WEBVTT

00:00:04.360 --> 00:00:10.720
of the holy spirit glory to jesus christ congratulations

00:00:10.720 --> 00:00:15.519
to everyone you have made it through the great

00:00:15.519 --> 00:00:21.019
fast through great lent after forgiveness sunday

00:00:21.019 --> 00:00:25.339
we boarded the great clipper ship and we left

00:00:25.339 --> 00:00:29.690
the harbor and we began the long journey over

00:00:29.690 --> 00:00:33.009
the vast waters of Great Lent, and we have now

00:00:33.009 --> 00:00:37.590
arrived here on an island, an island with two

00:00:37.590 --> 00:00:44.210
parts, Lazarus Saturday, which yesterday filled

00:00:44.210 --> 00:00:48.390
us all with joy at the many baptisms and the

00:00:48.390 --> 00:00:52.590
presence of the Holy Spirit, and now this day,

00:00:52.810 --> 00:00:57.920
Palm Sunday. Our Lord and God and Savior Jesus

00:00:57.920 --> 00:01:01.479
Christ called us to follow him through those

00:01:01.479 --> 00:01:05.819
40 days, and we did so to the very best of our

00:01:05.819 --> 00:01:10.060
abilities, and we have made it here to Palm Sunday

00:01:10.060 --> 00:01:15.280
where Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem, and

00:01:15.280 --> 00:01:21.230
we are with him as he enters. he enters the gates

00:01:21.230 --> 00:01:24.230
of Jerusalem and a great gathering of people

00:01:24.230 --> 00:01:29.069
there, the Gospel of John tells us, took up branches

00:01:29.069 --> 00:01:33.750
of palm trees and went out to meet him and cried

00:01:33.750 --> 00:01:38.170
out, Hosanna! Blessed is he that comes in the

00:01:38.170 --> 00:01:43.170
name of the Lord, the King of Israel. And just

00:01:43.170 --> 00:01:48.569
as the prophet Zechariah had said, Jesus rode...

00:01:48.939 --> 00:01:54.219
on a young donkey, and he entered into the city

00:01:54.219 --> 00:01:59.040
of Jerusalem, cheered on by the many people assembled

00:01:59.040 --> 00:02:04.859
there. The Messiah entered victoriously, but

00:02:04.859 --> 00:02:10.020
the nature of this victory the people did not

00:02:10.020 --> 00:02:14.599
fully understand. Not even the disciples understood.

00:02:15.099 --> 00:02:19.629
For though Jesus enters Jerusalem as the king

00:02:19.629 --> 00:02:24.550
of kings, they expect him to raise physical armies

00:02:24.550 --> 00:02:30.349
and to throw out the Romans. But Jesus had arrived

00:02:30.349 --> 00:02:37.189
to fight a spiritual battle, a much greater battle,

00:02:37.430 --> 00:02:43.030
and to win a spiritual victory, to conquer not...

00:02:43.469 --> 00:02:46.849
armies of soldiers something so simple and mundane,

00:02:47.210 --> 00:02:51.969
but to conquer the powers of darkness, to trample

00:02:51.969 --> 00:02:57.710
down sin and death. The masses expected victory

00:02:57.710 --> 00:03:01.469
from a human perspective, but our Lord and God

00:03:01.469 --> 00:03:06.300
and Savior Jesus Christ was winning a spiritual

00:03:06.300 --> 00:03:10.020
victory by trampling down death by death and

00:03:10.020 --> 00:03:14.000
upon those in the tombs, bestowing life. And

00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:18.659
now you and I are on this island of Lazarus Saturday

00:03:18.659 --> 00:03:24.639
and Palm Sunday, and just as before, Jesus calls

00:03:24.639 --> 00:03:29.520
us to follow him, to walk with him, to walk with

00:03:29.520 --> 00:03:34.250
Christ through Holy Week. with all that it holds,

00:03:34.610 --> 00:03:40.629
including his death and burial, until we ultimately

00:03:40.629 --> 00:03:45.430
will reach his resurrection. Metropolitan Anthony

00:03:45.430 --> 00:03:49.469
Bloom has said this in his homily on the entry

00:03:49.469 --> 00:03:55.610
into Jerusalem. During the coming days, we shall

00:03:55.610 --> 00:04:00.650
be present, not just remember, but be present

00:04:01.159 --> 00:04:05.360
at Christ's passion. We shall be part of the

00:04:05.360 --> 00:04:10.319
crowd surrounding Christ and the disciples and

00:04:10.319 --> 00:04:13.979
the mother of God. And as we hear the gospel

00:04:13.979 --> 00:04:17.819
readings, as we listen to the prayers of the

00:04:17.819 --> 00:04:22.500
church, as one image after another of these days

00:04:22.500 --> 00:04:27.730
of the passion passes before our eyes. Let each

00:04:27.730 --> 00:04:32.110
one of us ask himself the question, where do

00:04:32.110 --> 00:04:37.870
I stand? Who am I in this crowd? A Pharisee?

00:04:37.870 --> 00:04:43.089
A scribe? A traitor? A coward? Who? Or do I stand

00:04:43.089 --> 00:04:47.430
among the apostles? But they too were overcome

00:04:47.430 --> 00:04:52.430
by fear. Peter denied him thrice. Judas betrayed

00:04:52.430 --> 00:04:56.870
him. John, James, and Peter went to sleep just

00:04:56.870 --> 00:05:00.410
when Christ most needed human love and support.

00:05:00.689 --> 00:05:04.569
The other disciples fled. No one remained except

00:05:04.569 --> 00:05:09.029
John and the mother of God, those who were bound

00:05:09.029 --> 00:05:13.410
to him by the kind of love which fears nothing

00:05:13.410 --> 00:05:19.350
and is ready to share in everything. So let this

00:05:19.350 --> 00:05:23.439
be our goal. to follow the great example given

00:05:23.439 --> 00:05:28.420
to us by the Apostle John and by the Holy Mother

00:05:28.420 --> 00:05:33.220
of God, to have such love for Christ that we

00:05:33.220 --> 00:05:37.180
do not depart from him, but that we follow him

00:05:37.180 --> 00:05:42.120
all the way to that glorious day of the resurrection.

00:05:43.600 --> 00:05:49.259
Come to services, fast and pray, and together...

00:05:50.569 --> 00:05:54.649
We will complete the final part of our voyage

00:05:54.649 --> 00:05:59.509
to Pascha, and we will sail into that final harbor

00:05:59.509 --> 00:06:03.310
on that blessed day of the resurrection. Glory

00:06:03.310 --> 00:06:04.509
to Jesus Christ.