WEBVTT 00:00:09.220 --> 00:00:12.480 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 00:00:12.480 --> 00:00:21.980 of the Holy Spirit, glory to Jesus Christ. Just 00:00:21.980 --> 00:00:28.980 as we turn. Our pockets inside out from time 00:00:28.980 --> 00:00:32.859 to time to find what remains hidden and forgotten. 00:00:34.060 --> 00:00:38.539 Peanuts, fishy crackers, old Prospero. So God 00:00:38.539 --> 00:00:41.460 sometimes turns our hearts inside out in order 00:00:41.460 --> 00:00:48.100 to reveal that ugliness within our soul. So much 00:00:48.100 --> 00:00:52.200 of what we cannot see in ourself contradicts 00:00:52.200 --> 00:00:57.020 the Lord's original intention. in creating us, 00:00:57.159 --> 00:01:02.439 and has no place in our ultimate purpose, which 00:01:02.439 --> 00:01:06.900 is to love God and to be like him in all things. 00:01:07.299 --> 00:01:11.420 Those are words from Archimandrite Zacharias 00:01:11.420 --> 00:01:14.159 in this wonderful book, Remember Thy First Love. 00:01:14.780 --> 00:01:19.319 It's apropos to the lesson we heard because Jesus 00:01:19.319 --> 00:01:24.000 does reveal exactly what this man has hidden 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:29.129 in his heart. Last week, we heard wonderful gospel. 00:01:30.530 --> 00:01:35.310 It was given to us so we could examine how and 00:01:35.310 --> 00:01:39.569 if and when we forgive and when we decide not 00:01:39.569 --> 00:01:43.569 to forgive. How we grant mercy to those that 00:01:43.569 --> 00:01:49.609 may have deeply hurt us, offended us, used us, 00:01:49.629 --> 00:01:52.489 and sinned against us. I'm not talking about 00:01:52.489 --> 00:01:55.409 politicians on television. I'm talking about 00:01:55.409 --> 00:01:59.569 people that you know, that you encounter. You 00:01:59.569 --> 00:02:02.909 recall the parable about the unmerciful debtor 00:02:02.909 --> 00:02:07.090 and our Bishop Vasili's profound words. He said 00:02:07.090 --> 00:02:11.770 that we cannot repay God for everything that 00:02:11.770 --> 00:02:15.909 he has done for us. What he requires of us is 00:02:15.909 --> 00:02:20.210 our heart, our spirit, our broken spirit, the 00:02:20.210 --> 00:02:23.789 sacrifice of thanksgiving. sacrifice of praise, 00:02:24.009 --> 00:02:28.689 glorification, and repentance. He showed his 00:02:28.689 --> 00:02:31.169 love for us by dying for our sinners to grant 00:02:31.169 --> 00:02:35.889 us reconciliation, freedom, salvation, forgiveness. 00:02:36.930 --> 00:02:39.789 If we are truly disciples of Christ, said the 00:02:39.789 --> 00:02:41.930 bishop, we are called to forgive one another. 00:02:42.889 --> 00:02:46.229 We need his divine grace to give us the ability 00:02:46.229 --> 00:02:49.509 to forgive, to enable us to forgive, for we cannot 00:02:49.509 --> 00:02:54.349 do this with our own strength. That was last 00:02:54.349 --> 00:02:58.270 week's examination that the gospel, like a light 00:02:58.270 --> 00:03:02.430 shining in our soul. And this week, we're asked 00:03:02.430 --> 00:03:07.969 to consider, to examine our relationship with 00:03:07.969 --> 00:03:12.210 possessions, not just rich people. Not just rich 00:03:12.210 --> 00:03:16.669 people. This is actually to consider the first 00:03:16.669 --> 00:03:19.150 commandment. The Lord listed those commandments 00:03:19.150 --> 00:03:22.650 dealing with relations with other people. You 00:03:22.650 --> 00:03:26.969 heard that in the gospel. What he was leading 00:03:26.969 --> 00:03:31.110 this man to was the first commandment. I hope 00:03:31.110 --> 00:03:33.229 you know where the Ten Commandments come from. 00:03:34.030 --> 00:03:39.569 Old Testament. In one place, Exodus 20. You shall 00:03:39.569 --> 00:03:42.990 have no other gods before me. You shall have 00:03:42.990 --> 00:03:47.330 no other gods before me. Before I get to that 00:03:47.330 --> 00:03:51.210 and to say something about this encounter, I 00:03:51.210 --> 00:03:53.210 want to say a word about the commemoration today 00:03:53.210 --> 00:03:55.729 that we have in the church. Not of the saints, 00:03:55.889 --> 00:04:00.229 but that of the sash, the belt of the Theotokos. 