WEBVTT 00:00:00.650 --> 00:00:03.770 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 00:00:03.770 --> 00:00:08.789 of the Holy Spirit. In the readings, there were 00:00:08.789 --> 00:00:12.949 technically six readings. They get announced 00:00:12.949 --> 00:00:17.469 as one epistle and one gospel, but there were 00:00:17.469 --> 00:00:21.890 technically three epistles, three gospels. And 00:00:21.890 --> 00:00:27.050 I want to start by pinpointing the second gospel, 00:00:27.329 --> 00:00:32.369 the gospel of Luke. The Gospel of Luke, it's 00:00:32.369 --> 00:00:36.329 an interesting text. In many of the manuscripts, 00:00:36.630 --> 00:00:38.810 in many of the versions, it actually doesn't 00:00:38.810 --> 00:00:44.570 call the story a parable, which I think is provocative, 00:00:44.689 --> 00:00:48.429 to say the least, because what it shows us is 00:00:48.429 --> 00:00:52.250 it shows us a conversation that opens up between 00:00:52.250 --> 00:00:59.280 a saint and someone still The fact that these 00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:03.979 worlds can kind of blur together and spill over 00:01:03.979 --> 00:01:06.680 towards one another in communication, in prayer, 00:01:06.920 --> 00:01:11.879 in dialogue. But it tells us, regardless, whatever 00:01:11.879 --> 00:01:14.760 way we take it, it tells us this story about 00:01:14.760 --> 00:01:19.579 a rich man. About a rich man who was clothed 00:01:19.579 --> 00:01:24.640 in beautiful garment, fine purple, fine linen, 00:01:24.680 --> 00:01:28.400 all of these things. Perhaps not unlike how we're 00:01:28.400 --> 00:01:34.739 clothed. And he went through his life and he 00:01:34.739 --> 00:01:38.579 lived the good life. He lived the rich life. 00:01:38.640 --> 00:01:44.299 He lived the life of ease. He lived the life 00:01:44.299 --> 00:01:49.900 of greed. The life of self -service. The life 00:01:49.900 --> 00:01:54.340 of going through life and focusing on himself 00:01:54.340 --> 00:01:58.890 and not others. And he walked by this guy all 00:01:58.890 --> 00:02:02.810 the time, this poor guy, Lazarus, who had nothing, 00:02:02.909 --> 00:02:08.189 was a beggar. And he never acknowledged him once. 00:02:10.409 --> 00:02:15.509 And the Lord tells the story, the end of life, 00:02:15.629 --> 00:02:22.550 this poor guy, he went into Abraham's bosom. 00:02:22.969 --> 00:02:26.629 which in ancient Jewish ways of talking means 00:02:26.629 --> 00:02:35.210 he went into essentially paradise. The rich guy, 00:02:35.330 --> 00:02:40.229 he went into Hades. And in a sense, what the 00:02:40.229 --> 00:02:43.310 Lord is saying, they both got what was coming 00:02:43.310 --> 00:02:49.930 to them. And the rich guy in Hades, as it's described 00:02:49.930 --> 00:02:55.719 very unpleasantly, is hot, is thirsty. They've 00:02:55.719 --> 00:02:59.259 traded places. The rich guy now looks a lot like 00:02:59.259 --> 00:03:04.259 the poor guy, begging. And he sees Abraham, and 00:03:04.259 --> 00:03:07.560 he sees this poor man whose name he doesn't even 00:03:07.560 --> 00:03:12.560 know, and he speaks to Abraham. And he asks Abraham, 00:03:13.000 --> 00:03:20.669 essentially, to have mercy on him. to have mercy 00:03:20.669 --> 00:03:22.990 on him first and foremost, which Abraham says, 00:03:23.090 --> 00:03:24.810 well, there's a chasm between us. There's nothing 00:03:24.810 --> 00:03:28.569 that can be done. And then he asks him to have 00:03:28.569 --> 00:03:33.129 mercy on his family. Go to my brothers. Send 00:03:33.129 --> 00:03:37.490 him to my brothers. Send this poor man to my 00:03:37.490 --> 00:03:45.710 brothers, Lazarus. And Abraham responds and says, 00:03:45.830 --> 00:03:50.039 well, If they have Moses, they have the prophets. 