WEBVTT 00:00:03.600 --> 00:00:05.960 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 00:00:05.960 --> 00:00:10.339 the Holy Spirit, we are richly, richly blessed 00:00:10.339 --> 00:00:17.899 on this 30th day of November for so many reasons, 00:00:18.000 --> 00:00:23.839 one of which is the commemoration of two evangelists, 00:00:23.859 --> 00:00:28.339 two saints who traveled across vast distances. 00:00:29.850 --> 00:00:34.890 who embodied what we heard in the epistle from 00:00:34.890 --> 00:00:38.909 St. Paul about the apostles seeming like their 00:00:38.909 --> 00:00:42.030 last, having troubles, having obstacles, having 00:00:42.030 --> 00:00:45.929 sufferings and hunger and cold and difficulties. 00:00:45.950 --> 00:00:49.409 Of course, this is the truth about a true apostle. 00:00:49.770 --> 00:00:54.229 And the two evangelists I'm speaking about, we 00:00:54.229 --> 00:00:58.679 have their icons here. One is... Our own St. 00:00:58.859 --> 00:01:03.700 Sebastian of San Francisco and Jackson, California. 00:01:03.799 --> 00:01:08.980 St. Sebastian was born of Serbian parents in 00:01:08.980 --> 00:01:15.939 1863. He died in 1940. He covered this whole 00:01:15.939 --> 00:01:21.579 continent back and forth, back and forth, evangelizing, 00:01:21.700 --> 00:01:26.299 establishing churches, ministering to... Orthodox 00:01:26.299 --> 00:01:29.599 communities that were not yet gathered and gathering 00:01:29.599 --> 00:01:34.700 them together to build churches. Last night we 00:01:34.700 --> 00:01:36.780 had the great joy of being able to be anointed 00:01:36.780 --> 00:01:40.480 with the oil that hangs from the lamp in front 00:01:40.480 --> 00:01:43.599 of his relics, which are in Jackson at St. Sava 00:01:43.599 --> 00:01:47.159 Church. I recommend you take a pilgrimage to 00:01:47.159 --> 00:01:53.069 venerate St. Sebastian. And the others... Our 00:01:53.069 --> 00:01:56.450 wonderful Andrew, the first called apostle. You 00:01:56.450 --> 00:02:00.409 heard the second gospel in honor of him. And 00:02:00.409 --> 00:02:03.390 we have a number of Andrews that we are congratulating 00:02:03.390 --> 00:02:06.689 today. The deacon and I, Deacon Justin and I, 00:02:06.769 --> 00:02:10.389 had the great blessing to venerate St. Andrew's 00:02:10.389 --> 00:02:13.629 relics at the Monastery of St. Andrew on Mount 00:02:13.629 --> 00:02:18.389 Athos back in May. And Matushka, Anna and I were 00:02:18.389 --> 00:02:23.280 blessed, I guess it was 1983. We visited a friend 00:02:23.280 --> 00:02:27.819 in Patras where St. Andrew was martyred, and 00:02:27.819 --> 00:02:33.479 he was martyred on an X -shaped cross. And we 00:02:33.479 --> 00:02:36.020 were able to venerate a portion of that cross 00:02:36.020 --> 00:02:40.080 there in that church of St. Andrew, in the place 00:02:40.080 --> 00:02:45.479 where he had been martyred. St. Andrew met Christ, 00:02:45.740 --> 00:02:50.610 and he says to his brother, Come. We have seen 00:02:50.610 --> 00:02:53.389 him whom the prophets speak about, the Tiberians 00:02:53.389 --> 00:02:58.150 with, come we have seen the desired one. In evangelist 00:02:58.150 --> 00:03:03.210 ministry, his job is to introduce a person to 00:03:03.210 --> 00:03:08.009 Christ, to meet Christ, to know Christ, to have 00:03:08.009 --> 00:03:11.310 a relationship with Christ. So we pray today 00:03:11.310 --> 00:03:17.250 that the Lord sees us, he hears us, he comes 00:03:17.250 --> 00:03:20.710 to us. So we have a deeper and deeper relationship 00:03:20.710 --> 00:03:25.229 with him. And if you haven't met him to the degree 