of the holy spirit glory to jesus christ congratulations
to everyone you have made it through the great
fast through great lent after forgiveness sunday
we boarded the great clipper ship and we left
the harbor and we began the long journey over
the vast waters of Great Lent, and we have now
arrived here on an island, an island with two
parts, Lazarus Saturday, which yesterday filled
us all with joy at the many baptisms and the
presence of the Holy Spirit, and now this day,
Palm Sunday. Our Lord and God and Savior Jesus
Christ called us to follow him through those
40 days, and we did so to the very best of our
abilities, and we have made it here to Palm Sunday
where Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem, and
we are with him as he enters. he enters the gates
of Jerusalem and a great gathering of people
there, the Gospel of John tells us, took up branches
of palm trees and went out to meet him and cried
out, Hosanna! Blessed is he that comes in the
name of the Lord, the King of Israel. And just
as the prophet Zechariah had said, Jesus rode...
on a young donkey, and he entered into the city
of Jerusalem, cheered on by the many people assembled
there. The Messiah entered victoriously, but
the nature of this victory the people did not
fully understand. Not even the disciples understood.
For though Jesus enters Jerusalem as the king
of kings, they expect him to raise physical armies
and to throw out the Romans. But Jesus had arrived
to fight a spiritual battle, a much greater battle,
and to win a spiritual victory, to conquer not...
armies of soldiers something so simple and mundane,
but to conquer the powers of darkness, to trample
down sin and death. The masses expected victory
from a human perspective, but our Lord and God
and Savior Jesus Christ was winning a spiritual
victory by trampling down death by death and
upon those in the tombs, bestowing life. And
now you and I are on this island of Lazarus Saturday
and Palm Sunday, and just as before, Jesus calls
us to follow him, to walk with him, to walk with
Christ through Holy Week. with all that it holds,
including his death and burial, until we ultimately
will reach his resurrection. Metropolitan Anthony
Bloom has said this in his homily on the entry
into Jerusalem. During the coming days, we shall
be present, not just remember, but be present
at Christ's passion. We shall be part of the
crowd surrounding Christ and the disciples and
the mother of God. And as we hear the gospel
readings, as we listen to the prayers of the
church, as one image after another of these days
of the passion passes before our eyes. Let each
one of us ask himself the question, where do
I stand? Who am I in this crowd? A Pharisee?
A scribe? A traitor? A coward? Who? Or do I stand
among the apostles? But they too were overcome
by fear. Peter denied him thrice. Judas betrayed
him. John, James, and Peter went to sleep just
when Christ most needed human love and support.
The other disciples fled. No one remained except
John and the mother of God, those who were bound
to him by the kind of love which fears nothing
and is ready to share in everything. So let this
be our goal. to follow the great example given
to us by the Apostle John and by the Holy Mother
of God, to have such love for Christ that we
do not depart from him, but that we follow him
all the way to that glorious day of the resurrection.
Come to services, fast and pray, and together...
We will complete the final part of our voyage
to Pascha, and we will sail into that final harbor
on that blessed day of the resurrection. Glory
to Jesus Christ.