00:04:00.349 --> 00:04:04.770 We sang two hymns about that. Now you may say, 00:04:04.909 --> 00:04:09.759 that's odd. That's weird. We have this, like, 00:04:09.780 --> 00:04:12.099 item, this belt of the Theotokos, and we're singing 00:04:12.099 --> 00:04:15.520 hymns about it. We have a commemoration about 00:04:15.520 --> 00:04:20.259 it. This belt, this sash, was saved, it's an 00:04:20.259 --> 00:04:22.180 interesting story, which I won't go into now, 00:04:22.279 --> 00:04:24.519 by pious people after the death of the Virgin 00:04:24.519 --> 00:04:27.639 Mary, and it was passed down generation by generation, 00:04:27.939 --> 00:04:31.100 eventually ended up in Constantinople, and then 00:04:31.100 --> 00:04:34.339 now is in at least two places, the monastery 00:04:34.339 --> 00:04:38.970 of Vatapedi, and in... Georgia, I believe, and 00:04:38.970 --> 00:04:42.870 maybe there's in Trier in Germany. It was split 00:04:42.870 --> 00:04:46.769 up. Is it really so odd and weird to have this 00:04:46.769 --> 00:04:49.589 in our calendar? There's a room at the Smithsonian 00:04:49.589 --> 00:04:53.550 Museum with Dorothy's shoes in it. And people 00:04:53.550 --> 00:04:56.550 would spend huge amounts of money to have that. 00:04:57.629 --> 00:05:00.829 You've seen sports shows at the championship. 00:05:01.209 --> 00:05:04.230 What do the players that win do? They pick up 00:05:04.230 --> 00:05:08.800 that trophy and they kiss it. They embrace it 00:05:08.800 --> 00:05:12.019 as if it was real and living. Of course, it represents 00:05:12.019 --> 00:05:17.139 all they've gone through. I know widows and widowers 00:05:17.139 --> 00:05:19.600 who keep some of the clothing of their late wife 00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:23.860 or husband. It's not so weird. Anyway, how much 00:05:23.860 --> 00:05:26.220 more should we treasure that which has come down 00:05:26.220 --> 00:05:29.699 to us in the church? Something that was worn 00:05:29.699 --> 00:05:33.420 by the Theotokos herself, sanctified by her. 00:05:33.480 --> 00:05:36.000 Remember the handkerchiefs in the Book of Acts 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:39.839 that were healing? the sick people, handkerchiefs 00:05:39.839 --> 00:05:43.939 that belonged to the apostles. I was honored, 00:05:44.060 --> 00:05:51.699 more like astonished and awestruck to be given 00:05:51.699 --> 00:05:56.360 to hold as I was serving at the monastery of 00:05:56.360 --> 00:06:00.120 Vatopedi, to hold during the great entrance at 00:06:00.120 --> 00:06:05.899 the liturgy a box. A monk came up to me. During 00:06:05.899 --> 00:06:07.800 the singing of the cherubic hymn, let us lay 00:06:07.800 --> 00:06:10.740 aside all earthly cares. And instead of carrying 00:06:10.740 --> 00:06:15.379 the spears or the cross, a monk came up and was 00:06:15.379 --> 00:06:19.500 passing out relics. And he gave me a box. And 00:06:19.500 --> 00:06:22.839 he opened the lid. And it was the belt of the 00:06:22.839 --> 00:06:26.160 Theotokos, which caused me great consternation 00:06:26.160 --> 00:06:34.259 and fear. That belt has healed countless people. 00:06:34.680 --> 00:06:37.579 by the prayers of the Theotokos. In any case, 00:06:37.579 --> 00:06:41.600 about today's gospel, very briefly. The man, 00:06:41.779 --> 00:06:44.199 the rich young man, an important man, no doubt, 00:06:44.360 --> 00:06:50.699 knew he lacked something. He said that. That 00:06:50.699 --> 00:06:54.680 something was not right in his heart. That there 00:06:54.680 --> 00:06:58.899 was a burden, a spiritual obstacle, a problem 00:06:58.899 --> 00:07:05.029 he could not see. Christ offered the man, A remarkable 00:07:05.029 --> 00:07:10.670 thing. A way to mature, to be truly rich. It's 00:07:10.670 --> 00:07:14.089 not everyone that Jesus encounters in the scriptures 00:07:14.089 --> 00:07:20.089 that Jesus invites and says, follow me. In fact, 00:07:20.089 --> 00:07:23.050 he says some people, stay here and tell what 00:07:23.050 --> 00:07:27.889 wonderful things God has done for you. Very rarely, 00:07:27.930 --> 00:07:32.310 only the apostles. So this man. Must have had 00:07:32.310 --> 00:07:37.769 some incredible qualities and abilities. And 00:07:37.769 --> 00:07:41.970 the discussion continues. The man asks what good 00:07:41.970 --> 00:07:45.029 thing he must do to have eternal life. And the 00:07:45.029 --> 00:07:50.529 Lord answers, if you will be perfect. He knows 00:07:50.529 --> 00:07:53.509 the heart. He knows the intention. He knows the 00:07:53.509 --> 00:07:56.509 thoughts of a person. Out of his love, he knows 00:07:56.509 --> 00:08:01.610 what this man really needs. Because he has created 00:08:01.610 --> 00:08:05.129 him. And it's like I read there. The pocket was 00:08:05.129 --> 00:08:09.790 empty. Jesus offers the remedy. St. Basil says, 00:08:09.990 --> 00:08:13.930 if a physician had said to you that he could 00:08:13.930 --> 00:08:17.790 fully cure you of some physical disfigurement 00:08:17.790 --> 00:08:23.250 you had by nature or disease, wouldn't you have 00:08:23.250 --> 00:08:27.370 listened to him gladly? But when the great physician 00:08:27.370 --> 00:08:31.519 of souls desires to make you whole of your deficiencies 00:08:31.519 --> 00:08:34.659 and things that matter most, the soul, the heart, 00:08:34.840 --> 00:08:39.919 your faith. You don't accept the favor, but mourn 00:08:39.919 --> 00:08:46.000 and put on a gloomy face and walk away sad. I've 00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:51.120 done it many times. Although probably not sad. 00:08:51.559 --> 00:08:54.480 This man was pious. I can't say and claim that 00:08:54.480 --> 00:08:58.169 for myself. I would walk away from doing what 00:08:58.169 --> 00:09:01.870 I need to do, whether it's just the simple things, 00:09:01.929 --> 00:09:05.570 praying, or extending myself, or doing whatever 00:09:05.570 --> 00:09:08.129 commandment the Lord is asking, and that's clear 00:09:08.129 --> 00:09:12.710 to me right then and there. But without any sorrow, 00:09:12.769 --> 00:09:15.330 but instead with justification. Isn't that what 00:09:15.330 --> 00:09:20.029 we do? We justify how we will not follow Christ 00:09:20.029 --> 00:09:23.230 because there's some obstacle and we just can't, 00:09:23.250 --> 00:09:26.960 we don't want to. We want to keep it. We don't 00:09:26.960 --> 00:09:30.039 want to get rid of it. The young man, and like 00:09:30.039 --> 00:09:32.620 us, the cost was too high for him because he 00:09:32.620 --> 00:09:39.159 had security in what he possessed. For us, it's 00:09:39.159 --> 00:09:42.620 security in who knows what. And the young man's 00:09:42.620 --> 00:09:46.100 priorities were set, and they were not going 00:09:46.100 --> 00:09:49.340 to be changed. He may have looked, and he was 00:09:49.340 --> 00:09:53.799 pious, just like we might look faithful and religious. 00:09:55.659 --> 00:10:00.000 Some of you might remember Ray Kroc, the man 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:03.080 who built up McDonald's to this mega corporation. 00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:07.720 He was asked once by somebody what he believed 00:10:07.720 --> 00:10:13.500 in. He said, I believe in God, I believe in my 00:10:13.500 --> 00:10:18.480 family, and I believe in McDonald's. And then 00:10:18.480 --> 00:10:21.700 he added, when I get to the office, I reverse 00:10:21.700 --> 00:10:28.360 the order. That's what we do. We put what we 00:10:28.360 --> 00:10:33.500 think is first before God. Christ invited the 00:10:33.500 --> 00:10:37.779 man to be perfect and how to achieve not some 00:10:37.779 --> 00:10:42.240 assurance of salvation in eternity by keeping 00:10:42.240 --> 00:10:47.080 some rules and some moral things, but he invited 00:10:47.080 --> 00:10:52.360 him to join him to be in paradise, joy, the kingdom 00:10:52.360 --> 00:10:55.740 of heaven. He offered to him. He offers to us 00:10:55.740 --> 00:10:58.080 to be with the spirits of the righteous made 00:10:58.080 --> 00:11:00.940 perfect as we sing at the