00:03:25.229 --> 00:03:30.289 that you know is possible, then ask St. Andrew 00:03:30.289 --> 00:03:35.909 to come and say to you, come, we have seen the 00:03:35.909 --> 00:03:40.889 desired one. Here he is. Meet him. I'd like to 00:03:40.889 --> 00:03:48.139 give you a picture of his martyrdom now. I'll 00:03:48.139 --> 00:03:51.300 pass over his life. You can read that online 00:03:51.300 --> 00:03:54.939 on the OCA website. But the martyrdom is a very 00:03:54.939 --> 00:03:58.500 different thing, and it's a wonderful story, 00:03:58.699 --> 00:04:03.960 so bear with me. So Andrew came to the city of 00:04:03.960 --> 00:04:09.360 Patras in Greece after his wide travels in Asia 00:04:09.360 --> 00:04:13.620 Minor, some say all the way up into what is now 00:04:13.620 --> 00:04:19.920 Ukraine. establishing churches, evangelizing, 00:04:19.959 --> 00:04:24.040 and he comes to Patras in the Peloponnese. That's 00:04:24.040 --> 00:04:26.279 that lower part of Greece that looks a little 00:04:26.279 --> 00:04:29.420 bit like Australia. It's down there. And there 00:04:29.420 --> 00:04:33.360 he's preaching the gospel. And there was a governor 00:04:33.360 --> 00:04:39.079 there named Agiatis who had a wife named Maximilia, 00:04:39.220 --> 00:04:44.759 and she was sick. She was ill. And she... heard 00:04:44.759 --> 00:04:48.079 the message of salvation about Jesus Christ and 00:04:48.079 --> 00:04:51.300 she became a Christian and was devoted to St. 00:04:51.339 --> 00:04:56.379 Andrew. And he prayed for her and she was restored 00:04:56.379 --> 00:05:02.579 to her health. The governor was not happy with 00:05:02.579 --> 00:05:04.759 this relationship. Of course, I assume he was 00:05:04.759 --> 00:05:06.600 happy that his wife was healed, but maybe he 00:05:06.600 --> 00:05:10.639 didn't care. But he was very angry that St. Andrew 00:05:10.639 --> 00:05:13.540 was gaining converts for the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:05:13.860 --> 00:05:18.000 And so he had him arrested and Andrew said to 00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:22.920 him, it would be best for you, oh judge of men, 00:05:23.120 --> 00:05:27.620 to come to know him who is our real judge, who 00:05:27.620 --> 00:05:30.360 dwells in the heavens, acknowledge the true God 00:05:30.360 --> 00:05:33.339 and worship him, turning away from the false 00:05:33.339 --> 00:05:36.860 idols and divinities that you now adore. The 00:05:36.860 --> 00:05:39.139 governor was very angry with him and says this, 00:05:39.220 --> 00:05:43.829 are you Andrew? who tears down the temples of 00:05:43.829 --> 00:05:47.029 the gods and teaches the people the sorcerous 00:05:47.029 --> 00:05:50.649 faith which has recently appeared and which the 00:05:50.649 --> 00:05:53.230 emperors of Rome have ordered to be destroyed. 00:05:54.250 --> 00:05:58.649 Andrew answered, the emperors of Rome do not 00:05:58.649 --> 00:06:01.290 understand what was clearly demonstrated by the 00:06:01.290 --> 00:06:03.930 Son of God who came to the earth to save mankind, 00:06:04.110 --> 00:06:08.170 that the idols are not gods, but the abodes of 00:06:08.170 --> 00:06:13.319 unclean demons. enemies of the human race. And 00:06:13.319 --> 00:06:16.839 those who worship them will be enslaved by them, 00:06:16.980 --> 00:06:20.180 and their souls issue forth from their naked 00:06:20.180 --> 00:06:23.279 bodies when they die, possessed of nothing but 00:06:23.279 --> 00:06:30.040 their own sins. And the governor said, the Jews 00:06:30.040 --> 00:06:34.800 arranged to have your Jesus nailed to the cross 00:06:34.800 --> 00:06:39.750 because he was a preacher of fables. And Andrew 00:06:39.750 --> 00:06:42.670 answered, oh, if you could only understand the 00:06:42.670 --> 00:06:46.389 mystery of the cross. If only you could comprehend 00:06:46.389 --> 00:06:48.970 that it was out of love for us that the creator 00:06:48.970 --> 00:06:52.490 of the human race endured voluntary crucifixion. 