00:03:50.259 --> 00:03:53.259 He says, no, if someone will go to them from 00:03:53.259 --> 00:03:56.539 the dead, then they will listen. Abraham responds 00:03:56.539 --> 00:04:00.180 and says, no, if they don't hear Moses and the 00:04:00.180 --> 00:04:03.699 prophets, they will neither listen should one 00:04:03.699 --> 00:04:07.800 come to them back from the dead. And I think 00:04:07.800 --> 00:04:11.539 this is an interesting thing to think about considering 00:04:11.539 --> 00:04:15.300 we are commemorating the life of St. Demetrius 00:04:15.300 --> 00:04:21.269 this morning. St. Demetrius has shown up multiple 00:04:21.269 --> 00:04:25.089 times from the dead, from his blessed repose 00:04:25.089 --> 00:04:29.370 to many people. He has gushed myrrh from his 00:04:29.370 --> 00:04:33.709 relics. He has shown the marks, the life of the 00:04:33.709 --> 00:04:39.149 resurrection from his own body in his death, 00:04:39.269 --> 00:04:41.829 in his repose, in his falling asleep. However, 00:04:42.029 --> 00:04:46.420 I think when we place this text, Next to St. 00:04:46.740 --> 00:04:50.019 Demetrius, in tandem with the John text about 00:04:50.019 --> 00:04:55.199 persecution, we are given another picture of 00:04:55.199 --> 00:04:57.399 what we should focus on when we think about St. 00:04:57.660 --> 00:05:02.379 Demetrius, his life. St. Demetrius came from 00:05:02.379 --> 00:05:07.100 a family, a Roman family, whose father undoubtedly 00:05:07.100 --> 00:05:10.920 wore fine linens and purples and beautiful garb 00:05:10.920 --> 00:05:16.329 in his public life. and yet secretly was a Christian 00:05:16.329 --> 00:05:19.810 and raised St. Demetrius. His parents raised 00:05:19.810 --> 00:05:23.370 him in the Christian faith, their only child. 00:05:23.470 --> 00:05:27.009 They educated him. They reared him in the life 00:05:27.009 --> 00:05:31.009 of Christ. They had a church secretly in their 00:05:31.009 --> 00:05:36.610 house as Demetrius' father was very close to 00:05:36.610 --> 00:05:41.319 the emperor, Emperor Maximian Galerius. He was 00:05:41.319 --> 00:05:46.459 the proconsul, the ruler of Thessaloniki. And 00:05:46.459 --> 00:05:49.579 the emperor had no idea about his father's secret 00:05:49.579 --> 00:05:56.420 life and his son's faith. And so Demetrius was 00:05:56.420 --> 00:05:59.459 enlisted to be a soldier, enlisted to follow 00:05:59.459 --> 00:06:04.319 the ranks of his father, to prize the Roman life, 00:06:04.480 --> 00:06:07.680 this life of luxury, this life of ease, this 00:06:07.680 --> 00:06:15.589 life of service to Caesar. And he did. And he 00:06:15.589 --> 00:06:20.649 was eventually appointed to be pro -consul, the 00:06:20.649 --> 00:06:23.410 ruler of Thessaloniki, to replace his father. 00:06:23.649 --> 00:06:26.209 And there was one thing the emperor said to him, 00:06:26.290 --> 00:06:32.970 besides protecting the city, is there are a lot 00:06:32.970 --> 00:06:36.449 of Christians here, and you ought to persecute 00:06:36.449 --> 00:06:39.680 them, and you ought to minimize them. and you 00:06:39.680 --> 00:06:44.259 ought to suppress them. And of course, Maximian 00:06:44.259 --> 00:06:48.920 Galerius, he was one of, he was an emperor, a 00:06:48.920 --> 00:06:51.959 co -emperor in the time of Diocletius. Diocletius 00:06:51.959 --> 00:06:56.220 is the other emperor. In the last terrifyingly 00:06:56.220 --> 00:07:00.339 horrible persecution against Christianity in 00:07:00.339 --> 00:07:04.759 the Roman Empire, Galerius, Maximian, would be 00:07:04.759 --> 00:07:08.769 the one. to abolish persecution against Christians 00:07:08.769 --> 00:07:13.089 in the Edict of Sertica. And two years later, 00:07:13.170 --> 00:07:16.649 Constantine would legalize Christianity in 1313 00:07:16.649 --> 00:07:19.750 with the Edict of Milan. But it wasn't this point 00:07:19.750 --> 00:07:24.170 yet. And he sends Demetrius into the city. And 00:07:24.170 --> 00:07:28.670 Demetrius, rather than persecuting Christians, 00:07:28.949 --> 00:07:33.910 rather than living a secret life, maybe a double 00:07:33.910 --> 00:07:39.689 life, He opens his faith. He opens his heart. 