Panaquita. That is 00:11:00.940 --> 00:11:04.100 the saints who are with the Lord. That is why 00:11:04.100 --> 00:11:08.299 we were given life. All the commandments exist 00:11:08.299 --> 00:11:12.940 for us to learn a personal relationship in the 00:11:12.940 --> 00:11:16.659 church with our brothers and sisters, with God 00:11:16.659 --> 00:11:23.870 and man, to learn divine love. Eternal life, 00:11:24.009 --> 00:11:27.929 to be perfect, is that life that Jesus Christ, 00:11:28.070 --> 00:11:33.669 our God, lives. It is to love selflessly. It 00:11:33.669 --> 00:11:37.110 is, of course, to deny ourself. What the man 00:11:37.110 --> 00:11:43.029 could not do. I imagine that man heard Jesus 00:11:43.029 --> 00:11:48.360 speaking and ministering. and embracing the children. 00:11:48.480 --> 00:11:52.019 Just a few verses before Matthew 19, this is 00:11:52.019 --> 00:11:54.860 where we find Jesus and the apostles. Jesus is 00:11:54.860 --> 00:11:56.820 speaking with the children, and the apostles 00:11:56.820 --> 00:12:00.460 are like, get away, kids, get away. And Jesus 00:12:00.460 --> 00:12:02.940 says, let the children come to me, for such is 00:12:02.940 --> 00:12:06.279 the kingdom of God. I imagine this man was standing 00:12:06.279 --> 00:12:11.139 there, and he heard that, and he saw Jesus ministering, 00:12:11.139 --> 00:12:16.289 but he could not be like a child. He had to make 00:12:16.289 --> 00:12:22.690 sure he had his security. And Jesus says, it's 00:12:22.690 --> 00:12:24.889 easier for a camel to go through the eye of a 00:12:24.889 --> 00:12:28.230 needle than for a rich man to be saved. The apostles 00:12:28.230 --> 00:12:30.570 are astonished. Why? Because they figure a rich 00:12:30.570 --> 00:12:34.549 man, he's blessed. He's got everything, and God 00:12:34.549 --> 00:12:37.639 has blessed him. So let's recognize that the 00:12:37.639 --> 00:12:40.259 words of the Lord address not merely, not just 00:12:40.259 --> 00:12:43.299 that which stands between us and entering fully 00:12:43.299 --> 00:12:46.899 and completely into discipleship, into carrying 00:12:46.899 --> 00:12:52.700 our cross with Christ. Let's recognize this is 00:12:52.700 --> 00:12:58.179 about how money, how money and possessions, not 00:12:58.179 --> 00:13:02.879 bad in themselves, mind you, no, but how they 00:13:02.879 --> 00:13:10.139 offer. False security. False happiness. How many 00:13:10.139 --> 00:13:15.159 of us think today, if I were rich, that would 00:13:15.159 --> 00:13:19.460 be great. I could give away so much to the church 00:13:19.460 --> 00:13:21.539 and to the poor. Well, why don't we do that now 00:13:21.539 --> 00:13:24.580 with what we have? That's enough. God will multiply 00:13:24.580 --> 00:13:28.000 that. And if we were rich and not working, we 00:13:28.000 --> 00:13:32.669 would find ourselves... In all kinds of sinfulness, 00:13:32.950 --> 00:13:36.929 getting into all kinds of trouble. Tomorrow's 00:13:36.929 --> 00:13:39.789 Labor Day. Let's think how we labor for the Lord. 00:13:40.429 --> 00:13:45.429 If we were rich, we would not do that. Let's 00:13:45.429 --> 00:13:47.750 not imagine, brothers and sisters, that we are 00:13:47.750 --> 00:13:52.070 immune to all this. Don't be like the rich young 00:13:52.070 --> 00:13:55.370 man. Maybe I can summarize this whole thing. 00:13:55.409 --> 00:13:57.389 Maybe that's just what I should have done at 00:13:57.389 --> 00:14:00.509 the beginning instead of speaking so long. with 00:14:00.509 --> 00:14:03.450 two brief sayings, one frequently repeated by 00:14:03.450 --> 00:14:06.409 Father Michael of blessed memory, which he would 00:14:06.409 --> 00:14:09.629 say to people, it's been reported to me, in confession, 00:14:09.889 --> 00:14:16.230 with tears. Don't let anything come between you 00:14:16.230 --> 00:14:20.830 and God. And the second, the words of the Savior, 00:14:21.110 --> 00:14:24.730 where your treasure is, that's where your heart 00:14:24.730 --> 00:14:30.919 is also. To our Savior. Be glory and honor. Now 00:14:30.919 --> 00:14:32.460 endeavor to ages of ages.