00:06:52.490 --> 00:06:55.509 He knew beforehand when he would suffer, and 00:06:55.509 --> 00:06:58.410 he prophesied that he would rise on the third 00:06:58.410 --> 00:07:02.209 day. And the governor answered and said, I'm 00:07:02.209 --> 00:07:09.199 amazed at you, apparently a wise man, whom you 00:07:09.199 --> 00:07:13.800 yourself admit was put to death, a shameful death, 00:07:14.019 --> 00:07:18.620 as a criminal on the cross. It's all the same 00:07:18.620 --> 00:07:23.139 whether he was voluntarily crucified or involuntarily 00:07:23.139 --> 00:07:26.240 crucified. Still, he was put to death on the 00:07:26.240 --> 00:07:29.500 cross. And Andrew says in response, great is 00:07:29.500 --> 00:07:32.879 the mystery of the Holy Cross. If you wish to 00:07:32.879 --> 00:07:35.759 learn of it, I will gladly speak to you about 00:07:35.759 --> 00:07:39.269 it. And the governor said, The cross is not a 00:07:39.269 --> 00:07:43.350 mystery. It's a punishment for criminals. It's 00:07:43.350 --> 00:07:47.689 an instrument of execution. St. Andrew replies, 00:07:48.269 --> 00:07:53.370 this punishment is the mystery of the renewal 00:07:53.370 --> 00:07:57.649 of the human race, which I will tell you if only 00:07:57.649 --> 00:08:00.949 you will be patient and allow me to speak. So 00:08:00.949 --> 00:08:03.250 St. Andrew says to him, be quiet a little bit, 00:08:03.250 --> 00:08:06.069 and I'll explain to you. What boldness. What 00:08:06.069 --> 00:08:10.240 boldness. And then the governor said, I will 00:08:10.240 --> 00:08:12.579 listen to you patiently, but if you refuse to 00:08:12.579 --> 00:08:15.360 do as I command, I will force you to endure the 00:08:15.360 --> 00:08:19.180 mystery of the cross yourself. He's being sarcastic. 00:08:19.680 --> 00:08:23.660 And Andrew answered a marvelous and amazing answer. 00:08:23.699 --> 00:08:27.579 He said, if I were afraid of punishment by crucifixion, 00:08:27.579 --> 00:08:30.319 I would not worship the one who was glorified 00:08:30.319 --> 00:08:34.899 on it. And the governor said, you have lost your 00:08:34.899 --> 00:08:38.480 mind. It's because you have lost your mind that 00:08:38.480 --> 00:08:41.659 you praise the cross. And because you are foolish 00:08:41.659 --> 00:08:45.559 that you prefer that you do not fear death. You 00:08:45.559 --> 00:08:49.519 become a total fool. And Andrew responded, I 00:08:49.519 --> 00:08:53.639 have not lost my mind. I have found it. It is 00:08:53.639 --> 00:08:57.059 not foolishness, but faith that has set me free 00:08:57.059 --> 00:08:59.159 of the fear of death. For the death of the righteous 00:08:59.159 --> 00:09:02.860 is honorable, but grievous is the death of sinners. 00:09:03.500 --> 00:09:06.019 Therefore, it is my desire that you listen to 00:09:06.019 --> 00:09:08.980 what I need to tell you about the mystery of 00:09:08.980 --> 00:09:11.879 the cross. Acknowledge the truth and believe 00:09:11.879 --> 00:09:17.460 and gain your life. Win your soul, said the apostle. 