00:07:40.269 --> 00:07:45.709 He embraces Christ openly. He preaches Christ. 00:07:45.829 --> 00:07:49.470 He stands up for Christ. And so many more come 00:07:49.470 --> 00:07:53.230 to the Christian faith. And he rules the city 00:07:53.230 --> 00:07:55.689 with benevolence. He is the ruler. He is kind 00:07:55.689 --> 00:07:57.910 of like the mayor or something. Maybe we would 00:07:57.910 --> 00:08:02.949 think about it in this way nowadays. He's generous. 00:08:03.129 --> 00:08:06.800 He's loving. He's compassionate. He's kind. He 00:08:06.800 --> 00:08:09.759 has resources. He distributes them freely. He 00:08:09.759 --> 00:08:14.379 brings so many into the Christian faith. And 00:08:14.379 --> 00:08:18.839 he stands up for his faith boldly. And, of course, 00:08:18.920 --> 00:08:21.899 the emperor eventually hears about it. His anger 00:08:21.899 --> 00:08:25.600 comes personally to the city and confronts him. 00:08:26.860 --> 00:08:29.740 And Demetrius hears about it, and he knows what's 00:08:29.740 --> 00:08:34.889 happening. And so he gets his friend Lupus. And 00:08:34.889 --> 00:08:39.429 he donates all of his resources, all of the wealth 00:08:39.429 --> 00:08:41.750 that his father accumulated that was inherited 00:08:41.750 --> 00:08:44.429 to Demetrius, all of the wealth that Demetrius 00:08:44.429 --> 00:08:49.289 inherited. And what the rich guy didn't do, Demetrius 00:08:49.289 --> 00:08:52.330 does. He says, distribute this all to the poor. 00:08:52.509 --> 00:08:55.250 Give it all away because he knows what's coming. 00:08:56.009 --> 00:09:00.830 And the emperor comes, confronts him. He says, 00:09:00.850 --> 00:09:03.070 I've heard these things. I hope they're not true. 00:09:03.850 --> 00:09:07.090 Demetrius says they are true. They are true. 00:09:07.730 --> 00:09:12.230 I'm preaching Christ, and I'm opening the doors 00:09:12.230 --> 00:09:15.629 to the kingdom, and I know what it will cost 00:09:15.629 --> 00:09:21.309 me. So he gets thrown in the prison and prepares 00:09:21.309 --> 00:09:25.450 for martyrdom. Another interesting thing about 00:09:25.450 --> 00:09:30.690 that text in Luke is Abraham says, brings up 00:09:30.690 --> 00:09:33.649 Moses and the prophets. It's interesting. We 00:09:33.649 --> 00:09:38.090 sing the Beatitudes every Lord's Day. And the 00:09:38.090 --> 00:09:41.549 way the Beatitudes end, which we don't sing, 00:09:41.750 --> 00:09:47.529 but the way they end in the Gospels is they bring 00:09:47.529 --> 00:09:50.169 up the prophets and the life of the prophets 00:09:50.169 --> 00:09:54.289 and the persecution of the prophets and how Christians 00:09:54.289 --> 00:09:57.990 are conformed. To the prophets, right? Because 00:09:57.990 --> 00:10:00.250 Christ is, these words are for us. They're not 00:10:00.250 --> 00:10:04.970 just like frozen in time. And so the next thing 00:10:04.970 --> 00:10:09.289 that happens is Galerius raises up this guy, 00:10:09.549 --> 00:10:16.570 Laeos, this giant Goliath figure of a man. Starts 00:10:16.570 --> 00:10:20.049 creating all these gladiator games. And Demetrius' 00:10:20.110 --> 00:10:25.759 friend Nestor, who is... who doesn't want Christians 00:10:25.759 --> 00:10:29.100 to be killed by this guy, asks for the blessing 00:10:29.100 --> 00:10:32.340 from Demetrius to stand up against this guy in 00:10:32.340 --> 00:10:38.779 the gladiator ring. And Demetrius blesses him, 00:10:38.820 --> 00:10:41.100 makes the sign of the cross over him, and says, 00:10:41.139 --> 00:10:43.759 you will defeat him, but you will end up suffering 00:10:43.759 --> 00:10:48.279 for Christ. And what happens? He goes into the 00:10:48.279 --> 