.480 --> 00:01:19.840 conquering of sin and death, the land of life 00:01:19.840 --> 00:01:25.719 and love and light. But first, we must travel 00:01:25.719 --> 00:01:30.390 across the vast waters of Lent, Journey before 00:01:30.390 --> 00:01:35.629 destination. And so on this day, on Forgiveness 00:01:35.629 --> 00:01:40.469 Sunday, we prepare to launch. But we are not 00:01:40.469 --> 00:01:45.530 unprepared. Thousands of voyages have gone before 00:01:45.530 --> 00:01:50.170 us, and the experience and wisdom of our predecessors 00:01:50.170 --> 00:01:54.409 is with us. They have provided us with maps and 00:01:54.409 --> 00:01:57.810 charts containing their wisdom and experience. 00:01:58.650 --> 00:02:03.069 And you may ask, how have they helped us prepare? 00:02:03.930 --> 00:02:07.890 Well, over the past month, we have been given 00:02:07.890 --> 00:02:11.870 Zacchaeus Sunday with the lessons of Zacchaeus. 00:02:11.949 --> 00:02:15.530 And the Sunday of the publican and the Pharisee 00:02:15.530 --> 00:02:19.110 and the lessons we learned. And the prodigal 00:02:19.110 --> 00:02:24.189 son Sunday. And of course, the Sunday of the 00:02:24.189 --> 00:02:29.210 Last Judgment. And these gospel lessons have 00:02:29.210 --> 00:02:33.270 meant to help us prepare for this sea voyage 00:02:33.270 --> 00:02:38.310 ahead of us through Lent. Two great commodities 00:02:38.310 --> 00:02:44.569 have been recommended to us. Repentance and humility. 00:02:46.150 --> 00:02:50.069 Repentance for our sin and self -centeredness. 00:02:50.620 --> 00:02:55.360 and humility before God, acknowledging our wretchedness 00:02:55.360 --> 00:02:59.319 before God, that without God we would be lost, 00:02:59.580 --> 00:03:04.000 that we need to return to him with a humble heart, 00:03:04.139 --> 00:03:08.580 seeking his will, that his will be done on earth 00:03:08.580 --> 00:03:12.539 as it is in heaven. And so we have brought on 00:03:12.539 --> 00:03:17.099 board our ship sacks of humility and barrels 00:03:17.099 --> 00:03:21.030 of repentance. And now this Sunday, we are helped 00:03:21.030 --> 00:03:26.030 again and instructed in the importance of forgiveness. 00:03:26.930 --> 00:03:31.569 Indeed, later today, forgiveness vespers will 00:03:31.569 --> 00:03:37.229 occur. We will put into practice forgiveness. 00:03:38.270 --> 00:03:43.840 And if at all possible, be here. Be here for 00:03:43.840 --> 00:03:47.740 that great Vespers today at 1 o 'clock, for there 00:03:47.740 --> 00:03:51.819 is no better way to prepare for the journey of 00:03:51.819 --> 00:03:55.520 the next 40 days. The Gospel reading for today 00:03:55.520 --> 00:03:59.240 from St. Matthew begins with these two verses. 00:04:01.120 --> 00:04:06.439 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your 00:04:06.439 --> 00:04:10.979 Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if 00:04:10.979 --> 00:04:15.659 you forgive not men their trespasses, neither 00:04:15.659 --> 00:04:20.459 will your Father forgive your trespasses. There 00:04:20.459 --> 00:04:24.459 is no other way given to us but forgiveness. 00:04:25.279 --> 00:04:30.959 No excuses we need to forgive. We are still at 00:04:30.959 --> 00:04:35.899 the docks, and now to untie the ropes and to 00:04:35.899 --> 00:04:42.379 cast off into the harbor, forgive. Not just small 00:04:42.379 --> 00:04:48.540 things. Forgive everyone for everything. Saint 00:04:48.540 --> 00:04:53.939 Tikhon of Zdonsk says this, Beloved Christians, 00:04:54.319 --> 00:04:59.800 we speak here of a serious matter in which consists 00:04:59.800 --> 00:05:07.060 either eternal salvation or eternal destruction. 00:05:07.480 --> 00:05:12.209 We speak of the forgiveness of sins for which 00:05:12.209 --> 00:05:17.410 we sigh to God daily. But sighing and even tears 00:05:17.410 --> 00:05:22.370 are useless to us if we do not forgive our neighbors 00:05:22.370 --> 00:05:26.970 their transgressions. And further on in his writing, 00:05:27.129 --> 00:05:32.029 he says, submit your will to the will of God 00:05:32.029 --> 00:05:37.449 and overcome evil with good, overcome pride with 00:05:37.449 --> 00:05:42.529 humility, with meekness and patience, and hate 00:05:42.529 --> 00:05:48.310 with love. This is the Christian victory. And 00:05:48.310 --> 00:05:53.050 so now we prepare to launch on these vast seas 00:05:53.050 --> 00:05:58.170 of great Lent, going together, knowing that our 00:05:58.170 --> 00:06:01.829 grand vessel is stocked with repentance, humility, 00:06:02.170 --> 00:06:06.250 and forgiveness, and we sail together across 00:06:06.250 --> 00:06:12.329 those vast And we come together as a crew as 00:06:12.329 --> 00:06:17.370 we sail. We have services to be a part of. We 00:06:17.370 --> 00:06:22.129 are gifted with 8 a .m. daily mantens and the 00:06:22.129 --> 00:06:25.529 Wednesday pre -sanctified, sometimes Friday pre 00:06:25.529 --> 00:06:29.589 -sanctified liturgies. And this week, if perhaps 00:06:29.589 --> 00:06:34.250 you find yourself lacking still in humility or 00:06:34.250 --> 00:06:38.459 repentance, come. to the evening services of 00:06:38.459 --> 00:06:42.439 the great canon of St. Andrew of Crete, who leads 00:06:42.439 --> 00:06:46.160 us on those Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights 00:06:46.160 --> 00:06:54.939 into our hearts where we can truly repent. Our 00:06:54.939 --> 00:06:59.839 schedules can be busy, but attend what you can. 00:07:00.360 --> 00:07:04.480 And today at 1 p .m., come back and be blessed 00:07:04.480 --> 00:07:09.319 and be forgiven. and forgive others. May God 00:07:09.319 --> 00:07:14.339 bless us all on this great voyage. Glory to Jesus 00:07:14.339 --> 00:07:14.720 Christ.