00:09:18.539 --> 00:09:21.240 And the governor replies, only that which is 00:09:21.240 --> 00:09:24.480 lost can be found. If my soul is truly lost, 00:09:24.740 --> 00:09:27.759 I cannot imagine it that you will find it by 00:09:27.759 --> 00:09:31.860 means of your stupid faith. Sounds pretty modern, 00:09:31.940 --> 00:09:35.669 doesn't it? And Andrew answered him, I will reveal 00:09:35.669 --> 00:09:39.210 to you in what perdition men's souls lie, so 00:09:39.210 --> 00:09:42.330 that you may recognize the salvation effected 00:09:42.330 --> 00:09:45.889 through the holy cross of Christ. It's the cross 00:09:45.889 --> 00:09:49.690 of Christ. The first man ushered in death to 00:09:49.690 --> 00:09:53.730 the world by the tree of disobedience. And so 00:09:53.730 --> 00:09:56.590 it was necessary for the race of men, the human 00:09:56.590 --> 00:09:59.509 race, that death might also be abolished through 00:09:59.509 --> 00:10:03.649 the tree of suffering. As the first man who brought 00:10:03.649 --> 00:10:07.190 in death was formed a pure and virgin earth by 00:10:07.190 --> 00:10:09.909 God, so it was necessary that Christ, who is 00:10:09.909 --> 00:10:13.830 at once perfect man and the Son of God, and who 00:10:13.830 --> 00:10:16.769 fashioned the first man, be born of a pure virgin 00:10:16.769 --> 00:10:20.909 to restore life everlasting, which has been lost 00:10:20.909 --> 00:10:25.779 to all men. The Son of God stretched out his 00:10:25.779 --> 00:10:28.860 blameless hands upon the cross, facing on that 00:10:28.860 --> 00:10:31.039 wood the transgression of the first man who, 00:10:31.100 --> 00:10:33.940 lacking self -restraint, stretched forth his 00:10:33.940 --> 00:10:37.740 hand to the tree of desire and took the forbidden 00:10:37.740 --> 00:10:42.120 fruit. In place of the sweet fruit of the forbidden 00:10:42.120 --> 00:10:46.440 tree, Christ tasted bitter gall upon the cross. 00:10:47.200 --> 00:10:49.899 Taking on himself the death that was our due, 00:10:50.039 --> 00:10:56.440 he bestowed immortality upon us. Now, when St. 00:10:56.539 --> 00:10:58.940 Andrew had finished this, the governor said to 00:10:58.940 --> 00:11:03.460 him, Speak of these things to those who are interested, 00:11:03.759 --> 00:11:07.799 not to me. But if you do not sacrifice to the 00:11:07.799 --> 00:11:11.159 gods, I will have you beaten with staves and 00:11:11.159 --> 00:11:14.220 crucified upon the cross which you so greatly 00:11:14.220 --> 00:11:19.299 glorify. And Andrew responded, every day, every 00:11:19.299 --> 00:11:24.220 day I offer to the one true almighty God, not 00:11:24.220 --> 00:11:27.519 the smoke of incense, not the flesh of bulls, 00:11:27.519 --> 00:11:30.820 not the blood of goats, but I offer the spotless 00:11:30.820 --> 00:11:34.860 lamb of God, the liturgy, who suffered in sacrifice 00:11:34.860 --> 00:11:38.519 upon the altar of the cross. All the faithful 00:11:38.519 --> 00:11:44.580 partake of this most pure body and blood. The 00:11:44.580 --> 00:11:48.879 governor mocked him. How can this be? You're 00:11:48.879 --> 00:11:53.700 foolish. Andrew said, if you wish to understand, 00:11:54.179 --> 00:11:58.860 become a disciple. In other words, if you wish 00:11:58.860 --> 00:12:00.620 to understand the mystery of the cross, there's 00:12:00.620 --> 00:12:03.840 only one way. These are my words. You have to 00:12:03.840 --> 00:12:06.220 become his disciple. If you become a disciple 00:12:06.220 --> 00:12:12.360 of Christ, if you follow faithfully what he teaches, 00:12:13.039 --> 00:12:18.539 Do what he did. Act as he acts. You will understand 00:12:18.539 --> 00:12:21.440 the mystery of the cross because you will enter 00:12:21.440 --> 00:12:25.039 into that mystery. You will experience it yourself. 