00:10:53.500 ring. He defeats this guy, praying for Christ's 00:10:53.500 --> 00:10:58.000 help. And we're thrown back into the life of 00:10:58.000 --> 00:11:01.740 the prophets immediately. The persecution of 00:11:01.740 --> 00:11:04.399 the prophets, the victories of the prophets, 00:11:04.580 --> 00:11:07.539 the faithfulness of the prophets. Think of David 00:11:07.539 --> 00:11:11.120 going up against Goliath as Goliath hurls all 00:11:11.120 --> 00:11:14.799 of these horrible things against David, cursing 00:11:14.799 --> 00:11:17.779 him by his gods, cursing him by his Philistine 00:11:17.779 --> 00:11:21.559 gods. No doubt, Laos is doing the same thing. 00:11:21.620 --> 00:11:28.389 A German, a vandal. And the emperor gets angry, 00:11:28.549 --> 00:11:31.769 and he has both of these guys, both of these 00:11:31.769 --> 00:11:38.289 saints, to be more respectful, martyred. Demetrius 00:11:38.289 --> 00:11:43.649 martyred in his own prison with 306 spears and 00:11:43.649 --> 00:11:51.490 lances against him. This is the holy great martyr 00:11:51.490 --> 00:11:56.190 Demetrius. Who could have lived this life of 00:11:56.190 --> 00:11:59.370 ease. This rich guy. But he conformed his life 00:11:59.370 --> 00:12:02.529 to the life of poverty. Giving everything away. 00:12:02.870 --> 00:12:08.230 Giving. When he had the chance. He preached Christ. 00:12:08.889 --> 00:12:11.750 Openly. And when he had the chance to give away 00:12:11.750 --> 00:12:15.529 everything. He did. Freely. And when he had the 00:12:15.529 --> 00:12:20.070 chance to suffer for his Lord. He did. He welcomed 00:12:20.070 --> 00:12:26.149 it. And I think. I think when we look at St. 00:12:26.210 --> 00:12:33.309 Demetrius' life, we have to find ourselves in 00:12:33.309 --> 00:12:38.169 it, in a sense. I should say, the persecution 00:12:38.169 --> 00:12:41.529 we endure as Christians is nothing like the Roman 00:12:41.529 --> 00:12:46.169 persecution that Diocletius inflicted. We get 00:12:46.169 --> 00:12:51.190 made fun of, we get poked at, yeah. But we worship 00:12:51.190 --> 00:12:54.950 freely. in such a beautiful place like this. 00:12:56.190 --> 00:12:59.950 Many of us have wealth. I mean, we live in California. 00:13:03.990 --> 00:13:08.990 But we have these opportunities to enter into 00:13:08.990 --> 00:13:12.450 the life of St. Demetrius. He was a Thessalonian. 00:13:12.909 --> 00:13:15.149 And it's interesting that the scripture readings 00:13:15.149 --> 00:13:19.850 don't use the letters to the Thessalonians at 00:13:19.850 --> 00:13:22.799 all. But the Thessalonians, Paul wrote to them, 00:13:22.919 --> 00:13:29.480 and the Thessalonians were so ready for the age 00:13:29.480 --> 00:13:32.539 to come upon them. They were so ready for Christ 00:13:32.539 --> 00:13:36.840 to come and judge the living and the dead. They 00:13:36.840 --> 00:13:44.019 were ready. And Paul actually calms them down. 00:13:45.500 --> 00:13:49.419 Paul says, let's live quiet lives. Let's live. 00:13:49.850 --> 00:13:53.470 godly lives. Let's live respectable lives to 00:13:53.470 --> 00:13:59.909 all. Let's bear Christ, but let's do it lovingly. 00:14:00.149 --> 00:14:03.450 Let's do it quietly. Let's do it wherever the 00:14:03.450 --> 00:14:06.490 Lord has us, whether it be a proconsul, whether 00:14:06.490 --> 00:14:10.350 it be, I don't know, a banker, an accountant, 00:14:10.509 --> 00:14:16.370 a doctor, a priest, a graphic designer. I don't 00:14:16.370 --> 00:14:20.470 know, but wherever the Lord has us. Let's live 00:14:20.470 --> 00:14:25.870 lives that are decent, quiet. Let's rejoice always. 00:14:26.750 --> 00:14:30.210 Let's pray without ceasing. Those words were 00:14:30.210 --> 00:14:34.389 given to the Thessalonians. Undoubtedly, Demetrius 00:14:34.389 --> 00:14:38.590 heard that letter over and over again. Let's 00:14:38.590 --> 00:14:42.370 be Eucharistic in everything. Be thankful. Give 00:14:42.370 --> 00:14:46.950 thanks in all things. Be Eucharistic. receive 00:14:46.950 --> 00:14:49.929 everything as if it was an offering that we could 00:14:49.929 --> 00:14:55.450 give back to Christ, our life. And should the 00:14:55.450 --> 00:15:04.710 time come, let's endure to the end like Demetrius. 00:15:04.970 --> 00:15:08.450 I think we live in an age, and maybe I could 00:15:08.450 --> 00:15:12.230 speak for my own generation, and maybe I could 00:15:12.230 --> 00:15:16.690 pinpoint men in particular. I was reading an 00:15:16.690 --> 00:15:19.850 article in, I think it was the New Yorker or 00:15:19.850 --> 00:15:25.389 the Atlantic a couple months ago, and it said, 00:15:25.509 --> 00:15:30.570 the author put it, women, femininity has been 00:15:30.570 --> 00:15:34.210 figured out in our day and age. That kind of 00:15:34.210 --> 00:15:35.950 puts it crudely, but that's kind of what it said. 00:15:36.230 --> 00:15:40.909 Whether that's true or not, we can debate afterwards. 00:15:43.399 --> 00:15:46.539 What is happening in our day and age is now it's 00:15:46.539 --> 00:15:50.600 time for men to figure themselves out. Masculinity 00:15:50.600 --> 00:15:53.820 has not been figured out because we've inherited 00:15:53.820 --> 00:16:03.940 this kind of masculinity where they sort of painted 00:16:03.940 --> 00:16:07.539 this picture of masculinity that was more classic, 00:16:07.620 --> 00:16:11.179 classically the case, and kind of slammed on 00:16:11.179 --> 00:16:17.470 it. And I'll say this, that kind of slamming 00:16:17.470 --> 00:16:21.730 that has happened in our day and age. So many 00:16:21.730 --> 00:16:24.149 of guys in my generation, we were raised without 00:16:24.149 --> 00:16:29.129 men in our life. We were raised without fathers 00:16:29.129 --> 00:16:32.289 who disciplined us. Like the scripture says, 00:16:32.570 --> 00:16:36.129 that disciplined us, that should have disciplined 00:16:36.129 --> 00:16:40.370 us as it was pleasing to them. We didn't even 00:16:40.370 --> 00:16:44.200 have that. We didn't have anyone. to say, son, 00:16:44.419 --> 00:16:51.639 do this, don't do that. And so many people, men, 00:16:51.840 --> 00:16:55.139 and not just women, not just men, women as well, 00:16:55.279 --> 00:16:58.340 we're sort of just meandering through the world. 00:16:59.019 --> 00:17:02.580 We're sort of just living life from one thing 00:17:02.580 --> 00:17:05.099 to the other. We're sort of going from one place 00:17:05.099 --> 00:17:08.400 to another, searching for the next thing, exploring 00:17:08.400 --> 00:17:14.390 ourselves, just going through life. Rather than 00:17:14.390 --> 00:17:17.470 being planted, rather than being rooted, rather 00:17:17.470 --> 00:17:21.529 than being disciplined and secured and anchored, 00:17:21.609 --> 00:17:24.650 something we can derive, something that we can 00:17:24.650 --> 00:17:27.829 see so beautifully from St. Demetrius, that when 00:17:27.829 --> 00:17:33.069 the Emperor Justinian, in the 6th century, two 00:17:33.069 --> 00:17:39.009 centuries after Demetrius' martyrdom, tried to 00:17:39.009 --> 00:17:42.420 move his relics from Thessaloniki, to Constantinople, 00:17:42.579 --> 00:17:48.740 the relics shouted out, stay away, do not touch, 00:17:48.960 --> 00:17:52.759 because Demetrius is so devoted to Thessaloniki 00:17:52.759 --> 00:17:58.299 and helping them and being with them. What can 00:17:58.299 --> 00:18:01.880 we say about our own rootedness, our own devotion, 00:18:02.220 --> 00:18:04.819 whether it be to our family, whether it be to 00:18:04.819 --> 00:18:08.940 our jobs, whether it be to a job, just a calling 00:18:08.940 --> 00:18:15.130 in general? Where we can take that, we can approach 00:18:15.130 --> 00:18:18.269 it with transfigured eyes and