00:12:25.960 --> 00:12:28.659 St. Andrew says, become his disciple. You will 00:12:28.659 --> 00:12:31.779 know. But if you don't become his disciple, you 00:12:31.779 --> 00:12:35.000 will never know. And the governor said, I will 00:12:35.000 --> 00:12:37.860 extract knowledge of it from you by torture. 00:12:38.620 --> 00:12:41.080 I'm not going to suffer, you're going to suffer, 00:12:41.200 --> 00:12:43.840 and then maybe I'll see if it's true or not. 00:12:44.620 --> 00:12:48.740 St. Andrew answered, as this comes to a conclusion, 00:12:49.220 --> 00:12:53.580 I'm amazed that you, a learned man, speak so 00:12:53.580 --> 00:12:56.840 foolishly. Do you suppose that you can learn 00:12:56.840 --> 00:13:00.559 God's mystery by torturing me? I've already explained 00:13:00.559 --> 00:13:02.759 to you the mystery of the cross. If you wish 00:13:02.759 --> 00:13:05.100 to believe in Christ, the Son of God who was 00:13:05.100 --> 00:13:08.500 crucified, I will tell you how he was slain and 00:13:08.500 --> 00:13:12.539 yet lives, how he was sacrificed and is eaten 00:13:12.539 --> 00:13:16.679 and still remains alive and whole in his kingdom. 00:13:17.679 --> 00:13:22.340 And the governor says, how can it be that he 00:13:22.340 --> 00:13:25.360 was put to death and then he's consumed his food? 00:13:25.820 --> 00:13:31.080 You make no sense. If you believe with all your 00:13:31.080 --> 00:13:34.740 heart, St. Andrew said. You will come to understand 00:13:34.740 --> 00:13:37.259 this mystery, but if you do not believe it, you 00:13:37.259 --> 00:13:41.179 will not. St. Andrew then said, Until now I have 00:13:41.179 --> 00:13:44.120 spoken to you meekly, wishing to instruct you 00:13:44.120 --> 00:13:46.840 in the holy faith. It was my hope that you would 00:13:46.840 --> 00:13:50.179 prove to be a reasonable man, recognize the truth, 00:13:50.379 --> 00:13:53.980 renounce the idols which you worship, and worship 00:13:53.980 --> 00:13:56.519 the one true and living God who dwells in heaven. 00:13:56.639 --> 00:13:59.620 But since you remain obstinate and imagine that 00:13:59.620 --> 00:14:03.840 I fear your tortures, I invite you to devise 00:14:03.840 --> 00:14:08.519 whatever you want. I am the slave of the cross. 00:14:10.120 --> 00:14:16.000 Jesus Christ, I do not fear death by crucifixion. 00:14:18.059 --> 00:14:21.720 And the governor said, okay, then you shall have 00:14:21.720 --> 00:14:25.419 it. And St. Andrew was crucified on the X -shaped 00:14:25.419 --> 00:14:30.399 cross. And then the story says the light came 00:14:30.399 --> 00:14:34.509 from heaven. And Maximilia, the wife of the governor, 00:14:34.750 --> 00:14:38.970 took down the holy body from the cross after 00:14:38.970 --> 00:14:42.570 he was dead. She anointed it with costly ointments 00:14:42.570 --> 00:14:47.049 and she placed it in her own new tomb. These 00:14:47.049 --> 00:14:52.450 things, it says, took place on the last day of 00:14:52.450 --> 00:14:55.889 the month of November in the city of Patras. 00:14:57.649 --> 00:15:03.220 For us, can we see? What an amazing change of 00:15:03.220 --> 00:15:07.720 life from that fisherman to that theologian. 00:15:08.179 --> 00:15:12.659 Can we see in our own life a path of such also 00:15:12.659 --> 00:15:15.580 profound change in whatever way God has determined 00:15:15.580 --> 00:15:21.279 that we can flourish? This is the story we have 00:15:21.279 --> 00:15:24.639 to follow, the story of the cross and the resurrection. 00:15:24.840 --> 00:15:28.860 To our Lord be glory now and ever, to ages of 00:15:28.860 --> 00:15:30.070 ages. Amen.