give it to God, 00:18:19.329 --> 00:18:22.869 offer it back to God, suffused with his glory, 00:18:23.109 --> 00:18:26.569 empowered by the life of the resurrection that 00:18:26.569 --> 00:18:29.650 is coursing through us, through our union with 00:18:29.650 --> 00:18:35.990 Christ Jesus, our Lord, who pours out his life. 00:18:36.440 --> 00:18:39.460 who pours out his divine energies into us, as 00:18:39.460 --> 00:18:44.700 we will just in a short time, we will offer ourselves 00:18:44.700 --> 00:18:49.019 to him in the bread and the wine. And the Father, 00:18:49.059 --> 00:18:51.819 through the power of the Spirit, will offer to 00:18:51.819 --> 00:18:55.339 us back Christ. In order to strengthen us, in 00:18:55.339 --> 00:18:59.240 order to conform us more to the pattern of Christ, 00:18:59.460 --> 00:19:03.779 so that we might become more and more saintly. 00:19:04.009 --> 00:19:07.609 so that we might become more and more holy, so 00:19:07.609 --> 00:19:10.029 that we might become more and more disciplined, 00:19:10.309 --> 00:19:15.470 so that we might become more rooted, anchored 00:19:15.470 --> 00:19:19.930 to where the Lord wants us to be, that we might 00:19:19.930 --> 00:19:25.190 serve boldly, that we might love freely, that 00:19:25.190 --> 00:19:27.930 we might openly confess Christ, though quietly 00:19:27.930 --> 00:19:31.910 and not obnoxiously, and do it as Christ puts 00:19:31.910 --> 00:19:35.009 it. for my name's sake, if you are going to be 00:19:35.009 --> 00:19:38.970 persecuted. That it isn't just us being bombastic 00:19:38.970 --> 00:19:45.230 and trying to make others angry. No. It is done 00:19:45.230 --> 00:19:49.990 from an anchor of love. It is filled with hope. 00:19:50.210 --> 00:19:55.750 It is seasoned by grace. It has all of the efficacy 00:19:55.750 --> 00:20:00.309 of St. Demetrius all over it. That is how we 00:20:00.309 --> 00:20:06.670 become good soldiers, brothers and sisters. That's 00:20:06.670 --> 00:20:10.210 how we fight the good faith, as the apostle puts 00:20:10.210 --> 00:20:14.930 it. That's how we live the life of the gospel. 00:20:17.329 --> 00:20:21.950 We have nothing to fear. St. Demetrius in his 00:20:21.950 --> 00:20:27.799 prison, as 306 lances came against him, really 00:20:27.799 --> 00:20:31.880 had nothing to fear because he knew that Christ 00:20:31.880 --> 00:20:36.279 has conquered the gates of Hades. Christ has 00:20:36.279 --> 00:20:41.180 conquered the devil. Christ has taken his own 00:20:41.180 --> 00:20:45.819 lance, the cross, and thrust it through the devil's 00:20:45.819 --> 00:20:49.700 head. And the devil can harass us. The devil 00:20:49.700 --> 00:20:53.420 can roar. The devil can pounce. But really, the 00:20:53.420 --> 00:20:56.910 devil can't do anything to us. Those of us who 00:20:56.910 --> 00:20:59.950 have been baptized, chrismated. Those of us who 00:20:59.950 --> 00:21:02.089 are coming to the table. Those of us who are 00:21:02.089 --> 00:21:05.230 confessing our sins freely. Those of us who are 00:21:05.230 --> 00:21:10.890 trying to live the Christian life. Against such 00:21:10.890 --> 00:21:14.710 things, the devil has no authority or control. 00:21:15.309 --> 00:21:21.170 Think of Job. Nothing can really truly be done 00:21:21.170 --> 00:21:30.200 to him. Brothers and sisters, let's stand together 00:21:30.200 --> 00:21:35.480 for our faith. Let's fight the good fight. Let's 00:21:35.480 --> 00:21:39.819 live quiet and decent and godly lives. Let's 00:21:39.819 --> 00:21:44.640 love all of those who the Lord puts into our 00:21:44.640 --> 00:21:47.019 orbit. Let's love our families. Let's love one 00:21:47.019 --> 00:21:51.380 another. Let's be the body of Christ together. 00:21:51.680 --> 00:21:55.309 Amen? Through the prayers of St. Demetrius, our 00:21:55.309 --> 00:21:56.769 Lord Jesus Christ, save us.